There was no love on the ice as Queen’s Men’s Hockey began their playoff journey this Valentine’s Day against the Concordia Stingers, as the Gaels look to improve upon last year’s premature playoff exit.
The Gaels entered the playoffs on a good note after managing to win eight of their last 10 games, which was essential in keeping up their momentum and embarking on a deep playoff push. The Gaels only need two wins in the best of three series to make their way to the next round.
The Stingers won this game 3-1, putting the Gaels in a must-win position for the remaining games of the first round.
The game started in a near stalemate, with neither team able to break the ice until there was about a minute and a half remaining in the first period. The Hutcheson-Fowler-Yantsis line forced too much pressure for the Stingers to handle, leading to a Jonathan Yantsis, ArtSci ’24, rebound goal.
The second period started with the Gaels chipping away at nearly two full minutes of penalty kill carried over from the end of the first period. The Gaels were unable to finish the penalty kill successfully and allowed a deflected point shot 35 seconds into the period, tying the game at 1-1.
The momentum shifted in the second period, with Queen’s goaltender Christian Purboo, ArtSci ’25, keeping the Gaels from falling behind early in the second period.
Eventually, the Stingers added another goal, with a deflection goal beating the goaltender and capitalizing on a tired Gaels lineup. The Gaels were now down 2-1.
The Stingers didn’t let up after their go-ahead goal, continuing to generate odd man rushes and screened point shots. Luckily for the Gaels, Purboo stayed steady, providing the Gaels with the backbone needed to mount a comeback.
With a two-minute minor being handed out to the Stingers, the Gaels would get thechance they were looking for to tie the game back up. Unfortunately for Queen’s, Concordia’s goalie stood strong, shutting down a cross-crease one-timer opportunity from the Gaels.
While flashes of the game seemed to show signs of the Gaels beginning to return to form, Purboo was the only player who was impactful, making several saves along the Gaels’ quest for a comeback.
The Gaels were awarded another powerplay opportunity late in the second period, however, as the play expired, the Gaels once again relied on Purboo to prevent an opportunity for the Stingers. The Gaels picked up another penalty along the way when Hayden Fowler, ArtSci ’25, received a two-minute minor for roughing after the whistle.
The Stingers were up by a score of 2-1 at the end of the second period, giving the Gaels one last period to avoid putting themselves in danger of elimination. With the penalty that closed the second period, the Gaels had to start the redemption period shorthanded.
As the Gaels killed off Fowler’s penalty, Jacob Paquette, ArtSci ’24, broke the rules himself with a high-sticking minor, securing the Stingers an extended powerplay for the first four minutes of the third period.
After killing the penalty, the Gaels continued to struggle offensively. With messy timing and ing, they faced significant difficulty trying to break the puck out of their own zone.
A penalty given to winger Dharan Cap, ArtSci ’27, allowed the Stingers to put another shot past Purboo, growing their lead to two goals with just under thirteen minutes remaining in the game.
Following a roughing penalty on the Stingers, Queen’s now had a powerplay with 10 minutes remaining. The Gaels needed a goal to avoid falling behind in the series.
While the Gaels were able to apply pressure, Concordia’s goalie again stood strong, saving numerous deflections, and making a superhuman save to stop both Yantsis and Dalton Duhart, ArtSci ’26, who have both been mainstays on the Gaels’ scoresheet this season.
A tripping penalty sent the Gaels back to the penalty kill with just under five minutes left in the game. This would snuff any hopes of the Gaels making a comeback, sealing the game for Concordia at 3-1. The best-of-three series is now 1-0 for Concordia.
After the game, Head Coach Brett Gibson congratulated Purboo’s performance.
“He hasn’t played a lot over the past years. But this year, I wanted to see if he could handle the pressures of being a number one, and he answered that. He was good in there tonight,” Gibson said.
The series continues Feb. 16 in Montreal, where the Gaels must win to avoid elimination.
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