Stingers 4, Redbirds 3 (OT): Concordia emerges victorious in the Corey Cup
The Stingers outlasted their city rivals in a game-of-the-year contender
The Concordia University men’s hockey team needed overtime to defeat the McGill University Redbirds in a Corey Cup showdown, emerging with a 4-3 victory on Feb. 7 at Ed Meagher Arena. Concordia held onto second place in the Ontario University Athletics East with a record of 18-7-1.
Stingers head coach Marc-André Elément commented on a tight contest that left Stingers fans energized.
“There's people that came tonight where maybe it's their first game, but they're going to want to come back with games like that,” Elément said.
In front of a packed crowd with sizable representation from both fanbases, the Stingers started strong courtesy of two of their alternate captains.
Defenceman Sean Larochelle broke the ice with a powerful snipe 14 minutes in, and the PA announcer could barely announce the goal before forward Mathieu Bizier doubled the lead with a back-post tap-in.
First-year forward Hugo Primeau commended the team’s veteran leadership, including 10 seniors, for setting a positive example for the young players.
“We have a great leader group, and they show how to work, how to be better people off the ice also,” Primeau said. “It's been great for all the young guys coming in.”
The Stingers would need even more veteran leadership to steer the team to victory, as the Redbirds stormed back with three unanswered goals.
Defenceman Alexandre Blanchard sniped the first off the post, and Jeremie Payant tied the game at 2-2 after a goalfront scramble left the forward open to poke past Stingers goaltender Nikolas Hurtubise. Then, in the third period, forward Mathieu Gagnon took advantage of another scramble to put the Redbirds ahead 3-2.
Concordia captain Simon Lavigne praised McGill for its role in the city rivalry, calling it a hotly contested but respectful affair.
“It’s extra motivation for us to play these guys, emotion all around,” Lavigne said. “We know they have a good team every year, and we have a good team every year, and we respect them.”
The Stingers refused to go down, and a flurry of chances paid off when forward Alexandre Nadeau sniped in the equalizer to make it 3-3. Hurtubise and Redbirds goalie Nicolas Ruccia traded spectacular saves as the period expired.
As the overtime period ticked away, Concordia seemed headed for its first shootout of the season.
But the clutchest veteran of them all, Lavigne, stepped up when the moment arose, capitalizing on a neutral zone turnover to create a one-on-one breakaway with Ruccia. Right in front of a section of frenzied Stingers fans, Lavigne buried the shot into the top corner.
Lavigne, smiling postgame, explained his game-winning mentality.
“You don't need to overthink on a breakaway, just keep it simple,” Lavigne said. “And that's what I did.”
In front of a packed house, Elément emphasized building a sustainable team culture, as well as a sustainable base of school support. He commended his team for their passion and pride in the program.
“They're proud of being Stingers, but they’re even more proud to be Concordian students,” Elément said. “We need these students to be here, so we're gonna work hard at it, but games like tonight, it's gonna help.”
Concordia closes out the regular season with two away games, the first against the University of Ottawa on Feb. 13. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Minto Sports Complex.
