The Concordia Stingers limped into Saturday night’s contest against the Varsity Blues, carrying the baggage of a 0-5 start to the season.
To say that confidence is in short supply for the Stingers is an understatement. You could smell it in their game as a lack of offensive flair, indecision with the puck in the attacking zone, and mediocre goaltending led to a 5-2 setback against the Blues (who are 3-3) at Varsity Arena on Saturday.
For a Toronto team smarting after blowing a two-goal lead against Carleton the night before, Concordia proved to be the salve that soothed the Blues’ soul.
“That is a team that is struggling right now, so I think their confidence is shaken a little bit,” said Toronto head coach Darren Lowe. “When a team doesn’t have confidence everything seems to go poorly.”
The Blues opened the scoring at 1:24 of the first period, when Rob Kay collected a bounce off the end boards and roofed a shot that beat Stingers goalie Maxime Joyal to the short side.
The Blues took two consecutive minors following the goal but had the best chance to score. Toronto isn’t the most offensively gifted team, but this chance was a tap in, literally.
Sean Fontyn took a Joel Lenius pass and went in alone on Joyal. Fontyn sent him to the deck with a slick forehand move, went to his backhand and, from the top of the crease, lifted the puck over the glass. Instead of celebrating a goal, Fontyn looked to the rafters in frustration.
The Blues upped the lead to two at 2:56 of the second when Bryden Teich took a pass in the slot from Brent McGrail and one-timed a shot that whizzed Joyal’s glove for his second goal.
David Mooney got the eventual game-winner at 6:15 of the second when he took a feed from Byron Elliott to beat Joyal low to the glove side.
“[Mooney] seems to be making the right plays right now,” Lowe said. “He’s really been a surprise and I hope that he keeps getting better.”
A goal from Eddie Snetsinger just over four minutes later appeared to have the home five on cruise control.
Inconsistency is becoming the trademark of the Stingers, even early in the season. A brief letdown, with less than six minutes remaining in the second, changed the Concordia attitude from hopeless to hopeful.
Stingers right winger Marc-Andre Element converted a Cory McGillis pass and 13 seconds later Kyle Kelly hit pay dirt on a rebound for his fourth of the season.
“I’m not too sure exactly what happened [on both goals],” said Blues defenceman Brendan Sherrard. “From talking to the guys in the room it was poor face-offs to begin with and poor slot coverage, so two breakdowns in two shifts and two goals for Concordia.”
The Stingers went on the offensive but couldn’t capitalize before the period ended.
Toronto goalie Russ Brownell, in his first start since Oct. 16, wasn’t severely tested late in the second but made a few solid stops and looked confident doing it.
“He played a strong game,” said Lowe. Brownell stopped 30 shots for his first win of the year.
The Blues came out in the third and re-established the formula from the first period, giving them a four-goal lead.
“We just had to get back to what we were doing in the first period,” Lowe said. “Just getting the puck in deep and playing smart hockey and showing poise. Sometimes it’s just a case of bringing the guys back to a place they were successful.”
Kay put the game on ice with his second of the night at 5:31 of the third. He battled two Concordia defencemen in the crease for positioning and redirected an Elliott pass into the empty net.
“That’s the kind of effort we need from everyone at all times,” Sherrard said. “That goal really put them away.”
“It was a great second effort,” Lowe said.
Elliott ended the night with three assists and now has a least one point in each game.
“[Elliott’s] probably our best natural goal scorer,” said Sherrard. “He can see the ice really well and he can make the pass.”
