M-HOCKEY ROUNDUP: Ravens soar over No. 1 Redmen
Ottawa Gee-Gees @ McGill Redmen
MONTREAL - Francis Verreault-Paul, an All-Canadian senior from Mashteuiatsh, Que., scored twice - including the game-winner - and added an assist as No.1-ranked McGill skated to an easy 7-2 triumph over visiting Ottawa in OUA men's hockey before 390, including Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock, at McConnell Arena, Saturday.
The seven-goal outburst was McGill's highest total in 39 games overall, dating back to a 10-5 win at Ottawa, Feb. 18, 2011. All but five of McGill's 18 skaters registered at least one point on the scoresheet.
"We had a slow start but got our feet moving halfway through the first period and certainly found the back of the net as the game wore on," said Nobes. "Our offensive zone play was real good. We ran some good routes on the power-play had good net front presence there and certainly showed some good signs."
The Redmen, who led 3-1 after one period and 4-1 after two, had a 37-22 edge in shots, including a 16-6 margin in the middle frame.
Verreault-Paul, who led the nation in goals during each of the past two seasons, tallied a power-play goal at 15:44 of the opening stanza to give McGill an insurmountable 4-1 lead. He added another early in the final period to cap a five-goal outburst. Despite missing five games, it was his 15th marker in 17 games, four shy of the CIS lead in that department.
Linemate Patrick Belzile, a gritty 6-foot-2, 205-pound winger from Saint-Eloi, Que., who missed the entire first semester due to illness, netted his first of the season and added a pair of helpers.
Alex Picard-Hooper, the third member of that newly formed line, and the all-time assist king at McGill, collected three assists to run his record tally to 179 in 160 games overall.
"It was nice to see Belzile score his first goal," added Nobes. "I thought it was great transition play up the middle with 'Pic' and a nice pass to set up Pat for that goal. (The recent move of Belzile to the top trio) adds a little sandpaper on that line and gives us more balance through all our lines."
Rounding out the scoring for McGill was team captain Evan Vossen (10th) of Swift Current, Sask., defenceman Ryan McKiernan (3rd) of White Plains, N.Y., Benoit Levesque (6th) of Vaudreuil, Que., and Christophe Longpre-Poirier (6th) of Longueuil, Que.
Guillaume Donovan of Gatineau, Que., and Mathieu Methot of Ottawa, replied for the Gee-Gees, who have now dropped four in a row and tumbled from third-place to eighth over the last three weeks. If the season ended today, Ottawa would meet McGill in the opening round of the playoffs.
Goaltender Hubert Morin made 20 saves and improved his record to 10-3. He continues to lead all OUA netminders with a stingy 1.97 goals-against average and is ranked fourth with a .922 save percentage.
Gee-Gees starter Russell Abbott (7-10) was beaten five times on 30 shots before being yanked early in the final period. He was replaced by Aaron Barton, who saved five of seven shots in just over 17 minutes of play.
McGill went 1-for-5 on the power-play and erased all six shorthanded situations, running their kill streak to four consecutive games and 26 in a row since they were last beaten on Jan. 7.
"I'm certainly happy with the way our PK has performed over the last few games," said Nobes. "The guys are taking pride in the fact that were doing well there and hopefully we will keep going in that direction."
Source: Redmen Athletics
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Brock University men's hockey team (13-10-1 OUA West) defeated the Lakehead Thunderwolves (16-7-0 OUA West) by the score of 3-2 in front of 925 fans at the Seymour-Hannah Centre Friday night.
The Badgers would tie it 1-1 with 3:08 remaining in the first period. Freshman Sean Jones (Newmarket, Ont.) and sophomore Thomas Stajan (Mississauga, Ont.) setup sophomore Kaine Geldart (Kingston, Ont.) for his sixth goal of the campaign.
Just under four minutes into the second period, sophomore C.J. Dickson (Thorold, Ont.) would get pulled down on a breakway which resulted in a penalty shot. On the penalty shot, Dickson would make a nice move to beat Lakehead goaltender Alex Dupuis to give the Badgers a 2-1 lead.
Midway through the third period, senior Isaac Smeltzer (Estevan, Sask.) would put the lead pass ahead to Jones who broke in past the Thunderwolves defense and slid it past Dupuis for the two-goal lead 3-1.
Lakehead cut the lead to one, 3-2, at 17:03 of the third period with Ryan McDonald adding his sixth goal of the season.
