The Gaels will have one last chance to secure a spot in the U SPORTS Championship after falling to the Concordia Stingers in a 2-0 series sweep in the OUA semi-finals. The series came to a heartbreaking end on March 7 at the Memorial Centre, as the Gaels suffered a 0-1 shutout loss.
It was a physical series between the Gaels and Stingers. Having lost the first game 1-2 after holding the lead for 57 of 60 minutes, the Gaels were shut out at home in a close-fought 0-1 loss.
The lone goal was scored in the first period after the Stingers capitalized on a bad line change. Breaking into the zone on an odd man rush, Concordia collapsed the Gaels’ defensive coverage, allowing a Stingers forward to cut into the slot and rifle a shot past a screened Christian Purboo, ArtSci ’25.
Despite giving up the game’s only goal, Purboo was one of the best players on the ice for the Gaels, stopping 23 shots and keeping them within striking distance for the remainder of the game.
In an interview with The Journal, Head Coach Brett Gibson discussed the close-fought series between the two top teams in Ontario.
“When you have the two best teams in Ontario, I don’t think anything really went wrong. […] From a statistical point of view, might have been our best game of the season from an analytical point of view,” Gibson said.
The Gaels split the season series against the Stingers, beating them 2-1 on Oct. 4 and losing 2-5 on Jan. 19.
Although many would think these games would offer insight into how the playoff series might’ve played out, Gibson noted the stark difference between playoff and regular season hockey.
“In the regular season, the game’s a bit loose, it’s when we get to the playoffs and especially the league final, there’s not a lot of white ice out there, guys are checking harder, back checking faster, they’re doing things they wouldn’t do in the regular season,” he said. “When you get your opportunities to score, because they’re so few and far between, you have to bury them.”
Unfortunately, the Gaels couldn’t score in their final game against the Stingers. Producing many high-danger chances, the Concordia goaltender stood on his head, closing the door for the Gaels to force a game three.
As if the ice was tilted in favour of the Stingers, with less than five seconds left on the clock, and the Gaels’ goaltender pulled for an extra attacker, the Gaels found the open man in the offensive zone and rung one off the crossbar, sending the crowd to their feet in what they thought was a miracle on ice.
With the Queen’s Cup out of reach, the Gaels must now refocus on March 15 where they’ll face their long-time rival, the Toronto Varsity Blues, at the Memorial Centre.
Should the Gaels break their two-game losing streak, they’ll punch their ticket to the U SPORTS Championship in Ottawa, Ont. from March 20 to 23.
For the Gaels, not much needs to change. As Gibson notes, statistically speaking, they’re playing the best hockey they’ve played all season in of shots on net, save percentage, and turnover ratio.
“We’ve only ever lost two games in a row all season, and once other than in the playoffs. This team will bounce back. […] We’ve been nationally ranked all year long, and we want to prove that by winning on Saturday night,” Gibson said.
Gibson emphasized that the game against the Blues is an opportunity to celebrate and another season of Queen’s hockey, noting that this has been one of the best teams in the program’s history.
“It can’t be understated the value of playing in big games. The Memorial Centre, when we won the Queen’s Cup, it was the difference,” Gibson said. “I feel that when the crowd gets behind us at the Memorial Centre, there’s no better place to play a playoff game.”
With their season on the line, the Gaels will need to bring everything they have against the Blues as they look to punch their ticket to nationals.
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