January 5, 2014
MEN'S HOCKEY ROUNDUP: Wise leads No. 10 Rams past No. 9 Lancers
Friday, January 3
McGill 2 @ Carleton 3
OTTAWA -- Defenceman Matthew Stanisz of Burlington, Ont., set up three goals as the Carleton Ravens edged No.5-ranked McGill 3-2 in OUA men's hockey at the Carleton Ice Palace in the nation's capital, Friday.
It was McGill's first game in more than a month, dating back to a victory over Laurentian on Nov. 30 and halted the team's three-game win streak. The fourth-place Ravens played one exhibition game over the long break, a 6-1 victory over visiting Toronto on Dec. 29.
Carleton, which had a slight 30-27 edge in shots, improved to 10-5-1 and now sits just two points in arrears of second-place McGill (11-4-1) in the OUA East Division standings.
First-year Redmen forward Neal Prokop of Winnipeg opened the scoring on the power-play at 7:52, converting passes from defencemen Hugo Laporte and Jan Kaminsky. But Carleton rallied with goals from Ryan MacLean and Joey West, at 14:52 and 18:32, respectively, to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
Damian Cross then struck for his seventh of the season at 14:52 of the middle stanza to put the Ravens up 3-1 after two.
McGill came out flying in the final frame and had an 11-3 advantage in shots but Carleton goalie Francis Dupuis was solid, registering 10 saves to finish with 25 in the game. His record improved to 5-1.
Redmen sophomore Mathieu Pompei narrowed the gap to 3-2, on the power-play., with Laporte and Ryan McKiernan each drawing assists on the play.
"I liked our third period but I didn't think our battle level was where it needed to be over the first 40 minutes," said McGill head coach Kelly Nobes. "When we increased our battle level, we won the foot races and outshot them (significantly) in the third period. We have to play 60 minutes against good teams like that and we didn't do that tonight. "
On a positive front, McGill went 2-for-6 on the power-play and killed off all four shorthanded situations. The PK unit is now operating at 87.5 per cent efficiency and ranks third of 20 OUA teams, while the PP unit ranks fifth overall at 22.2.
Freshman Jacob Gervais-Chouinard made 27 saves between the pipes for McGill and saw his record fall to 7-3.
The Redmen are now 22-19-1 lifetime against Carleton, which swept the season series 2-0, including a 6-4 decision back in October. The teams won't meet again unless they cross paths in playoffs. Carleton will be back in action on Saturdaywhen they play host to the Ottawa Gee-Gees.
Source: McGill Sports Info
Waterloo 9 @ Brock 5
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Brock University men's hockey team dropped a 9-5 decision to the University of Waterloo Warriors Friday night at the Seymour-Hannah Centre.
Waterloo opened the scoring 3:43 into the first period as Kain Allicock and Justin Larson set up Brett Mackie for his sixth goal of the season. The Warriors would take a 2-0 lead with eight minutes left in the opening period as Joe Underwood setup Jarred Parent for his first goal of the campaign.
Brock would make a goalie change to start the second period as Adrian Volpe (Burlington, Ont.) replaced Dalton McGrath (Toronto, Ont.).
Seven minutes into the second period, Waterloo would take a 3-0 lead as a Mackie and Larson setup Colin Behenna for his fifth goal of the season.
Midway through the second period, Brock would get on the board as Kaine Geldart (Kingston, Ont.) set up C.J. Dickson (Thorold, Ont.) who beat Waterloo starter Mike Morrison for his third goal of the year.
Waterloo offensive would continue to answer as they added four goals in the final six minutes of the second period. Mackie added his second of the night while Andy Smith, Chris Chappell and Larson added singles.
Waterloo would take a commanding 8-1 lead 2:07 into the third period as Anthony Tapper beat Volpe for his first goal of the season.
Brock would answer with three straight goals over a three minute span to make it 8-4 in favour of Waterloo with just over nine minutes left in regulation. Scoring for the Badgers were captain Josh Schram (Paris, Ont.), Sammy Banga (Windsor, Ont.) and Thomas Stajan (Mississauga, Ont.). Brock would add one more in final two minutes as Daniel Tanel (Brampton, Ont.) added his first goal of the campaign making it 8-5.
Waterloo would close out the game with an empty netter from Underwood with 25 seconds remaining for the 9-5 victory.
In goal, Volpe suffered the loss allowing six goals on 21 shots. McGrath collected 14 saves in the first period for the Badgers. Waterloo starter Mike Morrison recorded 27 saves for the victory.
Source: Brock Sports Info
Toronto 1 @ Lakehead 3
The Lakehead Thunderwolves kicked off the second half of the OUA season on Friday night against the Toronto Varsity Blues with a 3-1 victory in front of 2100 fans at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay, ON.
Both teams had some great chances early in the opening period, but the slight edge in shots and play went to the Toronto. Lakehead goaltender Jeff Bosch was strong early on, making several difficult saves to keep the game scoreless.
The Wolves got on the board first after a clearing attempt took a strange bounce off the end boards and popped out in front of the net. Andrew Wilkins was there to tuck the puck into the open net, giving Lakehead a 1-0 lead at 11:52 of the first period. Chris de la Lande had the lone assist on the goal.
The Wolves jumped out to a 2-0 lead shortly after on a Mitch Fillman blast from the point that eluded Toronto goalie Brett Willows. The assists on the goal were credited to Keith Grondin and Mike Quesnele.
Toronto pulled to within one goal with just 30 seconds left in the opening frame when a bad clearing attempt was intercepted and fired past Bosch.
The second period didn’t see any scoring but had plenty of physical play from both sides.
Both teams traded some great chances in the third period, the best of which was by Wolves’ forward Mike Hammond, but he was denied by Willows. Both netminders made some key saves for their respective teams to keep the score at 2-1 for Lakehead.
Carson Dubchak sealed the 3-1 victory with a late empty-net goal.
