On the road with the Stingers: the playoffs

As the Concordia Stingers bus pulled away from the Ed Meagher Arena on February 11, the sky was cloudy and the wind was blowing hard.

But the men’s hockey team didn’t seem fazed about the weather outside. Their focus was on more important matters — a trip to McGill University’s McConnell Arena to face the Redmen in the Ontario University Athletics East Division quarterfinals.

Some used the short road trip through Montreal’s downtown core to reminisce about high school pranks and inside jokes. Others found time to take a power nap and recharge their energy levels. Many were eating pasta and bread — carbs needed to give the players a boost before the opening faceoff.  

That night’s game would be the first of a best-of-three series pitting the first-place Redmen and the eighth-place Stingers against one another.

The underdog Stingers played McGill once in the preseason and twice during the regular season. Concordia lost the two regular-season matchups, including the 28th annual Corey Cup.

But the matchups had always been close and hard-fought games, and the Stingers were excited for a chance to face off against the Redmen once more and defeat them in the playoffs for the first time since 2001. 

Game one: Wednesday, February 11

The Stingers knew this series would be a difficult one, and from game one, they were determined to play hard and play well. Stingers captain Olivier Hinse scored the first goal of the series on a power play goal. Though the Redmen temporarily tied the game at 1-1, the Stingers pulled ahead in the second period and never looked back. The 6-4 victory was a surprise to many who expected the Redmen to sweep the series.

Concordia’s win was cemented with two empty-net goals shot from the Stingers’ defensive zone. Spectators may have thought it looked like a couple of lucky shots, but Kevin Figsby, the Stingers’ head coach, says luck had nothing to do with it.

“We practice [shooting on the empty net] three times a week,” he says. “The deal is [the players] stand in the [defensive] goal crease, and they shoot a puck from one end of the ice to the other. Then I get to shoot. If they miss and I score, they skate, and I score almost all the time.”

With a victory in hand largely driven by the Stingers’ power play (three for four on the night), Concordia had confidence moving forward to game two at home.

Game two: February 13

Close to 500 people gathered at the Ed Meagher Arena for game two on February 13. The Stingers fans were loud and excited at the prospect of eliminating McGill in the playoffs.

But the Redmen had other plans. The Stingers found themselves behind a goal just 51 seconds into the game. Things got worse, and at the final buzzer, McGill beat Concordia 5-0.

“The hard part sometimes is doing things with consistency,” Figsby says. “That’s just the sign of a young team.”

Game three: February 15

Back at McGill’s McConnell Arena, the Stingers knew this game was their last chance. The winner would move on, and the loser would go home.

Figsby’s game plan was to “get pucks in deep and outskate and outshoot [McGill],” which is much easier said than done. But the Stingers managed to get on the board first with a goal, just over 90 seconds into the game.

McGill didn’t spend a lot of time behind. By the end of the first period, the Redmen had a 2-1 lead, and after half of the second period, they had scored two more. As hard as the Stingers pushed back, they were unable to catch up to McGill’s lead. The final score was 6-3.

Figsby was proud of his players’ performances in the playoffs. “They gave everything they had and left it all out on the ice,” he says.

‘Valueable learning lesson’ for young players

Figsby says one of the reasons McGill won the series was its team’s experience.

“What you saw tonight was a group of veteran players who know what it takes to get [to the national championship],” he says of the Redmen’s lineup. “[Getting beat by McGill] is a very positive and valuable learning lesson for our young guys.”

As for next year, Figsby feels very positive about the changes to come. “I think we’re going to be a team that has a bit more speed next year and be a lot bigger on the back end,” he says.  
 

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