Stingers 3, Bison 1: Concordia kicks off the national championship

The Stingers never trailed in a first-round win

SportsBriefSamuel Kayll — Published March 20, 2026 0 minutes

Concordia advanced to the national semifinals for the fifth straight season, a stretch that included two national titles and an additional championship game appearance. Manitoba, the runners-up in the Canada West conference, dropped to the consolation bracket.

The Bisons started the game strong, but Concordia’s fourth line, praised by Julie Chu during the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) playoffs, opened the scoring eight minutes into the first period. Rookie forward Juliette Leroux, who had five points in the conference playoffs, assisted linemate Audrey Clavette’s tap-in to put the Stingers up 1-0. 

Concordia cranked up the heat as the game progressed, with the top line taking over as the primary source of offence. 

U Sports-leading scorer Emilie Lussier assisted captain Jessymaude Drapeau to add to the lead in the first period. Then, Lussier did it again in the second when the Bisons left Drapeau open at the back post to smash the puck past Manitoba goaltender Emily Shippam.

Manitoba improved as the game progressed, holding off the Stingers on both of their power play opportunities. Concordia forward Ekaterina Pelowich went to the penalty box in the third period, and Bisons centre Brenna Nicol knocked the puck past Stingers goalie Jordyn Verbeek to make it a 3-1 game.

With some stout play from Verbeek and a defensive stand, however, the Stingers punched their ticket to the second round. Manitoba actually outshot Concordia 24-23 and won 28 faceoffs to the Stingers’ 20, but it wasn’t enough to dethrone the RSEQ champions.

“The first game is always a stressful one, I think we started strong, we finished strong,” Lussier said in a postgame interview with CBC. “We’re a good group this year. We have fun, and we believe we can have a chance to win this championship.”

Concordia will face the third-seeded University of Guelph Gryphons in the first semifinal game on Saturday, March 21. Puck drop is set for 4:00 p.m.