In goal, Brock senior goaltender Kurt Jory (Brandon Man.) recorded 21 saves for the victory. With the win, Jory moves alone into second place all-time in Brock history with 30 career victories. Dupuis added 26 saves in the loss.
The Badgers next action is February 3rd at 7:15 pm when they host the Lakehead Thunderwolves at the Seymour-Hannah Centre in a rematch of tonight's contest.
Source: Badgers Athletics
TORONTO (January 27, 2012) – Kelly Jackson of Toronto scored a power play goal at the 3:43 mark of the second period and that was all the Gaels (12-9-2) needed as they held on for a 2-1 win over the Ryerson Rams (11-10-3).
With the win the Gaels now move into a tie for sixth place in the OUA East with Concordia. The Gaels do hold a game in hand on the Stingers however.
Riley Whitlock of Calgary continued his strong play for the Gaels stopping 35 of the 36 shots fired at him on the night. David Chubb of St. George's, Nfld. scored his sixth goal of the season and Jackson notched the game winner on the power play, his ninth of the campaign.
The Rams lone goal came off the stick of Victor Terreri of Mississauga, Ont. who started the season in January with the Rams after a brief stint with the Barrie Colts of the OHL as an overager.
Terreri gave the Rams an early lead in the first period only 4:54 into the frame. The goal was his second of the season as he scored past Gaels starting netminder Whitlock.
Chubb would respond for Queen's just over six minutes after to even the game at 1-1. Jon Lawrance of Steinbach, Man. and Scott Kenway of Calgary added the assists on the goal.
In the second period Jackson scored on the power play to put the Gaels up 2-1. From there on Whitlock managed to keep the Rams at bay as the Gaels hung on for the 2-1 win.
Queen's is back in action tomorrow night when they take on the Varsity Blues, puck drop is set for 7:30pm.
The Gaels will return home on Thursday February 2, when they take on their cross town rivals the RMC Paladins in the 26th annual Carr-Harris Challenge Cup at 7:30pm at the K-Rock Centre in Kingston.
Source: Gaels Athletics
Fifth-year forward Dan Brewer scored two goals and added one assist in leading the Varsity Blues men’s hockey team to a narrow 4-3 victory over the RMC Paladins on Friday night (Jan. 27) at Varsity Arena.
The win lifts Toronto (12-8-3) two spots from sixth to a tie for fourth place with the Carleton Ravens in the OUA East division.
Brewer scored the first and game-winning goals en route to U of T’s third win in four games.
"I thought for parts of the game we were very good," said Varsity Blues head coach Darren Lowe. "However we took too many penalties and lost our momentum. I give a lot of credit to RMC. Dan Brewer had a very strong game and provided us with excellent leadership."
The Paladins struck early, as rookie defenceman Alex Pym (Winnipeg) made good on the first powerplay opportunity of the game. Toronto answered back six minutes later as Brewer evened the score with his fifth goal of the season.
Three minutes later Brewer fed Blues leading scorer Byron Elliott (Burlington, Ont.) a pass from the point and Elliott wired the puck over the shoulder of RMC goaltender Andrew Flemming (Quispamsis, N.B.) for the go-ahead goal.
Toronto extended their lead midway through the second frame with a powerplay marker from rookie forward Paul Van De Velde (Mariapolis, Man.). The Blues controlled the play for the majority of the second period, outshooting the Paladins 17-8.
Down but not out, RMC brought the game back within one late in the period on their second powerplay opportunity of the night. Paladins rookie forward Colin MacLean (Brockville, Ont.) wired a shot to beat Blues goalie Garrett Sheehan short side and the game remained 3-2 at the second intermission.
The Paladins opened the third period with a 5-on-3 advantage for the first minute, but the Blues held off the attack. Brewer notched his second goal of the game on the man advantage eight minutes into the frame, assisted by Matt Walters and Anthony Bergin.
With Flemming out of his net, the Paladins again brought the game within reach with 53 seconds remaining after Patrick Pinder found a hole through Sheehan. Brewer almost secured the hat trick performance on the ensuing play with a 2-on-1, but Flemming slid across the crease to deny the veteran forward. The final buzzer would sound in favour of the home team.
Sheehan made 17 saves in the win, while Flemming added 43 on the night.
Source: Varsity Blues Athletics
OSHAWA, Ont. – The UOIT Ridgebacks men’s hockey kept their playoff hopes alive as they earned a 4-2 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks on Friday night.
