MONTREAL -- The much-awaited men's hockey rivalry series is back. McGill, which finished fourth in the OUA East with a 16-10-2 record, will meet fifth-seeded Concordia (13-10-5), when they cross paths in an OUA East best-of-three quarter-final this week.

The series opens on Thursday, Feb. 13, at McConnell Arena (7 p.m.), located at 3883 University Street, just north of Percival Molson Stadium. Game 2 is slated for Saturday at Concordia's Ed Meagher Arena (7:30 p.m.), 7200 Sherbrooke Street W. If a rubber match is needed, it will be on Sunday, 7 p.m. back at McConnell. 

Admission is $7 for McGill students and senior citizens, $10 for non-McGill students with valid ID cards and $15 for others. Children 12-and under are admitted free. While tickets can be purchased at the door, in order to reduce the line-up, it is recommended to get them online.

This will be the 15th post-season rendezvous between these bitter crosstown rivals and the first since 2018, when McGill lost the OUA East Final opener 3-1 but roared back to win the series, 3-2 and 6-2. The teams have met 14 times in post-season play and McGill has won 10 of the 14 series with an 18-12 record in 30 playoff games. McGill defeated Concordia in 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018. The Stingers won in 1977, 1979, 1998 and 2001.
 
McGill owns a 107-103-14 overall record in 224 lifetime meetings against Concordia dating back to their first confrontation in 1975. This season, McGill won their three-game series, outscoring the Stingers 10-7 but ConU held a 118-115 advantage in shots. Excluding a pair of empty-net goals, all three encounters were one-goal decisions, with Concordia winning the first 3-2 in overtime at McConnell (Oct. 5), followed by a pair of McGill victories, with a 5-2 decision in the Corey Cup game at the Meagher Arena (Oct. 26) and a 3-2 overtime decision in the Winter Carnival game before a sold-out crowd at McConnell.

Over the three games, McGill took 18 penalties for 36 minutes, while ConU was whistled for 23 penalties and 57 PIMs. McGill was 2-for-18 on the power-play (11.1%), while the Stingers went 4-for-14 (28.6).

Looking at a more in-depth comparison between the teams, McGill enters the post-season on a two-game losing streak. They outscored opponents 90-72, tallying 20 power-play goals and five shorthanded efforts. The team only posted the league's 16th best power-play at 14.9 per cent but countered with the best penalty-killing success rate at 90.2 per cent.

McGill outscored opponents 25-22 in the first period, were outscored 26-25 in the second, had a 37-22 advantage in the third and a 3-2 edge in overtime. They were 12-4 when ahead after two periods and 4-8 when trailing after two.

Defensively, McGill allowed 72 goals in 28 games, 12 on the power-play and four shorthanded.

Concordia, which rides a four-game win streak into the playoffs, outscored opponents 94-93, with 20 PP goals and seven shorthanded. The Stingers had the 13th best PP unit (16.5%) and the 10th highest PK rate (79.7%).

Concordia outscored opponents 32-31 in the first period and 28-22 in the second, but were outscored 35-30 in the third and 5-3 in overtime. They were 7-5 when ahead after two periods and 6-10 when behind after two.

On the defensive side, Concordia allowed 93 goals, 27 with the man-advantage and three shorthanded.

U SPORTS MEN'S ICE HOCKEY QUARTER-FINALS
 
ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY SPORT (AUS) QUARTER-FINALS (Best-of-Three)
Wednesday, February 12 to Sunday, February 16

SERIES A
Game 1 - Wednesday, February 12: Prince Edward Island at Saint Mary's (7:00 pm)
Game 2 - Friday, February 14: Saint Mary's at Prince Edward Island (7:00 pm)
Game 3 - Sunday, February 16: Prince Edward Island at Saint Mary's (7:00 pm) - If Necessary

SERIES B
Game 1 - Wednesday, February 12: St. Francis Xavier at Moncton (7:00 pm)
Game 2 - Friday, February 14: Moncton at St. Francis Xavier (7:00 pm)
Game 3 - Sunday, February 16: St. Francis Xavier at Moncton (7:00 pm) - If Necessary
 
ONTARIO UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS (OUA) QUARTER-FINALS (Best-of-Three)
Wednesday, February 12 to Sunday, February 16

SERIES A
Game 1 - Wednesday, February 12: Royal Military College at Carleton (7:00 pm)
Game 2 - Thursday, February 13: Carleton at Royal Military College (7:00 pm)
Game 3 - Saturday, February 14: Royal Military College at Carleton (7:00 pm) - If Necessary

SERIES B
Game 1 - Wednesday, February 12: Trois-Rivieres at Queen's (7:30 pm)
Game 2 - Saturday, February 15: Queen's at Trois-Rivieres (7:00  pm)
Game 3 - Sunday, February 16: Trois-Rivieres at Queen's (7:00 pm) - If Necessary

SERIES C
Game 1 - Wednesday, February 12: Ottawa at Ontario Tech (7:30 pm)
Game 2 - Saturday, February 15: Ontario Tech at Ottawa (3:00 pm)
Game 3 - Sunday, February 16: Ontario Tech at Ottawa (3:00 pm) - If Necessary

SERIES D
Game 1 - Thursday, February 13: Concordia at McGill (7:00 pm)
Game 2 - Saturday, February 15: McGill at Concordia (7:30 pm)
Game 3 - Sunday, February 16: Concordia at McGill (7:00 pm) - If Necessary

SERIES E
Game 1 - Wednesday, February 12: Western at Toronto (7:00 pm)
Game 2 - Saturday, February 15: Toronto at Western (3:00 pm)
Game 3 - Sunday, February 16: Western at Toronto (7:00 pm) - If Necessary

SERIES F
Game 1 - Wednesday, February 12: Ryerson at Lakehead (7:00 pm)
Game 2 - Saturday, February 15: Lakehead at Ryerson (7:15 pm)
Game 3 - Sunday, February 16: Lakehead at Ryerson (7:15 pm) - If Necessary

SERIES G
Game 1 - Thursday, February 13: Wilfrid Laurier at Guelph (7:30 pm)
Game 2 - Saturday, February 15: Guelph at Wilfrid Laurier (7:07 pm)
Game 3 - Sunday, February 16: Wilfrid Laurier at Guelph (7:30 pm) - If Necessary

SERIES H
Game 1 - Wednesday, February 12: Brock at Windsor (7:30 pm)
Game 2 - Friday, February 14: Windsor at Brock (7:15 pm)
Game 3 - Saturday, February 15: Brock at Windsor (7:30 pm) - If Necessary
 
CANADA WEST HOCKEY (CWH) QUARTER-FINALS (Best-of-Three)
Friday, February 14 to Sunday, February 16

SERIES A
Game 1 - Friday, February 14: Manitoba at Calgary (7:00 pm)
Game 2 - Saturday, February 15: Manitoba at Calgary (7:00 pm)
Game 3 - Sunday, February 16: Manitoba at Calgary (6:00 pm) - If Necessary

SERIES B
Game 1 - Friday, February 14: UBC at Mount Royal (7:30 pm)
Game 2 - Saturday, February 15: UBC at Mount Royal (7:30 pm)
Game 3 - Sunday, February 16: UBC at Mount Royal (7:30 pm) - If Necessary