Stingers 7, Huskies 0: Stingers win Theresa Humes Cup opener
Bureau-Gagnon’s four goals lead Stingers to victory
The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team cruised to a 7-0 victory over the Saint Mary’s University (SMU) Huskies in the Ed Meagher Arena. Friday night’s game marked the first matchup in the 55th annual Theresa Humes Cup.
“What I really liked was that we got better and better as the game went on,” said head coach Julie Chu post-game. “We challenged [ourselves] a bit after the first period to make adjustments [...] From there we were able to dictate play a bit more and really get on our toes versus being a step behind.”
The first period saw the Huskies chomp at the bit. The team skated hard against the Stingers, creating high-scoring chances early on. Stingers goaltender Jordan Verbeek was poised from the get-go, denying two key SMU opportunities from the slot area.
However, the Stingers struck first. After SMU defenceman Marisa McClocklin was assessed an interference penalty, Stingers forward Chloé Gendreau crashed the net and potted home the game’s opening marker. Upon the goal being scored, the Stingers claimed the momentum and never ceased it.
Powerplays and rebounds repeated as a key component for the Stingers’ success. While the Huskies racked up eight penalty minutes in the first two periods, Stingers forward Megan Bureau-Gagnon caught fire in the second frame. The Sherbrooke native tallied three identical goals throughout the 20 minutes of action. The lengthy forward corralled loose pucks in front of SMU’s net and potted home the rebound for a natural hat-trick.
The offensive outburst caught Bureau-Gagnon by surprise as well: “It all happened so fast. I have no words to describe it,” she said. “It was just an awesome feeling.”
With a 4-0 lead intact headed into the final period, the Stingers' advantage on the scoreboard allowed them to cruise to the win. SMU looked deflated with now 14 minutes of penalties, and the frustration quickly turned into exhaustion.
ConU tallied three additional goals in the last 13 minutes of play—Bureau-Gagnon had her fourth, while forwards Justine Yelle and Emmy Fecteau scored the other two.
“I think we have a really good team,” said Bureau-Gagnon. “Even the incoming players are doing a great job in finding a way to contribute to the team's success.” She added that the veterans aided the seven freshman recruits to vie into the team culture.
Game two of the Theresa Humes Cup will transpire on Saturday, Sept. 30 against the Queen’s University Gaels. The puck drops at 3:30 p.m.
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