Source: Lakehead Sports Info
Western 3 @ Laurentian 2
The Laurentian Voyageurs men’s hockey team opened their 2014 season against the Western Mustangs on Friday night and were looking earn their first win in the New Year. Despite a strong start and a standout performance from goaltender Alain Valiquette (Sudbury, ON), the Voyageurs were unable to hold back the Mustangs in the last two periods of play. In the end Western earned the win, beating the Voyageurs 3-2 at Countryside Arena in Sudbury.
The Voyageurs had one of their best starts of the season on Friday, putting up two goals within the first 10 minutes of the first period. Laurentian opened the scoring at the 1:36 minute mark, when Nick Esposto (Sheguiandah, ON) scored his first of the game and 7th of the season. The Voyageurs continued to put the Mustangs under pressure, and netted their second of the game at 6:34 minutes into the first. Marc-Alain Begin (Hearst, ON) was assisted by Therrien and Lamarre for his 5th of the season. The Mustangs answered the Voyageurs less than a minute later, as David Corente (Mississauga, ON) scored his 1st of the season at the 7:34 minute mark. Neither team would score for the remainder of the first, and Laurentian headed into the first intermission up on the Mustangs in a 2-1 game.
The Mustangs brought up their intensity of play after the first intermission, and they outshot and outscored the Voyageurs in the second period of play. The Mustangs earned their second goal of the game at the 7:15 minute mark when Matt Herscovitz (Montreal, QC) found the back of the net, in what would be the only goal for the period. The Voyageurs would be outshot 14-10, and both teams headed into the second intermission tied at 2.
The third period proved to be similar to the second. While the Voyageurs were able to outshoot the Mustangs, they were unable to find the back of the net. The Voyageurs took a penalty near the beginning of the third period for slashing, which led to a power play goal for the Mustangs. Kyle De Coste (London, ON) scored the game winning goal for Western with less than 20 seconds remaining in the Laurentian penalty, putting them up 3-2. De Coste’s goal would be the last goal scored by either team for the remainder of the game, and the game ended in a score of 3-2 in favour of the Western Mustangs.
Source: Laurentian Sports Info
Queen’s 3 @ UOIT 2
OSHAWA, Ont. – The UOIT Ridgebacks men’s hockey team started off the 2014 portion of their season on a positive note after earning a point against the No. 8 ranked Queen’s Gaels, losing 3-2 in overtime at the Campus Ice Centre Friday night.
In his return to the line-up after suffering a broken jaw in the Ridgebacks’ season opener, Jesse Stoughton (Bobcaygeon, Ont.) made an immediate impact as he tied the game up at two goals apiece with five minutes left in the second period. Mitch Bennett (Fenelon Falls, Ont.) set up Stoughton for his 29th career goal.
The teams went scoreless in the third period, with UOIT goaltender Colin Dzijacky (Thunder Bay, Ont.) making 16 saves including a big one shorthanded down the stretch to send the game in to overtime.
In the extra frame, Jordan Ramsay (Pickering, Ont.) had the Ridgebacks best opportunity after collecting a goal in the first period, but his shot rang off the post. With one minute remaining, Queen’s freshman Harrison Hendrix buried a rebound to give the Gaels their 11th win of the year.
Matt Salituro (Toronto, Ont.) had a strong game for the Ridgebacks as he won the majority of his face-offs while creating several scoring chances through his strong forecheck.
Queen’s outshot UOIT 38-25 while both power plays went scoreless in 11 combined attempts.
The Gaels sit atop of the eastern conference standings with an 11-0-5 record, as they are the only team in the OUA without a loss in regulation. UOIT remains in sixth place with a 5-8-3 record, two points ahead of the Concordia Stingers who have a game in hand on the Ridgebacks.
Source: UOIT Sports Info
Ryerson 3 @ Laurier 1
WATERLOO, Ont. - Domenic Alberga scored his team leading 14th goal of the season to help the Ryerson Rams defeat the Laurier Golden Hawks, 3-1 on Friday night.
Alberga (Maple, Ont.) scored at 7:45 of the first period to get the scoring started at the Sun Life Arena in Waterloo, Ont.
Third-year forward Mitch Gallant (Charlottetown, PEI) followed suit two minutes later with his seventh of the season to give Ryerson a 2-0 lead.
The lead would be trimmed to one before the period was over. James Marsden scored his first of the season for Laurier at 13:57 and it was 2-1 after one period.
Daniel Lombardi (Richmond Hill, Ont.) added an insurance marker late in the second period, scoring shorthanded and was assisted by Jamie Wise (Stouffville, Ont.).
Troy Passingham (Mississauga, Ont.) recorded his fifth win of the season in net for the Rams. Passingham made 31 saves and was solid all evening for Ryerson. Duncan Long suffered the loss, making 23 saves.
Ryerson failed to score on its only powerplay opportunity while Laurier went scoreless on three attempts.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
Saturday, January 4
Ottawa 2 Carleton 5
The new year got off on the wrong foot for the Gee-Gees men’s hockey team as the squad resumed regular season action with a 5-2 loss at Carleton on Saturday night. The loss is the team’s first after a ten-game unbeaten streak in November and drops Ottawa into fifth place in the OUA East standings at 10-6-1. Although Carleton (11-5-1) struck first with the only goal of the first period, scoring at the 7:26 mark on a deflection at the side of the net, it was the second period which decided things at the Ice House as the Ravens scored three times to open up a 4-0 lead.
“We lost the one-on-one battles in the second period because we got outworked by them,” said Gee-Gees head coach Réal Paiement, although he praised his team’s effort in the other two periods. “We knew coming out of the break, and this being Carleton’s second game back, that we might show some rust but I think we battled through it and showed it in the third.”
A defensive lapse in front of Gee-Gees netminder Warren Shymko allowed fourth-year forward Joe Pleckaitis to score from close range at 1:47, setting the tone for a second period which was dominated by the Ravens. Ottawa was out-shot 17-9 in the frame.
“I think that defensively we got lost a few times, even though that has been our strength. All five guys were out of synch and the support was slow,” explained Paiement.