UOIT scored a pair of goals just 21 seconds apart in the first period to take a 2-0 lead. The Ridgebacks would not surrender the early lead as they earned the 4-2 victory, moving two points closer to Laurier for the final playoff position.
“The team got off to a great start tonight,” said UOIT assistant captain Tony Rizzi. “We got the crowd into the game early on and we really fed off their energy.”
The Ridgebacks ended Laurier starting goalie Ryan Daniels (Pickering, Ont.) night early, as he was pulled after allowing two goals on four shots. Duncan Long made 24 saves and allowed one goal coming into the game for Laurier in relief.
Jason Guy (Whitby, Ont.) earned the win for UOIT as he made 18 saves.
Brendan Wise (Scarborough, Ont.) and Rizzi (Kingston, Ont.) each had a goal and an assist for UOIT. Jeremy Whelan (Pickering, Ont.) also had a multi-point game with two assists.
Playing in his 100th conference game, Josh Vatri (Barrie, Ont.) scored the game-winning goal early on in the second period. Vatri is UOIT’s all-time leading scorer with 102 career points. James Woodcroft (Milton, Ont.) was the other goal scorer for UOIT, as he recorded his third of the year.
The Ridgebacks (5-18-1) trail Laurier (7-15-1) by four points for the final playoff position. UOIT will look to gain two more points on Saturday night as they head to Waterloo (13-7-4) for a game against the Warriors.
The Lancer men’s hockey team won their second straight game with a 3-1 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday afternoon in Waterloo.
Windsor is now 11-12-1 on the season, and continues to hold the sixth spot in the OUA West division.
Fourth year senior Mark Thorburn opened up the scoring at 6:11 of the second frame after a scoreless first period. Kyle Makaric and Evan Stibbard were credited with the assists.
Laurier tied the game just two and a half minutes later with Kyle Van De Boosport’s first goal of the season.
In the third period, captain Matt McCready scored the eventual game winner with the man advantage halfway through the period. Four minutes later Spencer Pommels added an insurance goal to secure the Lancer win.
Parker Van Buskirk had another solid night for the Lancers making 19 saves in net to earn the win.
The Lancers return to Windsor Arena next weekend for a pair of home games. Windsor will face off against the UOIT Ridgebacks on Friday February 3rd at 7:30pm, and then host the Brock Badgers on Saturday February 4th at 7:30pm.
Source: Lancers Athletics
The Carleton University Ravens men’s hockey team made a statement to the rest of the nation on Saturday, with a 4-2 win over the top-ranked McGill University Redmen at the Ice House.
Billingsley opened the scoring in the last minute of the first period with his first goal as a Raven on the power play, while Matthew Dopud (Pointe-Claire, Que.) stopped all 13 shots he faced to give Carleton a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes.
With McGill hoping to strike on a man-advantage in the second period, the Ravens generated some offence on the penalty kill as Joey Manley (Ottawa) struck twine with his eighth goal of the season to make it 2-0.
Early in the third period, Joe Pleckaitis (Ottawa) was ejected from the game for a stick infraction, giving McGill a chance to get back into the game with a power play opportunity. Ryan McKiernan (White Plains, N.Y.) beat Dopud from the point, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
But minutes later, the Ravens would get an insurance marker on defenceman Bourdeau-Mifflen’s eighth goal of the season. Jordan Deagle (Lethbridge, Alta.) added an empty-netter before Max Langelier-Parent (Lery, Que.) added a shorthanded marker for McGill with 13 seconds left in the game to make it a 4-2 final.
Dopud was impressive in the win, allowing just two goals on 33 shots and helping the Ravens kill off eight of the nine shorthanded opportunities they faced. Mark Segal (Vancouver) stopped 28 shots for McGill.
With the win the Ravens improve to 13-8-3, keeping pace with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in the OUA East.
Source: Ravens Athletics
The Nipissing Lakers picked up two important points Saturday night against the RMC Paladins, but they sure had to fight for them.
The Lakers defeated the Paladins in overtime 2-1, but it was RMC’s goaltender, Andrew Flemming, who put a scare into the home team, holding the Lakers off the scoreboard until almost six minutes into the third period.
In all, Flemming faced 45 shots , including four in overtime, compared to 20 shots on the Lakers’ Kyle Cantlon.
“It’s a credit to them,” Lakers coach Mike McParland said of the Paladins’ effort. “They never quit fighting.”
He said Flemming’s performance was “outstanding. He really kept them in” the game.
