OUA M-Hockey Playoffs: Round Two Roundup
McGill, 4 @ Nipissing, 1
The McGill Redmen rallied with four unanswered goals in the final period en route to a 4-1 playoff victory over the Nipissing University Lakers before 1,312 at Memorial Gardens, Wednesday, to take a 1-0 lead in their OUA East best-of-three men's hockey semifinal series.
It was the eighth consecutive OUA playoff conquest for the Redmen, dating back to last season, breaking a school record win streak established in the 2008 playoffs. McGill is now 7-0 lifetime against Nipissing, including a 3-0 mark in post-season play.
After a scoreless opening period, the Lakers broke the ice on a shorthanded marker from Jeff Leaist of Hamilton, Ont., at 19:22 of the middle period but Maxime Langelier-Parent of Lery, Que., tallied twice in the final frame, at 5:31 and 9:23, to spark the comeback.
Alex Picard-Hooper of Boucherville, Que., made it 3-1 just 77 seconds later and team captain Evan Vossen of Swift Current, Sask., added an empty-netter.
"We weren't sharp in the first two periods and weren't skating the way we were capable of," said Redmen bench boss Kelly Nobes, who was named earlier in the day as the OUA East coach of the year. "But we started to move our feet well in the last period and got pucks in deep and worked hard along the boards, especially Max's line (which included Marc-Andre Daneau and Patrick Belzile)."
For Belzile, who drew an assist on McGill's first goal, it was his first appearance after a 13-game absence to heal a broken hand suffered in early December.
"Max got us going with a couple of greasy goals as a result of his hard work along the boards and Pat was a difference-maker for us tonight," said Nobes of the 6-foot-2, 205-pound sophomore from St. Eloi, Que. "He added grit and size and it was good to have him back in the lineup."
The Lakers had a 32-31 edge in shots, including a 15-6 margin in the first but Redmen goaltender Hubert Morin kept them at bay.
"Hubert had a very solid 60-minute game tonight," said Nobes of his all-star netminder who was beaten five times on 28 shots in last week's 10-5 series-clinching win at Ottawa. Morin, who owns a 10-3 lifetime record in post-season play, was named earlier as the most outstanding goaltender in the OUA East but strangely, he was only on the conference's second all-star team.
Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) are scheduled for McConnell Arena on Saturday and Sunday. Both are slated for 7 p.m. starts and will be webcast on SSN (www.ssncanada.ca).
Source: McGill Sports Info
Carleton, 2 @ UQTR, 4
In round two of playoff action, the Carleton University Ravens men’s hockey team was handed a 4-2 loss from the UQTR Patriotes Wednesday night in Trois-Rivières, Que.
The Patriotes wasted no time taking to the scoreboard, as right winger Pierre-Alexandre Joncas (Matane, Que.) found the back of the net not a minute into the first.
The second saw much of the same, as Etienne Bellevance-Martin (St-Jean-Chrysostome, Que.) made it a 2-0 game in the first minute of the period.
Halfway through the second, Olivier Donovan (Gatineau, Que.) stretched the UQTR lead on a shorthanded goal, making it a 3-0 game.
With two seconds to go before the end of the period, Ryan Berard (Niagara Falls, Ont.) would put Carleton on the board, leaving the visiting Ravens down by two at the buzzer.
Ravens’ captain Brad Good (Kitchener, Ont.) beat Patriotes goalie Jean-Christophe Blanchard (Trois-Rivières, Que.) three minutes into the third to shrink the UQTR lead to one. But five minutes later, Felix Petit (Jonquiere, Que.) beat Ravens goalie Matthew Dopud (Pointe-Claire, Que.) to confirm the host team’s win.
The Ravens return to the Ice House Friday night, facing a must-win situation in Game 2. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
Source: Carleton Sports Info
