Stingers 5, Bold 2: Stingers fend off TMU Bold comeback
First-year Stingers forward Mikael Huchette nets his first two goals of the season
The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team routed the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold 5-2 on Friday, Oct. 18. The penalty-heavy game, during which both teams combined for 28 minutes of penalties (PIM), marked Concordia’s fifth win in a row. The Stingers record now stands at 5-0-1, putting them atop the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East division.
Stingers forward Mikael Huchette scored Concordia’s first goal of the game midway through the first period on a sharp-angle shot. Huchette, who is in his first season at Concordia, notched two assists during his first five games, but this was his first goal with the Stingers.
“I wanted that goal soon,” Huchette said, post-game. “Feels great to finally have it against a good matchup [...] It was a fun game.”
Concordia’s second goal came on a second-period power play. Forward Mathieu Bizier tipped in a shot from defenceman Sean Larochelle for his sixth goal of the regular season. Bizier leads the team—and the OUA—with 10 points over six games, a solid continuation from last season, when he also led the team with 28 points in total.
Despite Bizier’s success, the Stingers only managed to capitalize on two out of six power play opportunities during the game, including two scoreless 5-on-3 situations.
“We need a lot of work on the power play,” Stingers head coach Marc-André Elément said after the win. “I think it’s a process. We’re still at the beginning of the season, so we’ll get that better.”
The Stingers’ second power-play goal came during a chaotic, emotional third period, during which 18 of the game’s 28 PIM were assessed. Huchette scored again early in the period to put Concordia up 3-0, but the Bold rallied for two consecutive goals in just 20 seconds.
“It was a wake-up call,” Huchette said. “It’s not fun when you’re up 3-0 and they come back. [...] We need to always play 60 minutes.”
Shortly afterward, Bold forward Matthew Barnes collided with Stingers goaltender Nikolas Hurtubise, resulting in a scrum and two coincidental roughing penalties for the Stingers and the Bold. Stingers defenceman Simon Lavigne scored on the subsequent power play to put Concordia up 4-2, and forward Nicholas Girouard notched the empty net goal with two minutes left in the third to finish out the win.
After Barnes’ collision with Hurtubise, scrums and increasingly physical play dominated the remaining half of the third period.
“It’s always fun with more hits,” Huchette said of the game’s physicality. “It feels like the game is at a high pace, and we want to win more when they’re physical and trash-talking.”
With this win, the Stingers record now stands at 5-0-1. Their next home game will be on Oct. 23 against the McGill Redbirds. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