The Lakers (14-6-4) are firmly in third place in the tough OUA East Division, gaining a bit of ground on the top two teams after both McGill (18-3-2) and UQTR (17-5-2) posted losses Saturday night.
“We definitely needed those two points tonight,” McParland said, admitting the Paladins were exceptionally tough. With only eight points on the season, the Paladins (3-20-2) are taking their role of spoiler seriously.
The Paladins notched the first goal at 3:06 of the second period, with Scott McDonald pulling through a scramble in front of the Lakers’ net to give the visitors the lead, which they held for more than 20 minutes.
But it was the Lakers who controlled most of the game, keeping the puck in the RMC end, including a full three minutes inside their blue line before Doug Clarkson finally popped it past Flemming on a powerplay at the 5:57 mark of the third period.
It almost looked like desperation hockey by the Lakers, who were stymied time and again by Flemming, whose pads, gloves and stick seemed to be everywhere, with the shots on net statistics showing the real effort – 13 to 7 in favour of Nipissing at the end of the first period, 28 to 15 by the end of the second period and 41-20 at the end of regulation.
Andrew Marcoux of the Lakers finally put the game away at the 2:33 mark of overtime, weaving through the defenders to slip it into the net.
The Lakers have four games left in the season, all against lower-ranked teams. They play the Ryerson Rams two more times this season, Friday and Feb. 10. In their last meeting, the Lakers defeated the Rams 7-0.
Source: Lakers Athletics
The Guelph Gryphon’s men’s hockey team took on the York Lions tonight (Jan. 28th) in Guelph at the Gryphon Centre. It was a tough game between two well-matched teams but ultimately the Gryphons came out on top 3-2. Scott Collins (Guelph, ON) contributed two goals for the Gryphons and Barrett Brook (Leduc, AB) pocketed one.
The Gryphons add a much needed win to their record tonight bringing their standings up to 8-12-5, while the fourth placed Lions drop to 12-9-4.
Collins got the game rolling with the first goal for the Gryphons at 6:20 after an amazing play was set up by Kristafer Belan (Elmvale, ON). The Lions fought hard to make up the point and Gryphon goalie Cody St Jacques (Iroquois Falls, ON) played a solid game despite having his hands full with the Lion’s offence.
York was finally able to break through St Jacques with three minutes left on the board in the first when Mark Cross (Strasbourg, Sask) fired one into the net. The Gryphons quickly responded only 20 seconds later, when Philip Teri (Elora, ON) and Marco Franchini (Sauble Beach, ON) set up Collins for his second goal of the night.
The second period remained goalless as both teams battled it out on the ice. The Lions led with the total shots on net in the second but they couldn’t translate them into goals. Lion centre Troy Barss (Barrie, ON) wreaked havoc for the Gryphons and had a lot of breakaway action, but he never got past St Jacques.
The final goal of the night for the Gryphons came at 7:25 in the third after a scramble outside of York’s net was taken advantage of by Barrett. He was assisted by Franchini and Ken Peroff (Astorville, ON). The Lions weren’t discouraged by the Gryphon lead and Jesse Messier (Keswick, ON) contributed another goal for York at 12:36. The Lions fought hard in the final minutes of the game but Guelph defence and St Jacques’ quick thinking helped keep the Gryphons safe. The game finished 3-2.
The Gryphons next play the Laurier Golden Hawks at the Gryphon Centre on Feb. 4th. Puck drops at 7:30pm.
Source: Gryphons Athletics
First-year Varsity Blues goaltender Brett Willows recorded his second straight shut out as the Varsity Blues men’s hockey team squeaked by with a 1-0 win over the Queen’s Gaels on Saturday night at Varsity Arena.
A native of Rivers, Man., Willows posted 36 saves in his second career shut out in the Blue and White. The win leaves Toronto tied with the Carleton Ravens with identical 13-8-1 records for fourth place in the OUA East division.
“We played very well at even strength and our penalty killing was outstanding,” commented Varsity Blues head coach Darren Lowe. “Although we scored on the powerplay, we need to make some adjustments. Both goalies were outstanding tonight.”
Fifth-year veteran Dan Brewer (Cambridge, Ont.) registered what would be the only goal of the game, his sixth goal of the season and third in the last two games.
