Spartans News

This past weekend brought familiar sounds back to the Pat Burns Arena. Not only were pucks bouncing around the ice, and bodies hitting the glass, but for the first time since last spring the cheers of the Spartans faithful could be heard. After a summer of seemingly grey skies more often than not, on this particularly beautiful fall weekend many fans packed into the Pat Burns Arena to watch both the Varsity Boys and Varsity Girls teams start their seasons.

Three Stanstead College Varsity Girls Hockey Spartans have been invited to National Women’s Development Team training camp and National Women’s Under-18 Team selection camp in August. 

This Grade 8 track-and-field athlete is a true Spartan. Liam is dedicated to his training, is humble and is a great teammate. In his last RSEQ race, Liam led from start to finish. Having to complete five laps of the track, he never broke stride and kept up his fluid running style until the end. For his age category, he is in a class of his own. The goal was to finish the race under 7 minutes in the race and he confidently cruised through the finish line in 6:59. For his amazing results this season and for always letting his performance do the talking, your Athlete of the Week, from track & field, Liam Sumun.

This Grade 12 student-athlete from Ottawa, Ontario has been a dominant force on the senior boys rugby pitch as of late. He led the team in tries this past weekend and had a great performance last week at the BCS Jamboree. Zac pushes himself to the limit in every contest, and he plays the game the right way. Now that he has learned to run north-south, you hear fewer chants of “run straight, Soif!” and more moments where he is one of the biggest threats on the field. For his outstanding growth as a player, for being a student of the game and for his breakout performances this past week, your Athlete of the Week, from senior boys rugby, Zachary Soifer.

These three senior students have been dominant this past month in ETIAC badminton tournaments held weekly at Alexander Galt High School, winning medals at each event. For context, these tournaments involve five schools and over 100 badminton players across 14 courts. The competition is intense and tough. In the first tournament, Béatrice and Alice won gold in women’s doubles while Ryan won silver in men’s. In the second tournament, Alice captured gold in women’s singles play and Béatrice and Ryan teamed up to win the senior mixed doubles event. This past week, Béatrice went undefeated, taking first place in the women’s singles competition. Alice and Ryan qualified for the medal round but had to beat the two teams that had narrowly defeated them in the round robin. They did so and won the gold medal. In addition to being outstanding players, all three are fantastic role models for our younger players and provide help and support to all of our team members and coaches. Your co-Athletes of the Week, from the badminton team, Alice Sauriol, Beatrice Perron-Roy and Ryan Yung.

This Grade 8 student athlete from Orford, Quebec has had a fantastic start on the junior girls rugby team. She was a force on the pitch during last Friday's GMAA sevens tournament-- initiating plays, making strong tackles and earning her team points through tries and conversions. Emilie has been putting in extra time on the field since day one of the season, doing her best to learn the ins and outs of the game. Her calm and confident approach in the face of strong competition will be an asset to her team as the season unfolds. This week’s athlete of the week, from junior girls rugby, Emilie Labonté.

This Grade 11 student-athlete from Newport, Vermont had an amazing weekend in Canton, NY with the girls lacrosse team. She fought through another scary finger injury in the game but continued to make incredible saves between the pipes. Maddie is a quiet leader who is always team first. She is brave, works hard every single day and finds the good in every experience. Maddie is a real Spartan warrior teammate. Athlete of the week, from girls lacrosse, Madeline Lippmann.

The student-athlete from Prague, had a very impressive start to the playoffs. After the long March break, he led the charge in our ¼ final game against Selwyn house posting 4 goals and 3 assists in 2 games. His was also very responsible defensively in the series. Athlete of the week, from Prep Boys Hockey, Trofim Godochkin.

Another full court press, an ill-advised pass, a half-hearted dribble. They steal the ball in our backcourt again and their Senior Night crowd erupts as their point guard scores uncontested to complete the comeback. From down 28-20 to start the second half, Salesien has gone on a thrilling 10-0 run to take the lead. The gym is a madhouse. I have to yell for the minor officials table to hear me.

