MEN'S HOCKEY ROUNDUP: Blues edged by Lancers in game one
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's hockey team fell 3-2 to the Windsor Lancers in Game 1 of the OUA West quarter-final series on Thursday evening (Feb. 20) at Varsity Arena.
The Blues will look to stay alive in the best-of-three series, which shifts to Windsor on Saturday for Game 2. Game 3, if necessary, will also take place in Windsor on Sunday night.
Brett Willows made a couple of early saves in the opening minutes, helping the Blues stymie the Lancers on their first powerplay opportunity of the contest. However, the men had trouble staying out of the penalty box, and the visitors were able to capitalize with their second man-advantage midway through the first period. Kenny Bradford's one-timer from the point on a pass from Saverio Posa beat Willows on his low blocker side.
Windsor almost doubled their lead moments later when Evan Stibbard pounced on a rebound in front of the Blues goal, but with an open cage Stibbard's attempt slid off the post and the score remained unchanged. Willows made a full extension for a toe save late in the first period, keeping the Blues in the contest with 17 saves through the first 20 minutes of play.
The Varsity Blues came out with more jump early in the second period, and were rewarded for their efforts with a Lancers penalty. Captain Blake Boddy made good on Toronto's special teams opportunity, evening the game at 1-1 with Dylan Heide drawing an assist on the play.
Windsor looked to regain their lead, earning another powerplay chance. However, Willows and the home penalty kill unit held tough in the middle frame to keep the game tied. Casey Knight then had a glorious opportunity to put the home team up for the first time, taking a pass from Heide on a 2-on-1, but the St. Walburg, Sask. native could not connect.
The teams looked set to go into the second intermission even, but late in the period a loose puck squeaked out of a scramble in front of Toronto's goal to Matt Beaudoin in the slot, who sniped it above Willow's glove hand to give the Lancers a one-goal lead with just 25 seconds remaining in the middle frame.
The visitors extended their lead while on the penalty kill in the third, breaking away on a 2-on-1 off a Blues turnover. Saverio Posa finished a pass from Mike Christoue into the open Toronto goal past a sprawling Willows, as the Lancers garnered a two-goal cushion with just under 15 minutes remaining.
The Blues came back within one midway through the third as Lane Werbowski fired the puck short-side on Parker Van Buskirk from the left corner, cutting the lead back down to one. The home side brought some maintained pressure into the Lancers end throughout the second half of the third, but Van Buskirk was up to the task, making more difficult saves and maintaining Windsor's advantage to the final buzzer.
Willows posted 44 saves in the loss.
The Varsity Blues will look to even the best-of-three series at South Windsor Arena this Saturday evening. Puck-drop for Game 2 of the West quarter-final is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be available live at GoLancers.ca.
Source: Toronto Sports Info
Guelph 5 @ Western 4
LONDON, Ont. – A pair of late goals from Cale Jefferies and Carlos Amestoy lifted the Guelph Gryphons to a 5-4 win over the Western Mustangs men's hockey team in game one of their OUA West Quarterfinal series on Thursday night at Thompson Arena.
The Gryphons now take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series with game two set for Saturday night in Guelph.
"Full marks to Guelph tonight," said Mustangs head coach Clarke Singer. "They battled back and kind of reminiscent of the other game they just kept coming and working hard. They were down a goal and came back and tied it and kept pushing. I thought we were ok tonight, but you can't allow five goals and win a playoff game in this league, that's for sure."
"I think if you ask all those guys they'd all say they could have a better game. I think when you allow five goals in a playoff game the coaches can play better, the goalie can play better, the defence can play better, and the forwards can play better. That's what we all have to do on Saturday or it's going to be an early finish to the season."
Jefferies and Amestoy scored back-to-back goals with less than four minutes left in the third period to record the tying and winning goals respectively, capping off an intense third period that saw three different lead changes in 20 minutes.
Both the Mustangs and Gryphons each had a two-goal scorer on the night with Nicklas Huard leading the Guelph offence with two goals and one assist while Zach Harnden topped the Mustangs score sheet with two goals.
