A great era in Concordia University’s athletic history was celebrated at Homecoming when women’s hockey and football were honoured at the Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sept. 23.
Two individuals – Lisa-Marie Breton-Lebreux and Dwayne Bromfield – along with the 1997-98 women’s hockey team and the 1998 football team were inducted into the hall.
Lisa-Marie Breton-Lebreux – athlete – women’s hockey
Lisa-Marie Breton-Lebreux stands out as one of the most multifaceted and accomplished athletes in the storied history of the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey program.
An intense forward who could also play on defence, she used passion, skill and strength to propel herself and her Stinger teams to great heights. Breton-Lebreux competed at five Canadian university national championships, including the inaugural tournament in 1998. During that time, Concordia won a bronze and two gold medals. Her teams also earned five Quebec conference titles.
The tenacious Stinger was a all-Canadian in 2001 and she was a three-time league all-star. In 139 career games she scored 69 goals and added 74 assists for 143 points. In 2001, Breton-Lebreux was named Concordia’s Female Athlete of the Year. She was also the Stingers’ Fittest Female Athlete four times.
Dwayne Bromfield – Athlete - Football
Dwayne Bromfield exemplified strength, leadership and a level of excellence that made him one of the finest linebackers in Canadian university football.
He represented Concordia for five seasons, including 1998 when the Stingers played in the national championship game.
In his fourth season, the Scarborough, Ont. native was a league all-star and an all-Canadian, the O-QIFC’s Defensive Player of the Year and he was a nominee for the Presidents’ Trophy, the national award recognizing exceptional play on defence.
The remarkable middle linebacker was the leading tackler in the O-QIFC in 1997 and led the Stingers in 1997 and 1998. He finished his career with 173.5 tackles, one of the highest numbers in the history of the Stingers program. Bromfield was recognized as Concordia’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1999.
1997-98 Concordia Stingers Women’s Hockey Team
Under the guidance of head coach Les Lawton, the 1997-98 Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team posted a 32-4 win-loss record. They won all 14 of their regular season Quebec conference games. The UQTR Patriotes were no match in the playoffs as Concordia disposed of them in two straight games – the scores were 10-1 and 6-3.
The Stingers played exhibition games against the top American universities, including Brown, Dartmouth and Providence, and chalked up an 8-0 record. In fact, the Stingers did not lose to a university team on either side of the border that season.
Concordia hosted the inaugural Canadian university women’s hockey championship on the Loyola campus Feb. 26 through March 1. The Stingers eked out a 1-0 victory over the Toronto Varsity Blues and then beat the Alberta Pandas 7-0 in the preliminary round. The Guelph Gryphons were dispatched 3-0 in the semifinals.
The Stingers defeated the Toronto Varsity Blues 4-1 before a sellout crowd on Loyola campus to win the gold medal at the inaugural CIAU championship. They own a piece of women’s hockey history as the first ever gold medallists.
1998 Concordia Stingers Football Team
The head coach Pat Sheahan and the 1998 Concordia Stingers football team finished in first place in the Ontario-Quebec Interuniversity Football Conference with a 6-2 win-loss record.
The Stingers rolled past the Bishop’s Gaiters in the semifinals and then came the Dunsmore Cup game for the conference title. This game between Concordia and Laval took place our Loyola campus went down in football history because it took two days to play.
After regulation time and two overtime periods, the game was called because of darkness. The score was tied 10-10 when the game was stopped. The teams agreed to return to the field the next day to play two additional overtime periods.
In the first period linebacker Jason Casey returned a fumble 22 yards for a touchdown to deliver the victory. The final score was 17-12.Next up was the Atlantic Bowl in Halifax versus the Acadia Axemen. Kicker Dave Miller Johnston nailed a 45-yard field goal with 1:21 left to play to give the Stingers a 25-24 victory.
The win gave Concordia its first ever berth in the national championship. More than 15,000 fans traveled to SkyDome in Toronto to see the 34th Vanier Cup between the Stingers and the Saskatchewan Huskies. The team’s exceptional season came to an end with a 24-17 loss.