This student-athlete from Boisbriand, Quebec has been a rock all season for the prep girls hockey team. Her selflessness and game IQ generate countless chances for her squad. Finally, this past week, these chances materialized into her line scoring all four goals in a 4-0 victory over the St. Lawrence Steel on Saturday. For her part, Laurie contributed a hat trick. In the following game, she contributed 2 assists in the 5-1 victory over Rice Memorial. Not only did she have a great weekend on the ice, the Grade 9 student also led the team in a 2-hour karaoke session on the bus to Burlington. Congratulations, Laurie Aubin.

This student-athlete from Darien, Connecticut had a tremendous weekend on and off the ice. Ian put the prep boys hockey team and his teammates above his own personal objectives. He stayed disciplined, blocked shots and was a positive presence on the bench. His coach said, “It was awesome to see such a great attitude coming from one of the leaders on the team. As the team heads into playoffs, this is the character we need to see.” Ian was rewarded for his efforts by scoring the game-winning goal on Saturday. For his great overall attitude and his game winning goal, athlete of the week, from Prep Boys Hockey, Ian Nicholson.

 

Your Stanstead Spartans made history last week at the MacLeod Provincial Tournament held at

Centennial Regional High School in Greenfield Park, Quebec. Here’s how.

Rachel Chan has been a dominating force on the swim team since the beginning of the season. Her performance during competition has been unparalleled. In fact, the word “competition” is barely applicable. This past weekend, she placed first in all three events in which she competed, but this has been commonplace all season. Beyond this, she has been a fantastic teammate, shown excellent sportsmanship and is always the first to offer help to her coaches. For her fantastic performance in the pool and her enthusiasm and dedication to her sport, this week’s Co-Athlete of the Week is Rachel Chan.

 

 

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There were a lot of memorable moments throughout this championship run (St Johns High School 56-16, Kanawake Survival School 60-18, Richmond Regional 60-15, and Quebec High School 62-15)

at the first Anderson-Bailly since 2020, and these are my personal favourites.

This past Tuesday, the curling team took to the ice against the traditionally strong group from Richmond. In their first meeting of the season, Richmond walked away with a 13-1 victory. This week, the Spartans brought their A-game led by skip Thomas LeBlanc. From Westmount, Que., the Grade 12 student skipped a superb game to beat Richmond 7-1. He was cool under pressure and led by example. This was an incredible team victory and an even more impressive individual performance from Thomas. Athlete of the Week, from the curling team, Thomas Leblanc.

This Grade 11 student-athlete from Chibougamau, Quebec has shown tremendous leadership over the past few weeks. On the volleyball court, she played a significant role by contributing both offensively and defensively. Léa has a natural talent for volleyball, but it's her work ethic, her quick decision-making during games and, above all, her exceptional sportsmanship towards her teammates that make her an amazing player. She remains positive through adversity and is the first one to encourage the others when the game gets tough. Léa is one of the rare players that keeps playing with a smile on her face regardless of the situation. Athlete of the week, from Girls Volleyball, Léa Matoush-St-Cyr.

Time running out in a depressing first half, one second left, and Sara Paquette heaves up one of those desperation shots from half court. And holy smokes it banks in!

In his first real year of competitive, organized basketball, this young man from Mexico is off to a wonderful start. The Grade 9 student is extremely dedicated and willing to take instructions. He implements what he has been taught with great effectiveness and as a result, has improved to be one of the most effective players on the Senior Boys Red team. He leads the group in rebounds, dominating the boards in our most recent match-up against Richmond regional. The most impressive part of his rebounding dominance is that he has accomplished much of his success because he listens, attempts and continues to work hard at every practice in order to improve on and strengthen the skills. His coach cannot wait to see what the end of the season will look like. Congratulations Santiago Meija Alvarez.

First game of 2023. The lights turn off, music starts playing, and RNS sprints into the gym from the hallway outside. The stands, packed with the RNS student body, look like a concert with everyone holding their cellphone lights out. After warmup, the starting lineups get officially introduced, and each announced starter shakes the opposing coach’s hand and, amidst the cheers, runs out to centre court.