The third goal also came on deflected shot while the fourth on a rush by the Ravens’ leading scorer Damien Cross when he knocked Gee-Gees captain David Foucher off the puck at the blue line.
Although Ottawa logged four minor penalties in the frame and provided Carleton with a thirty-seven second 3-on-5, the Ravens scored each of their goals at even strength.
The Gee-Gees broke through with a goal by first-year Mathieu Guertin who finished a strong rush by Taylor Collins just 2:43 into the third period, giving the squad some life. Mathieu Ouellette added the second Ottawa goal on a power play rush at 12:42.
The final Ravens goal was scored with the Ottawa net empty and 59 seconds remaining on the clock. The final shot tally was 32-29 in favour of Carleton.
Source: Ottawa Sports Info
Ryerson 4 @ Windsor 1
WINDSOR, Ont. - Jamie Wise scored his 11th and 12th goals of the season and added an assist to lead the Ryerson Rams over the Windsor Lancers, 4-1 on Saturday night at the Windsor Family Credit Union Centre.
With his three-point night, Wise (Stoufville, Ont.) now becomes the top scorer in the CIS with 31 points (12 G, 19A).
The 10th ranked team in the CIS, Ryerson (12-5-0) equaled their win total from last season and moved into sole possession of second place in the OUA West with the victory.
Michael Fine (Toronto) started the scoring at 6:46 of the first period, scoring on the powerplay with Wise and veteran defenceman Mark Corbett (Burlington, Ont.) picking up assists.
Wise would get his first of the game with just 1:20 remaining in the first period, scoring shorthanded to give Ryerson a 2-0 lead going into the intermission.
Spencer Pommellis scored his seventh goal of the season to help No. 9 Windsor (11-6-0) cut the lead to one in the second period.
Just four minutes into the third period, Wise would score his second of the game to push the Rams lead to 3-1.
Jason McDonough (Toronto) would score his third of the season with under a minute remaining on the powerplay to finish off the scoring.
The physical matchup resulted in six powerplay opportunities for Ryerson in which they capitalized on two. Windsor failed to score on five opportunities.
For a second night in a row, Troy Passingham (Mississauga, Ont.) stood tall in between the pipes for Ryerson, making 33 saves in the win. Parker Van Buskirk suffered the loss for Windsor, allowing four goals on 37 shots.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
Toronto 2 @ Lakehead 5
The Lakehead Thunderwolves beat the Toronto 5-2 in front of 2,270 fans at the Fort William Gardens on Saturday night to sweep the weekend series over the Varsity Blues.
Lakehead got on the board less than five minutes into the game when Andrew Wilkins stole the puck at the Lakehead blue line and fed a wide-open Ryan Magill who tucked the puck past Toronto goaltender Brett Willows while the Wolves were short-handed.
Lakehead increased its lead to 2-0 when James DeLory stepped out of the penalty box and lugged the puck into the Toronto zone and found Luke Maw who slammed the puck in the open net with Willows out of position. The other assist on the goal went to Carson Dubchak.
The period was highlighted by some spirited play from DeLory who also made a couple of big hits.
Most of the second stanza was a defensive battle until the end of the period when there was a sudden flurry of three goals.
Toronto’s Connor Cleverley found the back of the net at 16:30 of the period to cut Lakehead’s lead to 2-1. But less than a minute later, Thunderwolves’ freshman Cody Alcock ripped a shot past Willows on the power-play to restore Lakehead’s two-goal lead. The assists went to Mike Quesnele and Keith Grondin.
Varsity Blues forward Jeff Brown pulled Toronto to within one goal with Keith Grondin in the box on a fluttering wrist-shot that changed directions on the way to the net and found its way past Wolves’ goalie Jeff Bosch at the 18:53 mark.
Lakehead pulled in front 4-2 with its second shorthanded goal of the night when Andrew Wilkins converted a Carson Dubchak pass at 4:46 of the third period.
Bosch stood tall in the final frame, making some tough saves to keep the Wolves in front.
Andrew Wilkins added an unassisted empty netter in the final minute to seal the 5-2 victory.
Source: Lakehead Sports Info
Guelph 1 @ Laurentian 4
SUDBURY, ON - The Laurentian Voyageurs men’s hockey team was able to shake off a tough loss the previous night to beat the visiting Guelph Gryphons at Countryside Arena on Saturday night. Relying on strong defensive play and great goaltending, the Voyageurs made the most of their sparse offensive opportunities to down the Gryphons 4-1.
The Voyageurs withstood some early Gryphon pressure as Alain Valiquette turned aside everything fired in his direction, allowing the offense to get their feet underneath them. The Voyageurs broke through with just over 5 minutes remaining in the 1st period as Marc-Alain Begin (Hearst, ON) fed a pinching Caleb Apperson (Wilcox, SK) who fired the puck past the Gryphon net minder, Sudbury native, Chris McDougall. Begin went down with an injury on the play after being hit while making the pass and he wouldn’t return for the rest of the night. Four minutes later, on the power play, Brian Nanne (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) tipped home a Vincent Llorca (Le Mont-Dore, FR) point shot and the Voyageurs had a 2-0 lead heading into the break.
The Gryphons came out in the second trying to find a way back into the game and despite 4 power play opportunities, they could not solve Valiquette. The Voyageurs didn’t do any better, getting only four shots on net in the period as they headed to the intermission with their two goal lead intact.
The third period saw the Voyageurs sustain much of the offensive pressure but it was the Gryphons who would tally first in the frame as Ken Peroff was able to slide a loose puck past a sprawled out Valiquette after a lengthy goal mouth scramble, cutting the lead to 2-1. Nanne answered for the Voyageurs just over a minute later as he picked up a Guelph turnover and buried a shorthanded marker. Peterborough’s Dylan Fitze rounded out the scoring as he ripped a shot off the post and in with just 33 seconds left on the clock.
