At the midway mark of the season, Stingers women’s hockey remains the only undefeated team in U Sports.
With their 13-0 record, the Stingers are ranked first in Canada, and have a comfortable 10-point lead over their conference rivals, the Bishop’s Gaiters and Montréal Carabins, who are the number two and three seeds respectively in the RSEQ.
Head coach Julie Chu said the Stingers’ success lies within their focus on daily habits, which are key to develop and form a foundation, and allows the consistent work they put in practice to translate into their games.
“The team we are now is only the start of the team we want to be at the end of the season,” she said. “So in order for us to be great in the end, we need to focus on one game at a time and make sure we give our best on that day. If we keep this focus along with the desire to always learn and grow, then we will set ourselves up to be in a great spot by the end of the season.”
Forward Émilie Lussier leads the team with eight goals and 10 assists. The rookie’s 18 points also have her ranked second in the conference and tied for sixth in the country.
Émilie Lavoie, Jessymaude Drapeau, Emmy Fecteau, and Léonie Philbert are also in the RSEQ top 10 in scoring, with 16, 15, 13, and 12 points, respectively.
The Stingers’ goaltending is shining bright as well, with Jordyn Verbeek and Arianne Leblanc leading the conference with a 1.319 and 1.484 goals against average, respectively. They have also earned a shutout each.
Head coach Julie Chu said the Stingers are trying not to think about the 13-0 record too much while they focus on the rest of the season.
“For sure, we know the success we have had so far, but we also know that future success is not tied to us winning our last game but what we will do to prepare for our next and the effort we put into earning that game.”
Stingers women’s hockey still have 12 games to play. The Stingers will be back on home ice on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 to face off against the Carleton Ravens.
