Rams take game one with 4-2 upset win over Warriors
WATERLOO, Ont. - The Ryerson Rams showcased a team that should not be taken lightly Wednesday night with a 4-2 victory over the Waterloo Warriors in game one of the best of three OUA quarterfinal series.
WATERLOO, Ont. - The Ryerson Rams showcased a team that should not be taken lightly Wednesday night with a 4-2 victory over the Waterloo Warriors in game one of the best of three OUA quarterfinal series.
BOXSCORE
The win immediately puts the Warriors in a corner and gives the Rams a chance to sweep the series with another exceptional effort at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) Friday night.
Game one was an introduction to a goaltending duel that will likely happen again this Friday. Rams starter Troy Passingham made 28 saves in the victory, while Mike Morrison of the Warriors had his work cut out for him as well, finishing the game with 38 saves in the loss.
Waterloo opened things up in this one thanks to a familiar source. Defenseman Mike Moffat, who finished the regular season with 10 goals, snuck in from the blue line and blasted home his first of the post-season. The power play marker put the Warriors up by one mid-way through the first.
The Rams responded rather quickly however. Just 44 seconds later, Rams first year Marcus Hinds deflected home a Brandon Devlin slap shot to even things at one.
The Hinds tally seemed to rally the Rams and specifically Lucas Froese, who acrobatically banged home a rebound from his knees to make it a 2-1 game. The go ahead goal rounded out the scoring in the first and sent the Rams to the dressing room with a one goal lead.
The back and forth play continued into the second. Warriors forward Brett Mackie finished on a shorthanded two-on-one to even things at two. Mackie's first of the post-season came five minutes into the frame and turned out to be the lone second period goal.
The Warriors failed to capitalize on an early man advantage to start the third and it would prove to be costly. Just minutes after killing off the penalty, the Rams struck gold with their third of the game. Fifth year defenseman Brian Birkhoff sent a pass across to his partner Devlin, who's seeing eye shot beat Morrison to give the Rams the lead.
Rams first year forward Jamie Lewis then doubled the lead just minutes later. Kyle Blaney sharked in on the near side and fed a gorgeous pass to Lewis for the one timer.
Passingham made a number of big saves in this one but saved his best for last with a cross crease pad save on Chris Chappell in the final minutes. The Chappell chance was the last one of quality for the Warriors as the Rams defeated the Warriors 4-2 in game one of the quarterfinal.
The second game of this best of three series will be held at the Mattamy Athletic Centre and is scheduled for a 7:30 pm start Friday night. If you can't support the Rams live you can support them from your couch. Friday night's game will be streamed to OUA.tv courtesy of the Rams Network.
Source: Ryerson Rams
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | Ryerson | Waterloo |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 0 for 3 | 1 for 4 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties (min) | 5 (10) | 5 (10) |
| Shots on Goal | 42 | 30 |
| Face Offs Won | 0 | 0 |
| Game Statistics | Ryerson | Waterloo |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 0 for 3 | 1 for 4 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties (min) | 5 (10) | 5 (10) |
| Shots on Goal | 42 | 30 |
| Face Offs Won | 0 | 0 |