Source: Laurentian Sports Info
Queen’s 3 @ Laurier 1
WATERLOO, Ont. (January 4, 2014) - The No. 8 Queen's Gaels improved to 12-0-5 on the season with a 3-1 win against the Laurier Golden Hawks in OUA men's hockey action on Saturday night.
Patrick McGillis (Calgary) had a goal and an assist to lead the Gaels while Vinny Merante was a standout for Laurier stopping 50 of 52 shots in the game. The Gaels sit atop the OUA East as they stretch their program best start to 17 games without a regulation loss. The team has now won its last six straight games.
In the first period it was the Golden Hawks who got on the board first. Joe Vanni scored his first of the season at 6:16 into the opening frame beating Gaels starting netminder Chris Clarke (Fall River, N.S.).
Queen's was able to respond mid-way through the period on the man-advantage. McGillis scored his sixth goal of the season with assists from Chris Van Laren (Kingston, Ont.) and Corey Bureau (Amherstview, Ont.). The two teams tied with 17 shots apiece in the first period.
Only 2:21 into the second, it was Jordan Coccimiglio (Burlington, Ont.) netting his third goal of the season to put the Gaels in front for the first time in the game. Queen's was dominant in the period managing 19 shots on goal to the Golden Hawks 10 but were only able to tally the lone goal.
The Gaels added another 17 shots in the third to bring their game total to 52 on the night and it was Bureau who sealed the win for Queen's with an empty net goal to finish the game.
Clarke was sharp between the pipes for Queen's stopping 33 of 34 shots for the win.
Source: Queen’s Sports Info
McGill 4 @ UOIT 2
OSHAWA, Ont. - The UOIT men’s hockey team fell 4-2 to McGill University Saturday night at the Campus Ice Centre.
The Ridgebacks battled McGill to a 2-2 stalemate heading into the third period. Every time the second place team pulled ahead of UOIT, the Ridgebacks found an answer courtesy of goals from Brendan Wise (Stouffville, Ont.) and James Woodcroft (Milton, Ont.) in the second period.
However, a parade of penalties allowed McGill to capitalize on the power play as Cedric McNicoll scored the game winner from the point two minutes into the third period. The Ridgebacks had a total of 18 penalty minutes in the period alone which did not allow for many offensive chances as a majority of the period was spent on the penalty kill. McGill added an empty net goal with a minute remaining to double-up the Ridgebacks.
UOIT goaltender Colin Dzijacky (Thunder Bay, Ont.) again faced a high number of shots as the Ridgebacks were outshot by McGill 42-28. Dzijacky made 38 total saves in the effort increasing his season total to 419 saves ranking him fourth in the CIS in total saves this season.
McGill improves to 12-4-1 and sits alone in second place in the eastern conference, two points ahead of the Carleton Ravens (11-5-1). UOIT remains in sixth place holding a 5-9-3 conference record.
Source: UOIT Sports Info
Sunday, January 5
Ottawa 4 @ RMC 2
Stephen Blunden scored twice to help lift the Gee-Gees over the RMC Paladins by a final score of 4-2 on Sunday evening in Kingston. Blunden scored the game’s opening goal and won the footrace with the Paladins net empty to ice the victory and improve Ottawa’s record to 11-6-1.
Ottawa’s newly formed line of Matt White, Mathieu Guertin and Taylor Collins was also impressive in the contest and provided the other two Gee-Gee goals. Taylor Collins, who joined the line in Saturday’s game at Carleton after Guillaume Donovan was forced to leave the game, stickhandled across the middle of the zone into close range to fire home the game-winning goal at 8:16 in the third period.
Collins also earned an assist on the second Ottawa goal, starting up a three-way passing play which went through Matt White before Mathieu Guertin finished in the crease, notching his eighth goal of the season at 0:54 of the third period. White finished the game with two assists.
“We have a balanced offence and that line brings good speed,” commented Gee-Gees head coach Réal Paiement. “They work hard and they have hockey savvy which creates opportunities. Even though they have been used in a checking role they are not a checking line.”
Ottawa dominated possession throughout the contest and outshot the Paladins by a margin of 52-17. Goaltender Harrison May earned his third win of the season.
The first period saw limited action as RMC managed just two shots on target and the teams went into the dressing room scoreless. The score remained 0-0 until the final two minutes of the second period, which saw first RMC’s Kyle Phillips and then Blunden break through with goals.
Guertin’s early third period marker put Ottawa ahead briefly, but RMC responded with an equalizer at 4:33. The Gee-Gees continued to press the Paladins and following Collins’ go-ahead goal were confidently in control.
“It was a tough game, they worked us hard despite the shots,” said Paiement. “It was a good game to get us back on track for the rest of the season.”
Source: Ottawa Sports Info
Guelph 3 @ Nipissing 2 (SO)
It wasn’t the start to the New Year the Nipissing Lakers men’s hockey team was looking for, but there are positive signs.
The Lakers dropped their first game of 2014 in a shootout, losing 3-2 to the Guelph Gryphons who had a 1-0 lead, but had to tie the game up in the third after the Lakers took a 2-1 lead.
The Lakers were a bit slow out of the gates, being outshot and outchanced early and despite a strong effort early from goalie Kirk Rafuse, the Gryphons broke through just over two minutes into the game on a turnover inside the Lakers line.
Following the goal, the Lakers picked up their game and finished the period strong, tying the game up on a goal by captain Matt Paton who finished off a nice three way passing play that was started by newcomer Tyler Gurich. Dorian Peca got the other assist on the play.
In the second, Jeff Leaist put the Lakers on top as he let a shot go from the point that found its way through traffic and beat Gryphons goalie Andrew Loverock high.
Marcus Watson, who is back in the lineup after missing last year because of injury, drew one of the assists, as well as Conor O’Donnell.
The Gryphons pushed back and tied the game up early in the third period, and the teams kept things tight until the shootout.
Grant Toulmin, Gjurich and Peca were all stopped by Loverock, while Nick Huard scored the lone goal for the Gryphons who escaped with the extra point.
