Stingers 3, Martlets 1: Concordia bests McGill in defensive contest.

Concordia women’s hockey team bests crosstown rivals McGill and remain undefeated

SportsAdam Joseph — Published February 3, 2024 0 minutes

The Stingers showed their dominance in the first frame, outshooting their opponents 19-4, but were unable to solve Martlets goaltender Jade Rivard-Coulombe. The Stingers trailed 1-0 Martlets after forward Syrine Kacem opened the scoring in front of a crowded net. The Martlets took their lead into the second period.

Stingers head coach Julie Chu was pleased with how the Stingers played in the first frame.

“I think that everybody still left that period feeling good, the energy on the bench was positive throughout the entire game,” she said. “[Rivard-Coulombe] played tremendously against us, and it is easy to get frustrated when pucks aren’t going in, even when generating opportunities.”

It took only a few seconds into the second frame for the Stingers to get back on track. Stingers forward Zoé Thibault picked up a loose puck and scored her fourth goal of the season to bring both teams back to a tie. The Stingers eventually took the lead when forward Rosalie Bégin-Cyr deflected captain Emmy Fecteau’s shot on goal. The Stingers returned to the locker room with a 2-1 lead and a commanding 36 shots on goal against nine for McGill. Fecteau said they just had to continue bombarding McGill’s net.

“[Rivard-Coulombe] did an excellent job but we just had to keep trying shots on goals from different angles and keep putting traffic towards the net,” she said.

The Martlets attempted to even the score, but the Stingers defense prevailed. Émilie Lavoie tallied a final score from an impossible angle that dashed all hopes of a comeback for the Martlets. 

Throughout the game, the Stingers neutralized all four penalties assessed against them. Stingers goaltender Jordyn Verbeek praised her team’s special teams unit and said it helped her keep her composure.

“We have a great penalty kill this year, players blocking shots makes it easier to stay confident and play our game,” she said.

Chu added that she felt a full team effort on the ice that night.

“Everyone went out there and played extremely well for us. Everyone had a positive impact and helped energy from one shift to the next.”.

The Concordia Stingers will battle the Ottawa Gee-Gees at the Ed Meagher arena on Feb. 4 for their first-ever pride game. The opening faceoff will take place at 3 p.m.