Spanning back two seasons, Concordia continued their dominance in U Sports hockey winning their 30th consecutive regular season game.
Spanning back two seasons, Concordia continued their dominance in U Sports hockey winning their 30th consecutive regular season game.
The Concordia Stingers started where they finished last season. Not only was Friday’s game their third win of the season, but it also marked their 30th consecutive win in regular season play.
Since Concordia finished the 2023-2024 season with a perfect regular season record of 25 wins in as many games, we have to go back to the 2022-2023 season to find a regular season loss. On February 9, 2023, the Stingers lost 2-1 to the Montreal Carabins. Ottawa Charge and former Carabins’ forward Audrey-Ann Veillette, had scored the winning goal then.
Ever since that loss, the team won 30 in a row, a nice throwback to the years where the team wasn’t losing much at the end of the 1990s with players like Cammi Granato, Corrine Swirsky, and Lisa-Marie Breton.
“It’s great, it’s always cool to have those stats,” said head coach Julie Chu after the game. “But we are really focussing on the moment and for this team, this group, we’re building our identity. We haven’t won anything yet.”
The gap is closing
The RSEQ schedule has changed this season with the loss of the two Ottawa teams (Ottawa and Carleton) who went back to play in Ontario. With only four teams, each one will play seven games against another, meaning it will be harder to be undefeated. The gap is definitely closing. Every head coach in the league can feel it.
Not only did Concordia lose some depth, but the other teams got better.
With the loss of several leaders such as Emmy Fecteau (New York Sirens) and Rosalie Begin-Cyr (Switzerland), Concordia doesn’t have the same depth they had last year. They went from having three excellent lines to still trying to figure out the right combination on the first line.
Still, the team has a lot of excellent players, led by Jessymaude Drapeau, a 2025 PWHL draft prospect, Emilie Lussier, Emilie Lavoie, and Zoe Thibault, who should all finish the season among the top 10 scorers.
On the blue line, Leonie Philbert, one of the best defenders in the league, decided to play her sixth season, while Alexandra-Anne Boyer, a fifth year who transferred from Connecticut two years ago, has shown some very good upside so far this season. Her two goals on Friday night were the tying and winning goals.
In the net, Arianne Leblanc and Jordyn Verbeek are back and are the best goalie duo in the league. Leblanc, a sophomore, should be a good prospect for the 2027 PWHL draft.
Therefore, the team is still strong, but the games are closer. Last weekend, McGill was able to give Concordia a good opposition for five periods out of six, while Bishop’s was able to get more than 30 shots on net, something the Stingers haven’t often allowed.
Daphne Boutin, one to watch
As far as the three other teams go, McGill added a transfer from Boston University, Catherine Foulem, who is showing great things so far. Montreal lost many veteran players but their rookies are playing well. Catherine Proulx and Lea Salem had two points each in the team's only game of the season.
And Bishop’s has the reigning U Sports’ Player of the Year, Gabrielle Santerre, plus many other veterans who decided to stay one more year to bring the team to its first national championship.
Also, the Bishop's Gaiters added a rookie who is very promising in defence player Daphne Boutin. She plays with the poise of a veteran, has a very good first pass, skates well, and she’s excellent at controlling the puck. If she continues that way, she will be the rookie of the year in the RSEQ, and by the time her college years are over, in 2028, Boutin might be someone the PWHL will be looking at. She’s that impressive, especially against Concordia Friday night.
Concordia plays Bishop’s one more time on Sunday, trying to keep that perfect season going, before playing the Carabins for the first time this season next Friday.