The Gryphons ended up outshooting the Lakers 48-44.
Source: Nipissing Sports Info
McGill 2 @ Carleton 3
OTTAWA -- Defenceman Matthew Stanisz of Burlington, Ont., set up three goals as the Carleton Ravens edged No.5-ranked McGill 3-2 in OUA men's hockey at the Carleton Ice Palace in the nation's capital, Friday.
It was McGill's first game in more than a month, dating back to a victory over Laurentian on Nov. 30 and halted the team's three-game win streak. The fourth-place Ravens played one exhibition game over the long break, a 6-1 victory over visiting Toronto on Dec. 29.
Carleton, which had a slight 30-27 edge in shots, improved to 10-5-1 and now sits just two points in arrears of second-place McGill (11-4-1) in the OUA East Division standings.
First-year Redmen forward Neal Prokop of Winnipeg opened the scoring on the power-play at 7:52, converting passes from defencemen Hugo Laporte and Jan Kaminsky. But Carleton rallied with goals from Ryan MacLean and Joey West, at 14:52 and 18:32, respectively, to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
Damian Cross then struck for his seventh of the season at 14:52 of the middle stanza to put the Ravens up 3-1 after two.
McGill came out flying in the final frame and had an 11-3 advantage in shots but Carleton goalie Francis Dupuis was solid, registering 10 saves to finish with 25 in the game. His record improved to 5-1.
Redmen sophomore Mathieu Pompei narrowed the gap to 3-2, on the power-play., with Laporte and Ryan McKiernan each drawing assists on the play.
"I liked our third period but I didn't think our battle level was where it needed to be over the first 40 minutes," said McGill head coach Kelly Nobes. "When we increased our battle level, we won the foot races and outshot them (significantly) in the third period. We have to play 60 minutes against good teams like that and we didn't do that tonight. "
On a positive front, McGill went 2-for-6 on the power-play and killed off all four shorthanded situations. The PK unit is now operating at 87.5 per cent efficiency and ranks third of 20 OUA teams, while the PP unit ranks fifth overall at 22.2.
Freshman Jacob Gervais-Chouinard made 27 saves between the pipes for McGill and saw his record fall to 7-3.
The Redmen are now 22-19-1 lifetime against Carleton, which swept the season series 2-0, including a 6-4 decision back in October. The teams won't meet again unless they cross paths in playoffs. Carleton will be back in action on Saturdaywhen they play host to the Ottawa Gee-Gees.
Source: McGill Sports Info
Waterloo 9 @ Brock 5
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Brock University men's hockey team dropped a 9-5 decision to the University of Waterloo Warriors Friday night at the Seymour-Hannah Centre.
Waterloo opened the scoring 3:43 into the first period as Kain Allicock and Justin Larson set up Brett Mackie for his sixth goal of the season. The Warriors would take a 2-0 lead with eight minutes left in the opening period as Joe Underwood setup Jarred Parent for his first goal of the campaign.
Brock would make a goalie change to start the second period as Adrian Volpe (Burlington, Ont.) replaced Dalton McGrath (Toronto, Ont.).
Seven minutes into the second period, Waterloo would take a 3-0 lead as a Mackie and Larson setup Colin Behenna for his fifth goal of the season.
Midway through the second period, Brock would get on the board as Kaine Geldart (Kingston, Ont.) set up C.J. Dickson (Thorold, Ont.) who beat Waterloo starter Mike Morrison for his third goal of the year.
Waterloo offensive would continue to answer as they added four goals in the final six minutes of the second period. Mackie added his second of the night while Andy Smith, Chris Chappell and Larson added singles.
Waterloo would take a commanding 8-1 lead 2:07 into the third period as Anthony Tapper beat Volpe for his first goal of the season.
Brock would answer with three straight goals over a three minute span to make it 8-4 in favour of Waterloo with just over nine minutes left in regulation. Scoring for the Badgers were captain Josh Schram (Paris, Ont.), Sammy Banga (Windsor, Ont.) and Thomas Stajan (Mississauga, Ont.). Brock would add one more in final two minutes as Daniel Tanel (Brampton, Ont.) added his first goal of the campaign making it 8-5.
Waterloo would close out the game with an empty netter from Underwood with 25 seconds remaining for the 9-5 victory.
In goal, Volpe suffered the loss allowing six goals on 21 shots. McGrath collected 14 saves in the first period for the Badgers. Waterloo starter Mike Morrison recorded 27 saves for the victory.
Source: Brock Sports Info
Toronto 1 @ Lakehead 3
The Lakehead Thunderwolves kicked off the second half of the OUA season on Friday night against the Toronto Varsity Blues with a 3-1 victory in front of 2100 fans at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay, ON.
Both teams had some great chances early in the opening period, but the slight edge in shots and play went to the Toronto. Lakehead goaltender Jeff Bosch was strong early on, making several difficult saves to keep the game scoreless.
The Wolves got on the board first after a clearing attempt took a strange bounce off the end boards and popped out in front of the net. Andrew Wilkins was there to tuck the puck into the open net, giving Lakehead a 1-0 lead at 11:52 of the first period. Chris de la Lande had the lone assist on the goal.
The Wolves jumped out to a 2-0 lead shortly after on a Mitch Fillman blast from the point that eluded Toronto goalie Brett Willows. The assists on the goal were credited to Keith Grondin and Mike Quesnele.
Toronto pulled to within one goal with just 30 seconds left in the opening frame when a bad clearing attempt was intercepted and fired past Bosch.
The second period didn’t see any scoring but had plenty of physical play from both sides.
Both teams traded some great chances in the third period, the best of which was by Wolves’ forward Mike Hammond, but he was denied by Willows. Both netminders made some key saves for their respective teams to keep the score at 2-1 for Lakehead.
Carson Dubchak sealed the 3-1 victory with a late empty-net goal.
