Stingers roundup

by John Austen

Hockey Stingers get boost from NHLers

There is some added excitement at the Ed Meagher Arena on the Loyola Campus these days as the men’s hockey team has taken on some rather high-priced reinforcements. Ottawa Senators superstar forward Martin Havlat, a restricted free agent, along with the Minnesota Wild’s Pascal Dupuis, have been working out with the Stingers while their contracts are being negotiated.

“I received a call from their agents, Allan Walsh and David Shatia,” said Stingers head coach Kevin Figsby. “They explained that these guys were in Montreal and asked if Pascal and Martin could skate with us. The guys need a place where they could skate daily with a high-calibre program.”

Figsby says having the pros in camp is a big boon for his hockey club.

“I think it enhances our practices,” he said. “Everything with the professionals is about keeping their intensity level high and getting back to the NHL. Both players have demonstrated a tremendous work ethic. It’s pleasure having both of them with us.”

Florida Panthers star Igor Kravchuk also joined the Stingers this week. The native of Russia is an unrestricted free agent who keeps a home in Montreal. Kravchuk has also played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators.

Their cups runneth over

Not only did the Concordia Stingers football team win the Homecoming Trophy this past weekend by upsetting the Laval Rouge et Or 38-30, they also took home the annual Shaughnessy Cup when they dumped the crosstown McGill Redmen 46-1 late last month.

The Cup, named for the legendary Frank Shaughnessy Sr., is symbolic of university football supremacy in Montreal. A football innovator who coached both at Loyola College and McGill, he is credited with introducing the forward pass to Canadian university football. Shaughnessy is a large part of football lore in Montreal and has been inducted into both the Loyola/Concordia (1967) and McGill (1997) sports halls of fame.

The Con U Cam Cam

Big Brother is watching you! If you want to spy on some of your favourite Concordia athletes check out the new FieldCam, which was activated on the Department of Recreation and Athletics Web site last week.

“I tried the FieldCam for [the recent] GREAT win over McGill in the football game, writes alumnus Stephen H. Renaud of Edmonton in an e-mail to the Stinger Web site. “I have to say it was quite cool... The only thing [missing] would be the cold beer.”

The camera allows surfers to watch all the action in the new stadium and on the new practice field. It also lets visitors zoom in on the scoreboard, making it easy to follow the Stingers’ progress in any game situation.

Visitors can control the camera for five minutes at a time, but they can also follow the view as another surfer checks out the action.

You can also check out the ArenaCam as hockey coaches Kevin Figsby and Les Lawton run their respective teams through their paces. The Web address is http://www.concordia.ca/stingers.

Concordia Athletes of the Week

Anthony Jean of the football team and Elizabeth Vincente of the women’s rugby team were named Concordia Stinger athletes of the week for the period ending Sept. 28.

Jean, a fifth-year defensive halfback, had two interceptions and four solo tackles as the stingy Stingers’ defence allowed only 23 yards passing and 78 net yards of offence in the lopsided win over McGill.

Jean’s first interception led to an 87-yard touchdown run. The Montreal native had a total of 133 yards on his two interception returns. Jean is a sociology major at Concordia. He was also named CIS and QIFC defensive player of the week.

Vincente, a first-year flanker with the Concordia, was dominant for the Stingers in a 20-9 victory over the Ottawa Gee-Gees. The Pointe Claire native is studying finance at Concordia’s John Molson School of Business.