The Queen's Gaels men's hockey team kicked off the 2024 season in dramatic fashion, securing a 2-1 overtime victory against the Concordia Stingers at the Memorial Centre on Friday night. A physical and penalty-filled tilt saw the Gaels rally from a one-goal down to claim the win, with Ian Lemieux tying the game late in the third period and Nolan Hutcheson (Arts & Science) netting the overtime winner.

The game began with a heavy-hitting tone as both teams exchanged checks that rattled the boards and glass, setting the stage for what would be a tightly contested matchup. However, it was Queen's that found itself on the wrong end of the whistle throughout much of the first period, racking up several penalties. Despite this, goaltender Christian Purboo (Arts & Science) stood tall, turning aside shot after shot. Purboo's strong play held the Gaels in the game, but Concordia finally broke through when Isiah Campbell capitalized on a delayed penalty, with assists from Mathieu Bizier and Sean Larochelle.


The second period saw much of the same physicality, with more players from both teams heading to the box. Queen's struggled to generate consistent offense but managed to keep the deficit to just one, thanks in large part to their penalty kill unit and the continued stellar play of Purboo, who seemed to gain confidence as the game progressed.

With the clock ticking down in the third, the Gaels finally found their breakthrough. Lemieux received a pass from rookie Ethan Larmand and ripped a shot past the Concordia netminder, tying the game at 1-1 and electrifying the home crowd.

The game remained deadlocked through regulation, sending it to overtime. Just 50 seconds into the extra frame, Queen's clinched the victory when Hutcheson finished a perfect feed from Cameron Tolnai, giving the Gaels a thrilling season-opening win.

Queen's will look to build on this momentum when they face the York Lions tomorrow night at the Memorial Centre. The Gaels will hope to clean up their penalty trouble and ride the hot hand of Purboo in what promises to be another physical contest