When the Concordia Stingers skate out onto the ice for the OUA men’s hockey season-opener this Friday versus the Brock Badgers, head coach Kevin Figsby expects to see a more experienced and steady squad in action.
“I expect to be strong on the attack,” explains Figsby. “We’re improved on the defensive end and solid in nets. I expect consistent performances from the returning players and major contributions from the rookies.”
With 20 returning players in the lineup the coach has reason to be optimistic. The only major loss from last season is defenceman Trevor Hawkins, the team captain who graduated and went to play professional in Australia.
The Stingers will rely heavily on third-year right wing Trevor Blanchard to provide the leadership on offence. He was Concordia’s leading scorer last season with 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points in 25 games. Figsby also expects great offensive output from Dmitri Toupikov, a right winger who joined the Stingers in January last season. He had four goals and three assists in 11 games. Another veteran with big responsibilities is fourth-year defenceman Ron Smith, who is expected to play well and lead the team on the back end.
One rookie to watch closely is left wing Nicolas Lafontaine, a six-foot-three, 200-pound power forward with three years of experience in the QMJHL. Last season he played with the Joliette L’Action of the Quebec junior AAA league, scoring 51 goals and adding 40 assists in 54 games. He will have an immediate impact on the Concordia power play.
Concordia is looking to improve on its 8-16-3-1, fourth-place finish in the OUA Far East conference last season, and Blanchard is confident the pieces are in place.
“We’re a lot older up front and much more experienced,” he said. “We’re going to be more offensive because we have great depth and experience up front. I can’t wait to start playing.”
The Stingers open the season with back-to-back games at home this weekend. Concordia will host the Brock Badgers on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and then host the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday at 2 p.m. Home games are played at the Ed Meagher Arena, 7200 Sherbrooke St. W.
