Stingers 5, Gaiters 4: One step closer to victory
Concordia emerges victorious in a hard-fought battle against Bishop’s
On March 6, the Concordia University women's hockey team secured a much needed win in a physical battle against Bishop's University, for the first game of the RSEQ finals.
“Our crowd is a big part of our success and I think it’s really fun hearing the little girls and the teams that we inspire in the crowds cheering us on. It’s so fun to see and playing and hearing this all year, it definitely helps,” team captain Caroline Moquin-Joubert said.
The game started off with Concordia’s starting goalie Jordyn Verbeek saving a slapshot to which the 500 fans in the stands went wild, waving their maracas, smashing their drums and chanting “Let’s Go Stingers.”
Just six minutes into the game, forward Zoé Thibault kicked off the scoring, giving Concordia an early lead 1-0 over the Gaiters.
Less than a minute later, Concordia defenceman Rachael McIntyre got smashed into the boards, staying on the ice for over two minutes. McIntyre required medical attention before getting off the ice.
Although the hit was a legal play, the Stingers lost some of their momentum due to concern for McIntyre.
Five minutes later, the Gaiters took advantage of this to score their first goal of the night, tying the score 1-1.
“Bishop’s is a great team and we knew it was going to be back-and-forth. We knew it was going to be us on the edge of our seats and that’s what we got in this game,” Stingers head coach Julie Chu said. “It was two great teams playing it physical, plain talk.”
The period ended 2-1 in favour of the Stingers thanks to a goal from forward Émilie Lussier after a beautiful pass from the blue line from forward Jessymaude Drapeau.
The second period brought more goals, but a lot more penalties. Gaiters defenceman Regan Garreau found the back of the net two minutes into the frame, tying up the score 2-2.
Concordia did not back down, as seconds later, forward Alexis Bedier drove the puck from center ice past Bishop’s starting goalie, Éricka Gagnon to put Concordia up 3-2.
“That was exciting for me,” Bedier said. “But it’s really just playing a hard game, taking pucks to the net and trying your best.”
Minutes after the goal, Bishop’s was called for a tripping penalty. Stingers forward Émilie Lavoie took advantage of the extra player on the ice to score her first of the night, assisted by Drapeau and Bedier.
The second period ended with the two teams trading goals, leaving Concordia up 5-3. The Gaiters led in shots for the first time in the game, 21-20.
Despite the third period seeing four penalties one after the other, the Stingers outshot the Gaiters 14-4.
With just 17 seconds left in the third, the Gaiters scored their fourth goal to make the final score 5-4 Concordia.
“The whole year was an amazing journey and we're really like a family, and it shows,” Moquin-Joubert said. “We're playing for each other and I think we all got [each] others back and it makes a big difference at the end of the day to play as a great team.”
The second game of the finals will take place on Saturday, March 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Jane & Eric Molson Arena.
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