Source: Lakehead Sports Info
Western 3 @ Laurentian 2
The Laurentian Voyageurs men’s hockey team opened their 2014 season against the Western Mustangs on Friday night and were looking earn their first win in the New Year. Despite a strong start and a standout performance from goaltender Alain Valiquette (Sudbury, ON), the Voyageurs were unable to hold back the Mustangs in the last two periods of play. In the end Western earned the win, beating the Voyageurs 3-2 at Countryside Arena in Sudbury.
The Voyageurs had one of their best starts of the season on Friday, putting up two goals within the first 10 minutes of the first period. Laurentian opened the scoring at the 1:36 minute mark, when Nick Esposto (Sheguiandah, ON) scored his first of the game and 7th of the season. The Voyageurs continued to put the Mustangs under pressure, and netted their second of the game at 6:34 minutes into the first. Marc-Alain Begin (Hearst, ON) was assisted by Therrien and Lamarre for his 5th of the season. The Mustangs answered the Voyageurs less than a minute later, as David Corente (Mississauga, ON) scored his 1st of the season at the 7:34 minute mark. Neither team would score for the remainder of the first, and Laurentian headed into the first intermission up on the Mustangs in a 2-1 game.
The Mustangs brought up their intensity of play after the first intermission, and they outshot and outscored the Voyageurs in the second period of play. The Mustangs earned their second goal of the game at the 7:15 minute mark when Matt Herscovitz (Montreal, QC) found the back of the net, in what would be the only goal for the period. The Voyageurs would be outshot 14-10, and both teams headed into the second intermission tied at 2.
The third period proved to be similar to the second. While the Voyageurs were able to outshoot the Mustangs, they were unable to find the back of the net. The Voyageurs took a penalty near the beginning of the third period for slashing, which led to a power play goal for the Mustangs. Kyle De Coste (London, ON) scored the game winning goal for Western with less than 20 seconds remaining in the Laurentian penalty, putting them up 3-2. De Coste’s goal would be the last goal scored by either team for the remainder of the game, and the game ended in a score of 3-2 in favour of the Western Mustangs.
Source: Laurentian Sports Info
Queen’s 3 @ UOIT 2
OSHAWA, Ont. – The UOIT Ridgebacks men’s hockey team started off the 2014 portion of their season on a positive note after earning a point against the No. 8 ranked Queen’s Gaels, losing 3-2 in overtime at the Campus Ice Centre Friday night.
In his return to the line-up after suffering a broken jaw in the Ridgebacks’ season opener, Jesse Stoughton (Bobcaygeon, Ont.) made an immediate impact as he tied the game up at two goals apiece with five minutes left in the second period. Mitch Bennett (Fenelon Falls, Ont.) set up Stoughton for his 29th career goal.
The teams went scoreless in the third period, with UOIT goaltender Colin Dzijacky (Thunder Bay, Ont.) making 16 saves including a big one shorthanded down the stretch to send the game in to overtime.
In the extra frame, Jordan Ramsay (Pickering, Ont.) had the Ridgebacks best opportunity after collecting a goal in the first period, but his shot rang off the post. With one minute remaining, Queen’s freshman Harrison Hendrix buried a rebound to give the Gaels their 11th win of the year.
Matt Salituro (Toronto, Ont.) had a strong game for the Ridgebacks as he won the majority of his face-offs while creating several scoring chances through his strong forecheck.
Queen’s outshot UOIT 38-25 while both power plays went scoreless in 11 combined attempts.
The Gaels sit atop of the eastern conference standings with an 11-0-5 record, as they are the only team in the OUA without a loss in regulation. UOIT remains in sixth place with a 5-8-3 record, two points ahead of the Concordia Stingers who have a game in hand on the Ridgebacks.
Source: UOIT Sports Info
Ryerson 3 @ Laurier 1
WATERLOO, Ont. - Domenic Alberga scored his team leading 14th goal of the season to help the Ryerson Rams defeat the Laurier Golden Hawks, 3-1 on Friday night.
Alberga (Maple, Ont.) scored at 7:45 of the first period to get the scoring started at the Sun Life Arena in Waterloo, Ont.
Third-year forward Mitch Gallant (Charlottetown, PEI) followed suit two minutes later with his seventh of the season to give Ryerson a 2-0 lead.
The lead would be trimmed to one before the period was over. James Marsden scored his first of the season for Laurier at 13:57 and it was 2-1 after one period.
Daniel Lombardi (Richmond Hill, Ont.) added an insurance marker late in the second period, scoring shorthanded and was assisted by Jamie Wise (Stouffville, Ont.).
Troy Passingham (Mississauga, Ont.) recorded his fifth win of the season in net for the Rams. Passingham made 31 saves and was solid all evening for Ryerson. Duncan Long suffered the loss, making 23 saves.
Ryerson failed to score on its only powerplay opportunity while Laurier went scoreless on three attempts.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
Saturday, January 4
Ottawa 2 Carleton 5
The new year got off on the wrong foot for the Gee-Gees men’s hockey team as the squad resumed regular season action with a 5-2 loss at Carleton on Saturday night. The loss is the team’s first after a ten-game unbeaten streak in November and drops Ottawa into fifth place in the OUA East standings at 10-6-1. Although Carleton (11-5-1) struck first with the only goal of the first period, scoring at the 7:26 mark on a deflection at the side of the net, it was the second period which decided things at the Ice House as the Ravens scored three times to open up a 4-0 lead.
“We lost the one-on-one battles in the second period because we got outworked by them,” said Gee-Gees head coach Réal Paiement, although he praised his team’s effort in the other two periods. “We knew coming out of the break, and this being Carleton’s second game back, that we might show some rust but I think we battled through it and showed it in the third.”
A defensive lapse in front of Gee-Gees netminder Warren Shymko allowed fourth-year forward Joe Pleckaitis to score from close range at 1:47, setting the tone for a second period which was dominated by the Ravens. Ottawa was out-shot 17-9 in the frame.
“I think that defensively we got lost a few times, even though that has been our strength. All five guys were out of synch and the support was slow,” explained Paiement.
