Box Score
MONTREAL -- Goaltender Karel St-Laurent of Ste. Catherine, Que., posted his first career shutout as McGill skated to a 4-0 triumph over visiting Concordia in CIS preseason men's hockey at McConnell Arena, Thursday. 

It marked the 139th season opener for the Redmen, who played their inaugural game on Jan. 31, 1877.

St-Laurent, a 6-foot-3, 193-pound economics junior who was making his 21st career appearance between the pipes for McGill, turned aside all 23 shots faced for the victory, improving his lifetime record to 13-5-0 overall.

A young Redmen squad, which has lost 14 players from last year's roster, had eight new faces in the lineup and registered a 40-23 edge in shots.

"It was a good opportunity for us to get almost all of our new recruits into the game tonight," said sixth-year McGill head coach Kelly Nobes, who was sporting a brand-new, army-style hairdo, manufactured by one of his four young children.

"We dressed three new guys on the blueline... and pretty much a totally different look up front. I don't think that we had more than two guys on a line that would've played together last year. One of challenges with a young group like this is to find some chemistry within our lines and to see some guys establish their roles... There is lots of energy, lots of enthusiasm. The practices have been full of fun and the guys are very receptive. It will be a year that gonna have challenges for us but with the right attitude -- like the one that we've seen so far -- it will be a lot of fun."

The Stingers, who are currently carrying a 35-man training camp roster under the guidance of rookie head coach Marc-Andre Element, iced a 19-man lineup that featured 10 freshmen

McGill tallied in each period, leading 2-0 after one and 3-0 after two. The Redmen were 2-for-5 on the power-play, while erasing all six Concordia PP chances, including a full two-minute, 5-on-3 situation early in the third period.

Alexis Millette, a physical therapy junior from Sorel-Tracy, Que., scored what proved to be the game-winning goal at 9:20 of the opening period. He later assisted on McGill's fourth marker, a power-play effort by Jonathan Bonneau of Sherbrooke.

Other marksmen included second-year defenceman Samuel Labrecque of Granby, Que., and junior centre Mathieu Pompei of Laval, Que. Both of them also collected one assist apiece.

Labrecque, who led all CIS rearguards last year with 13 goals in 26 games, made it 2-0 with the man-advantage at 18:31 of the first period. Pompei gave McGill an insurmountable 3-0 lead at 9:35 of the middle stanza.

Rookie Jordan Piccolino of Montreal, who started in net for the Stingers, kicked out 20 of 22 shots in a losing cause. He was replaced midway through the middle stanza by junior Antoine Marchand, also a Montrealer, who saved 16 of 18 shots over the final 31 minutes and two seconds.

The Stingers, who in the 1970s and 1980s were truly one of the top hockey powers in university hockey, are 95-94-14 in 203 lifetime meetings against the Redmen dating back to when the series started 1975. Concordia had a remarkable 36-1-1 record in the first 38 confrontations but the Redmen have rebounded to register a stellar 93-59-13 mark in all head-to-head meetings since then.

Concordia (0-1) next contest will be at UQTR on Sept. 18.

McGill (1-0), which has six preseason games remaining on their schedule, will host the UQTR Patriotes on Saturday, Sept. 12  at 5 p.m. The Pats are 1-2 in preseason play after playing at a tournament in France.

REDMEN RAP: This year, the 25-man McGill roster features 16 players with a QMJHL background and a trio of players with OHL experience, the first time in more than two decades that they have any players out of the top junior league in Ontario... One of them is Liam Heelis, a six-foot, 197-pound centre who has transferred from Acadia, where he played four seasons after a good junior career with Owen Sound (OHL). Now in his final year of CIS eligibility, Heelis is enrolled in a master's program in kinesiology at McGill... Other OHL grads are Daniel Milne and Gianluca Curcuruto... Milne also played for Owen Sound after spending one season in the NCAA with Michigan... Curcuruto is 6-foot-1, 194-pound rearguard who skated with the Plymouth Whalers...Another newcomer to keep an eye on is Rock Regimbald, a six-foot, 205-pound play-making centre, who transferred from the Ottawa Gee-Gees after playing in the QMJHL for Gatineau.

SEE COMPLETE BOXSCORE

SEE 2015-16 REDMEN HOCKEY ROSTER

SCORING SUMMARY
Concordia 0 at McGill 4
(Thursday, September 10, 2015 - McConnell Arena)

GOALS BY PERIOD:
Concordia 0-0-0 -- 0
McGill 2-1-1 -- 4

1st Period-
1, McGill, Alexis Millette 1 (Pompei, Labrecque), 9:20.
2, McGill, Samuel Labrecque 1 (Heelis, Talbot-Tassi), 18:31 (PP).

Penalties-Bois Mcg (high sticking), 2:47; Boudreau Con (slashing), 13:38; Potvin Con (hooking), 17:01.

2nd Period-
3, McGill, Mathieu Pompei 1 (Lambert-Lemay, Talbot-Tassi), 9:35.

Penalties-Curcuruto Mcg (hooking), 0:08; Kabbaj Con (hooking), 3:12; Delisle-Houde Mcg (roughing after the whistle), 5:27; Gamelin Mcg (cross checking), 11:04; Groleau Con (boarding), 15:32.

3rd Period-
4, McGill, Jonathan Bonneau 1 (Millette, Bois), 2:00 (PP).

Penalties-Cortese Con (slashing), 0:35; Bois Mcg (slashing), 5:40; Boutet Mcg (boarding), 5:40; Chenevert Mcg (high sticking), 14:49.

Shots on Goal-
Concordia 10-2-11 -- 23.
McGill 17-12-11 -- 40.

Power Play Opportunities-
Concordia 0 / 6;
McGill 2 / 5.

Goalies-
Concordia,
Jordan Piccolino (start, L, 0-1-0, 22 shots-20 saves; 28:58);
Antoine Marchand (ND, 18 shots-16 saves; 31:02).

McGill,
Karel St-Laurent (W, 1-0-0, 23 shots-23 saves; SHO; 60:00).

Attendance: 112
Start: 7:02 PM
End: 8:59 PM
Length: 1:57
Referees-Jonathan Alarie, Jonathan Girard.
Linesmen-Maxime Chaput, Nicolas Piche.

MOLSON CUP THREE STARS:
1. MCG - 6 Samuel Labrecque
2. MCG - 16 Alexis Millette
3. MCG - 23 Redgie Bois

SOURCE:

Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Tel.)
m.athletics.mcgill.ca (mobile website)
www.mcgill athletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
@EarlZukerman (twitter)
 
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www.mcgillathletics.ca/calendar.aspx