Stingers 5, Martlets 1: Concordia pulls ahead in their first playoff series
The Stingers start the postseason strong with an overwhelming Game 1 win against McGill
The Concordia University women’s hockey team put their best foot forward in the postseason in a dominant win over McGill University on Feb. 26, beating the Martlets 5-1 in Game 1 of their semi-final series.
“We were excited, and there were a lot of people cheering for us, and we felt it,” defender Angélie Jobin said.
Concordia had a rough start to the first period, with goalie Jordyn Verbeek making four saves to shut down the Martlets’ opportunities. The Stingers found their footing after the first few minutes, keeping the puck in McGill’s zone.
Verbeek was snowed by McGill forward Mahely Charbonneau, leading to a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. This left Concordia on the power play, and they took full advantage, with Émilie Lavoie scoring off a rebound to put the Stingers up 1-0.
“We came out strong, we had the energy, we were flying,” said captain Jessymaude Drapeau. “We executed our game plan, and we got the win. I couldn’t ask for better.”
Coming off a penalty kill, Drapeau sent the puck into the top corner of the net from the red line in the last few seconds of the first period. With 11 penalties throughout the game, Concordia got many more chances to show off its power play and penalty kill.
“Our special teams are really important, and we’ve been working hard on those and making some adjustments," said head coach Julie Chu. "So to execute those made a really big difference in this game."
And make a big difference they did, with forward Émilie Lussier scoring right over Martlets goaltender Jade Rivard-Coulombe’s shoulder just 14 seconds into Concordia’s power play.
Lussier was a force to be reckoned with, bouncing the puck over Rivard-Coulombe’s pad to score her second goal 12 minutes into the second period.
“As a group, we came together. We all want the same things," said defender Rachael McIntyre. "We all want to win, we all want to work hard, and I think today was a good full 60 minutes of hockey for us."
McIntyre picked up an assist in the last minute of the second period, when Lavoie fired her drop pass straight into the back of the net for the defender’s second goal of the game, and Concordia’s fifth.
“We’re big believers that our defensive game is what helps us be successful on the offensive side of things," Chu said. "So when we’re really disciplined on that, and we do a great job, then I think we get rewarded."
The third period came without any goals for Concordia. But the Stingers' penalty kill finally faltered with McGill captain Anika Cormier scoring a wrap-around goal on the power play after a scramble in front of the net halfway through the third period.
The Stingers shut down McGill for the rest of the game, leaving Cormier’s goal as the only shot on net for the Martlets. Concordia finished the game 5-1 with 32 shots to McGill’s nine, showing a strong but imperfect start to the semi-final series.
“It was a first great game for the semi-finals. We’re taking one game at a time, we’re not thinking too far ahead,” Lussier said. “We’re focusing on details and structure that we need to get better."
The game on Feb. 26 came on the heels of the announcement of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) awards, where the Stingers were well-represented.
Drapeau took home Player of the Year honours, while Jobin won Rookie of the Year. Verbeek won the league’s Leadership and Social Engagement Award, and Chu was named Coach of the Year for the sixth time.
Drapeau, Verbeek, Lavoie and Lussier were all named first-team RSEQ all-stars. Jobin joined forward Frédérike Verpaelst on the all-rookie team.
Concordia secured a place in the RSEQ finals and a trip to the national tournament with a 4-1 win over the Martlets in Game 2 on Feb. 28 at McConnell Arena. The Stingers now turn their attention to the Université de Montreal Carabins—who they went undefeated against in the regular season—in the RSEQ final. Game 1 will be played on Thursday, March 5 at Ed Meagher Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.