The third goal also came on deflected shot while the fourth on a rush by the Ravens’ leading scorer Damien Cross when he knocked Gee-Gees captain David Foucher off the puck at the blue line.
Although Ottawa logged four minor penalties in the frame and provided Carleton with a thirty-seven second 3-on-5, the Ravens scored each of their goals at even strength.
The Gee-Gees broke through with a goal by first-year Mathieu Guertin who finished a strong rush by Taylor Collins just 2:43 into the third period, giving the squad some life. Mathieu Ouellette added the second Ottawa goal on a power play rush at 12:42.
The final Ravens goal was scored with the Ottawa net empty and 59 seconds remaining on the clock. The final shot tally was 32-29 in favour of Carleton.
Source: Ottawa Sports Info
Ryerson 4 @ Windsor 1
WINDSOR, Ont. - Jamie Wise scored his 11th and 12th goals of the season and added an assist to lead the Ryerson Rams over the Windsor Lancers, 4-1 on Saturday night at the Windsor Family Credit Union Centre.
With his three-point night, Wise (Stoufville, Ont.) now becomes the top scorer in the CIS with 31 points (12 G, 19A).
The 10th ranked team in the CIS, Ryerson (12-5-0) equaled their win total from last season and moved into sole possession of second place in the OUA West with the victory.
Michael Fine (Toronto) started the scoring at 6:46 of the first period, scoring on the powerplay with Wise and veteran defenceman Mark Corbett (Burlington, Ont.) picking up assists.
Wise would get his first of the game with just 1:20 remaining in the first period, scoring shorthanded to give Ryerson a 2-0 lead going into the intermission.
Spencer Pommellis scored his seventh goal of the season to help No. 9 Windsor (11-6-0) cut the lead to one in the second period.
Just four minutes into the third period, Wise would score his second of the game to push the Rams lead to 3-1.
Jason McDonough (Toronto) would score his third of the season with under a minute remaining on the powerplay to finish off the scoring.
The physical matchup resulted in six powerplay opportunities for Ryerson in which they capitalized on two. Windsor failed to score on five opportunities.
For a second night in a row, Troy Passingham (Mississauga, Ont.) stood tall in between the pipes for Ryerson, making 33 saves in the win. Parker Van Buskirk suffered the loss for Windsor, allowing four goals on 37 shots.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
Toronto 2 @ Lakehead 5
The Lakehead Thunderwolves beat the Toronto 5-2 in front of 2,270 fans at the Fort William Gardens on Saturday night to sweep the weekend series over the Varsity Blues.
Lakehead got on the board less than five minutes into the game when Andrew Wilkins stole the puck at the Lakehead blue line and fed a wide-open Ryan Magill who tucked the puck past Toronto goaltender Brett Willows while the Wolves were short-handed.
Lakehead increased its lead to 2-0 when James DeLory stepped out of the penalty box and lugged the puck into the Toronto zone and found Luke Maw who slammed the puck in the open net with Willows out of position. The other assist on the goal went to Carson Dubchak.
The period was highlighted by some spirited play from DeLory who also made a couple of big hits.
Most of the second stanza was a defensive battle until the end of the period when there was a sudden flurry of three goals.
Toronto’s Connor Cleverley found the back of the net at 16:30 of the period to cut Lakehead’s lead to 2-1. But less than a minute later, Thunderwolves’ freshman Cody Alcock ripped a shot past Willows on the power-play to restore Lakehead’s two-goal lead. The assists went to Mike Quesnele and Keith Grondin.
Varsity Blues forward Jeff Brown pulled Toronto to within one goal with Keith Grondin in the box on a fluttering wrist-shot that changed directions on the way to the net and found its way past Wolves’ goalie Jeff Bosch at the 18:53 mark.
Lakehead pulled in front 4-2 with its second shorthanded goal of the night when Andrew Wilkins converted a Carson Dubchak pass at 4:46 of the third period.
Bosch stood tall in the final frame, making some tough saves to keep the Wolves in front.
Andrew Wilkins added an unassisted empty netter in the final minute to seal the 5-2 victory.
Source: Lakehead Sports Info
Guelph 1 @ Laurentian 4
SUDBURY, ON - The Laurentian Voyageurs men’s hockey team was able to shake off a tough loss the previous night to beat the visiting Guelph Gryphons at Countryside Arena on Saturday night. Relying on strong defensive play and great goaltending, the Voyageurs made the most of their sparse offensive opportunities to down the Gryphons 4-1.
The Voyageurs withstood some early Gryphon pressure as Alain Valiquette turned aside everything fired in his direction, allowing the offense to get their feet underneath them. The Voyageurs broke through with just over 5 minutes remaining in the 1st period as Marc-Alain Begin (Hearst, ON) fed a pinching Caleb Apperson (Wilcox, SK) who fired the puck past the Gryphon net minder, Sudbury native, Chris McDougall. Begin went down with an injury on the play after being hit while making the pass and he wouldn’t return for the rest of the night. Four minutes later, on the power play, Brian Nanne (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) tipped home a Vincent Llorca (Le Mont-Dore, FR) point shot and the Voyageurs had a 2-0 lead heading into the break.
The Gryphons came out in the second trying to find a way back into the game and despite 4 power play opportunities, they could not solve Valiquette. The Voyageurs didn’t do any better, getting only four shots on net in the period as they headed to the intermission with their two goal lead intact.
The third period saw the Voyageurs sustain much of the offensive pressure but it was the Gryphons who would tally first in the frame as Ken Peroff was able to slide a loose puck past a sprawled out Valiquette after a lengthy goal mouth scramble, cutting the lead to 2-1. Nanne answered for the Voyageurs just over a minute later as he picked up a Guelph turnover and buried a shorthanded marker. Peterborough’s Dylan Fitze rounded out the scoring as he ripped a shot off the post and in with just 33 seconds left on the clock.
Source: Laurentian Sports Info
Queen’s 3 @ Laurier 1
WATERLOO, Ont. (January 4, 2014) - The No. 8 Queen's Gaels improved to 12-0-5 on the season with a 3-1 win against the Laurier Golden Hawks in OUA men's hockey action on Saturday night.