The Blues jumped on the Gaels early, outshooting Queen's 14-10 in the first period, and capitalizing on their opponent’s lack of discipline. With Gaels defender Stephane Chabot in the penalty box on a double-minor for spearing, Brewer deflected home a point shot from Winnipeg native Matt Walters to open the scoring. Second-year forward Anthony Bergin (Scarborough, Ont.) also assisted on the powerplay goal.
Queen's had several chances to tie the game late in the first, but Willows stood tall, denying a short-handed break, and making a miraculous glove save on a 2-on-1 rush with 2:04 left in the opening frame.
The Blues ran into penalty trouble of their own in the second period, but with the help of Willows, they were able to kill off two separate 5-on-3 powerplays.
The Gaels would play their best hockey in the final period, outshooting the Blues 12-6. But Willows was up to the challenge, making several key saves, including stopping Queen's forward Tyler Moore on a one-timer from the slot, and sliding across the crease to rob Ben Munroe on a powerplay chance.
With Gaels goaltender Riley Witlock out of his net in the final minute of play, the Varsity Blues held strong and did not allow the visiting team with a solid scoring opportunity. It looked as though Blues leading scorer Byron Elliott would notch the empty-netter, but Gaels defenceman Stephane Chabot dove into the net and cleared the puck at the last second.
The Varsity Blues return to the ice next Saturday, February 4 as they host the Nipissing Lakers at Varsity Arena. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
Source: Varsity Blues Athletics
LONDON, Ont. – The Western Mustangs men’s hockey team (19-2-3) won the Jack Frost Cup and clinched the first place position in the OUA West division with a 4-0 victory over the Lakehead Thunderwolves (16-8-0) on Sat. Jan. 28 at Thompson Arena.
Zach Harnden had two goals and an assist for the Mustangs as Dominic Desando and Tyler Peters added the remaining Western goals. Peters also had an assist while Steve Reese had two.
Western opened the scoring in the second period as Desando, Jason Furlong and Shaun Furlong exploded on a 3-on-1 rush. Furlong streaked down the wing and pulled the Lakehead defender and goaltender Alex Dupuis to the right side of the ice. Desando charged the net with his stick on the ice and wired a one-timer past Dupuis for a 1-0 lead.
Ten minutes later, Reese controlled the puck in the Thunderwolves’ corner, looking for an outlet pass. Reese found Adam Nemeth on the point who didn’t have an open lane and threw the puck at the net. The puck missed the net, hit the end boards and jumped out to the front of the net. Harnden skated hard to the net looking for a loose puck and he capitalized on the chance as the disc came loose.
Less than two minutes later, Mustangs left winger Peters cut across the crease and put a shot on net. Dupuis stopped the initial shot but no one was there to tie Peters up as he grabbed his own rebound and put the second shot past Dupuis for a three goal lead heading into the third.
The Thunderwolves held Western scoreless in the third until the 15:16 mark. The Mustangs attacked Lakehead’s zone full tilt as Reese launched a pass from the right wing board to the center of the ice for Harnden. Harnden cradled the pass and rifled a shot that beat Dupuis for a 4-0 final.
Western has only four regular season games remaining and with the win, they move nine points ahead of second place Lakehead. The Mustangs cannot be reached in the standings and they will hold the first place position to start the 2012 playoffs.
Head coach Clarke Singer commented on the steps looking towards the playoffs, saying “We’ve had a focus looking forward to the playoffs all year and we’ve got to be the best team when we arrive there in the middle of February and we still have lots of things about our game we need to tidy up.”
Singer added, “Your special teams have to be outstanding and right now ours our good but they’re not where they have to be. Our defensive game has to still be a little better, we gave up a bunch of odd man rushes tonight.”
The Mustangs play two home games next weekend on Fri. Feb. 3 and Sat. Feb. 4. Western challenges Waterloo on Friday night then they will face Lakehead for a rematch on Saturday. Both games have a 7:35 p.m. start time.
Source: Mustangs Athletics
Andy Smith (Rosetown) tallied 2 goals including the game winner and added an assist as the Waterloo men's hockey team skated away with a 5-2 win over the UOIT Ridgebacks on Saturday night at the Columbia Icefield Arena.
Starting goalie Justin Leclerc (Saskatoon) continued his strong play of late turning aside 36 of 38 shots faced while Jason Guy (Whitby, Ont.) allowed five goals on 23 shots in the loss.
Waterloo jumped out of the gates with a goal two minutes into the opening period as Blake Chartier (Winnipeg) fired a shot on net that bounced off a Ridgeback defender and found the net past Guy. Smith and Ryan Molle (Calgary) were given the helpers on the opening marker.