After a back-and-forth start that saw only two whistles in the opening six minutes the Gryphons opened the scoring at 13:40, and unsurprisingly it was leading scorer Huard providing the offence. As the puck came out to the side of the Mustangs net before the sophomore forward fired a shot along the ice to give Guelph a 1-0 lead they'd take into the first intermission.
The Mustangs didn't wait long before answering back in the second as a quick shot from Zach Harnden beat Guelph netminder Keith Hamilton just over a minute into the period to tie the game a one goal apiece. Western then kept the momentum rolling as Stefan Salituro scored a power play marker off a rebound from a Matt Paltridge point shot to put Western up 2-1 less than five minutes into the frame.
While the Mustangs had success early in the period it was the Gryphons who would close out the second with some momentum as they capitalized on a two-man advantage when Huard notched his second goal of the game, scoring off of a cross-ice pass from Teal Burns to tie things up at 2-2 after 40 minutes.
The stage was set for a dramatic third period and it more than fit the bill with the Gryphons opening the scoring a little over five minutes into the frame off the stick of Burns, however the Mustangs responded only 54 seconds later as Matt Clarke scored off a rebound in front to keep the game tied. Harnen then picked up his second goal of the night, converting a Daniel Erlich pass from behind the net at 11:46 to put Western up by one. Jefferies and Amestoy then scored only 38 seconds apart to claim a 5-4 win for the visitors.
Game two of the best-of-three quarterfinal series is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 22 at the Gryphon Centre in Guelph. Game three, if necessary, will take place Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. at Thompson Arena.
Source: Western Sports Info
Brock 3 @ Ryerson 4 (OT)
TORONTO — It looked as though there was going to be a second overtime on Thursday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre at the Gardens.
But with under 10 seconds remaining in the first overtime period, Michael Fine (Toronto), won a face-off back to the point. Defenceman Peter Hermenegildo (Thornhill, Ont.) shot it and it went off rookie Domenic Alberga (Maple, Ont.) in front and into the back of the net to give the Ryerson Rams a 4-3 victory over the Brock Badgers in game one of the OUA West quarter-final best-of-three series.
“It was a great win by Finer, he really battled in the face off circle,” Alberga said.
“I knew that I had to get in there before the other winger got in there and got the puck to Peter so once I did that I just put my head down and went to the net and luckily it went off me.”
Ryerson started the game by scoring halfway through the first period off a beautiful deke around a Brock defenceman by Jamie Wise (Stouffville, Ont.) who then went to his back hand and roofed the puck past Brock starting goaltender, Real Cormier.
The score would remain 1-0 until the one minute of the second period when Fine would deflect a shot from the point by Brian Birkhoff (Richmond Hill, Ont.) to push the lead to two.
Brock would answer back 38 seconds later as their top scorer in the regular season Matt Abercrombie would put one through the legs of Troy Passingham (Mississauga, Ont.) for his first goal of the post-season.
Alberga would score his first goal of the game after the 10-minute mark of the period on the powerplay and Ryerson would retake a two goal lead.
From there it turned into the Jordan Gignac show as he scored two unanswered goals including tying the game with seven minutes remaining in the third period.
“I thought we played well, I thought we did the right things early in the game to get the lead. Give Brock full credit for battling back, that was anybody’s game tonight,” Graham Wise, Ryerson’s head coach, said after the game.
Passingham picked up the victory by making 43 saves while Cormier made 42 saves in the loss.
Wise also shuttled his lines on Thursday night, breaking up the top line of Jamie Wise, Alberga and Fine and putting Alberga with Dustin Alcock (Hamilton, Ont.) and Daniel Lombardi (Richmond Hill, Ont.).
“We thought maybe that if we kept him (Alberga) with Wise and Fine that we’re going to get a team that’s going to key on that line and try and shut that line down so if you spread it out a little bit it’s probably a little bit tougher for them to defend against,” Graham said.
With the win Ryerson takes a 1-0 series lead over Brock with game two taking place in St. Catherine’s Friday night. Game time at Seymour-Hannah Centre is set for 7:15 p.m.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