Patrick McGillis (Calgary) had a goal and an assist to lead the Gaels while Vinny Merante was a standout for Laurier stopping 50 of 52 shots in the game. The Gaels sit atop the OUA East as they stretch their program best start to 17 games without a regulation loss. The team has now won its last six straight games.
In the first period it was the Golden Hawks who got on the board first. Joe Vanni scored his first of the season at 6:16 into the opening frame beating Gaels starting netminder Chris Clarke (Fall River, N.S.).
Queen's was able to respond mid-way through the period on the man-advantage. McGillis scored his sixth goal of the season with assists from Chris Van Laren (Kingston, Ont.) and Corey Bureau (Amherstview, Ont.). The two teams tied with 17 shots apiece in the first period.
Only 2:21 into the second, it was Jordan Coccimiglio (Burlington, Ont.) netting his third goal of the season to put the Gaels in front for the first time in the game. Queen's was dominant in the period managing 19 shots on goal to the Golden Hawks 10 but were only able to tally the lone goal.
The Gaels added another 17 shots in the third to bring their game total to 52 on the night and it was Bureau who sealed the win for Queen's with an empty net goal to finish the game.
Clarke was sharp between the pipes for Queen's stopping 33 of 34 shots for the win.
Source: Queen’s Sports Info
McGill 4 @ UOIT 2
OSHAWA, Ont. - The UOIT men’s hockey team fell 4-2 to McGill University Saturday night at the Campus Ice Centre.
The Ridgebacks battled McGill to a 2-2 stalemate heading into the third period. Every time the second place team pulled ahead of UOIT, the Ridgebacks found an answer courtesy of goals from Brendan Wise (Stouffville, Ont.) and James Woodcroft (Milton, Ont.) in the second period.
However, a parade of penalties allowed McGill to capitalize on the power play as Cedric McNicoll scored the game winner from the point two minutes into the third period. The Ridgebacks had a total of 18 penalty minutes in the period alone which did not allow for many offensive chances as a majority of the period was spent on the penalty kill. McGill added an empty net goal with a minute remaining to double-up the Ridgebacks.
UOIT goaltender Colin Dzijacky (Thunder Bay, Ont.) again faced a high number of shots as the Ridgebacks were outshot by McGill 42-28. Dzijacky made 38 total saves in the effort increasing his season total to 419 saves ranking him fourth in the CIS in total saves this season.
McGill improves to 12-4-1 and sits alone in second place in the eastern conference, two points ahead of the Carleton Ravens (11-5-1). UOIT remains in sixth place holding a 5-9-3 conference record.
Source: UOIT Sports Info
Sunday, January 5
Ottawa 4 @ RMC 2
Stephen Blunden scored twice to help lift the Gee-Gees over the RMC Paladins by a final score of 4-2 on Sunday evening in Kingston. Blunden scored the game’s opening goal and won the footrace with the Paladins net empty to ice the victory and improve Ottawa’s record to 11-6-1.
Ottawa’s newly formed line of Matt White, Mathieu Guertin and Taylor Collins was also impressive in the contest and provided the other two Gee-Gee goals. Taylor Collins, who joined the line in Saturday’s game at Carleton after Guillaume Donovan was forced to leave the game, stickhandled across the middle of the zone into close range to fire home the game-winning goal at 8:16 in the third period.
Collins also earned an assist on the second Ottawa goal, starting up a three-way passing play which went through Matt White before Mathieu Guertin finished in the crease, notching his eighth goal of the season at 0:54 of the third period. White finished the game with two assists.
“We have a balanced offence and that line brings good speed,” commented Gee-Gees head coach Réal Paiement. “They work hard and they have hockey savvy which creates opportunities. Even though they have been used in a checking role they are not a checking line.”
Ottawa dominated possession throughout the contest and outshot the Paladins by a margin of 52-17. Goaltender Harrison May earned his third win of the season.
The first period saw limited action as RMC managed just two shots on target and the teams went into the dressing room scoreless. The score remained 0-0 until the final two minutes of the second period, which saw first RMC’s Kyle Phillips and then Blunden break through with goals.
Guertin’s early third period marker put Ottawa ahead briefly, but RMC responded with an equalizer at 4:33. The Gee-Gees continued to press the Paladins and following Collins’ go-ahead goal were confidently in control.
“It was a tough game, they worked us hard despite the shots,” said Paiement. “It was a good game to get us back on track for the rest of the season.”
Source: Ottawa Sports Info
Guelph 3 @ Nipissing 2 (SO)
It wasn’t the start to the New Year the Nipissing Lakers men’s hockey team was looking for, but there are positive signs.
The Lakers dropped their first game of 2014 in a shootout, losing 3-2 to the Guelph Gryphons who had a 1-0 lead, but had to tie the game up in the third after the Lakers took a 2-1 lead.
The Lakers were a bit slow out of the gates, being outshot and outchanced early and despite a strong effort early from goalie Kirk Rafuse, the Gryphons broke through just over two minutes into the game on a turnover inside the Lakers line.
Following the goal, the Lakers picked up their game and finished the period strong, tying the game up on a goal by captain Matt Paton who finished off a nice three way passing play that was started by newcomer Tyler Gurich. Dorian Peca got the other assist on the play.
In the second, Jeff Leaist put the Lakers on top as he let a shot go from the point that found its way through traffic and beat Gryphons goalie Andrew Loverock high.
Marcus Watson, who is back in the lineup after missing last year because of injury, drew one of the assists, as well as Conor O’Donnell.
The Gryphons pushed back and tied the game up early in the third period, and the teams kept things tight until the shootout.
Grant Toulmin, Gjurich and Peca were all stopped by Loverock, while Nick Huard scored the lone goal for the Gryphons who escaped with the extra point.
The Gryphons ended up outshooting the Lakers 48-44.
Source: Nipissing Sports Info
