January 10, 2025
The Concordia Stingers beaten at home by the Windsor Lancers
The Concordia Stingers, the top team in the Eastern conference, played host to the Windsor Lancers, the top team in the Western conference tonight – and the result was a tightly contested match-up between the leagues best teams.
Concordia had ended 2024 on a high note, and were looking to continue from that run coming into the new year. So too had the Windsor Lancers, which meant only one of the team could start the year off on the winning foot.
See Also: Concordia nets five, shuts out Nipissing at home
The Windsor Lancers opening the scoring at 9:06 of the first period, when Matt McNamara found a loose puck that he slipped by Stingers goaltender Nikolas Hurtubise for his fifth goal of the season. The Lancers would double their lead just ninety seconds later when Ty Toews fired home his sixth of the year. Toews had assisted on McNamara’s goal, and Keegan McMullen had assists of both tallies, as the Lancers took a shocking two goal lead into the intermission.
Besides the fresh new zamboni; the intermission also had a live performance by Armoire, presented by Pouzza festival, which for those that have been hiding under a rock, is a springtime punk rock festival that takes place on the street and concert halls around Montreal. Armoire’s performance kept the crowd warm as the winter cold bashed the city outside, and served as a sweet reminder that like Pouzzafest, spring is just around the corner. Sure – it’s a long walk to get to that corner but once you do, there’s spring!
The Concordia Stingers came out to start the second with gusto, by the physicality of the Lancers defense seemed to be getting the better of them. Dylan Schives, formerly of the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, was especially physical. Not just finishing all his checks but by being a pest on every shift and getting under the skin of Stingers players, Schives played the role of the disrupter brilliantly.
Concordia found themselves in trouble at the mid-mark of the second period, when Sean Larochelle took a minor penalty for holding. Twenty seconds later, Kyle Havlena was called for high-sticking, and the Stingers suddenly were down two players as the Windsor Lancers began a lengthy five-on-three.
The Stingers did very well killing off the penalties and looked to have gained momentum from it when that was all deflated as Windsor’s Travis Hensrud riffled a shot into the back of the net, giving the Lancers the three goal advantage with less that two minutes to go in the frame.
As Armoire played their second set, the Concordia Stingers were busy devising a new strategy in their dressing room, and once more came out with pep in their step. Three minutes into the period, Windsor’s Kirk Mullen was called for holding, and the Stingers had their first chance on the powerplay. With just nine seconds left on the man-advantage, Blake Richardson beat Windsor goaltender Nathan Torchia for his fifth of the season.
Just over three minutes later, the Stingers scored again to bring them within one when Nathan Lavoie found the back of the net. Both goals were assisted by Charles Savoie and Mikael Huchette. The goal was Lavoie’s fourth of the season, and the Stingers now had eleven minutes to dig deep and find an equalizer.
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Moments after wringing a shot off the post, the Winsor Lancers Logan Linklater fired a puck down the ice into an open net, giving the Lancers a two-goal cushion again, with just ninety seconds to go in the game. And it would prove to be enough, as the Windsor Lancers defeat the Concordia Stingers on home ice.
The Concordia Stingers will be back in action tomorrow evening when they welcome the Waterloo Warriors to Ed Meagher Arena. That game gets underway at 7pm.