Jeff Einhorn (Red Deer) extended Waterloo's lead eight minutes later on a perfectly executed two-on-one as Thomas Cardiff (London) slid a the past to Einhorn who made no mistake for his fourth goal of the season.
The Ridgebacks cut into the Warriors lead five minutes later as Luke VanMoerkerke (Tilsonburg, Ont.) fired one past Leclerc for his sixth goal of the season. Kevin George of Uxbridge, Ont. was credited with the lone assist on the goal.
The home side would regain their two goal lead late in the first on another picture perfect passing play. Larson gained the zone and threaded the needle over to Smith who had an easy tap in to send Waterloo into the locker room up 3-1.
UOIT came out with some jump in the second period and were rewarded for their effort as Ryan Oliver (Brooklin, Ont.) had three whacks at a loose puck before finding the net.
It only took five minutes for Waterloo to once again regain their two goal lead with Smith tallying his second straight goal on the night. On a broken play Smith was able to skate out alone into the slot and fired a low shot that eluded Guy.
UOIT had yet another chance to cut into the lead with Oliver given a clear cut breakaway on Leclerc but the Warrior netminder would turn the golden opportunity aside with a quick glove save.
That save would prove to be timely as Waterloo would finally find the three goal advantage on their third highlight reel goal of the game. Tyler Moir (Calgary) found Larson down low and the Warrior rookie made some dazzling moves before sliding the puck over to Josh Schappert (Winnipeg) who ripped home the one-timer.
Leclerc would take over in the third period stopping all 12 shots faced to secure the 5-2 win for his squad. The win improved Waterloo to 14-7-4 on the season and with a Lakehead loss to Western, move them into a tie for second place in the OUA west with 32 points. UOIT remain in the basement with a record of 5-19-1.
The Warriors have the week to prepare for a tough matchup against the No. 2 Nationally ranked Western Mustangs on Friday in London. Puck drop is set for 7:30pm.
Source: Warriors Athletics
The latest instalment of the intense rivalry between the uOttawa Gee-Gees and the Carleton Ravens came on Sunday afternoon at the uOttawa Minto Sports Complex, living up to its name and providing the Gee-Gee faithful with a convincing 4-1 home win.
The struggling Gee-Gees set the tone early on in the game with a goal from captain Matthieu Methot (Ottawa, Ont.), his 11th of the season. Methot blocked a Ravens point shot and used his long stride to get a jump on the Ravens defence, sending him in all alone on the Carleton goaltender that had no chance on Methot’s top shelf wrist shot.
There was no shortage of physical play between the squads, resulting in numerous penalties and exchanged power play opportunities for both teams. However, it was the Garnet & Grey who took advantage of one of those opportunities with a rebound goal from second year forward Stephen Blunden (Ottawa, Ont.).
Gee-Gee forward Alexandre Touchette (Gatineau, Que.) also chipped in on the offensive output with a one-time slap shot that slid under the Ravens goaltender and put the Gees up by three.
“It was very important to get goals from more than one line, and it’s going to be very important to have that depth going down the stretch too,” explained Gee-Gees head coach Réal Paiement.
With all of the momentum and crowd support in their favour, the Gee-Gees dictated the rest of the match. Frustration eventually boiled over for the Ravens though, who committed a costly five-minute major in the middle of the third period on a charging call, during which Maxime Chamberland (Chateauguay, Que.) scored on a one-on-one rush, using the Raven defender as a screen and going upstairs on Raven goaltender.
“Playing Carleton is a motivating factor, but for us to make the playoffs we need to play every remaining game as a do-or-die situation, so it was great to see the guys respond the way they did” said Paiement.
Two third period line brawls resulted in more ejected players, a penalty box that was at full capacity, and depleted benches for both teams. Needless to say, there was no love lost between the cross-town rivals.
A late third period goal Ravens goal by Linden Bahm spoiled the shutout for Gee-Gees goaltender Russell Abbot (Mill Bay, B.C.), who stopped a total of 24 shots on the afternoon.
“It’s unfortunate that Russell didn’t get the shutout because he played a very solid game and made all of the saves that he needed to,” said Paiement. “With the number of goals we have been giving up lately, for him to give up only one goal against is really good.”
The Gee-Gees will look to carry over the momentum from Sunday’s win when they travel to Concordia on Saturday, February 4th, to take on the Stingers at 2:00 p.m.
