February 21, 2016

Ravens sweep first round series with 6-1 win over Lakers

(OTTAWA, ON) — The Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team put in a dominant 60-minute performance on Saturday night at the Carleton Ice House to pick up a 6-1 win in Game 2 against the Nipissing Lakers to complete a sweep of their first-round playoff series. Defenceman Derek Brown (Ottawa, ON) scored his first two goals as a Raven in the victory, which saw Carleton outshoot Nipissing 39-20.

Carleton

Nipissing

Final	1	2	3	T
Carleton	1	4	1	6
Nipissing	0	1	0	1

Carleton

Nipissing

Final	1	2	3	T
Carleton	1	4	1	6
Nipissing	0	1	0	1

(Photo: Marc Lafleur)

(OTTAWA, ON) — The Carleton Ravens men's hockey team put in a dominant 60-minute performance on Saturday night at the Carleton Ice House to pick up a 6-1 win in Game 2 against the Nipissing Lakers to complete a sweep of their first-round playoff series. Defenceman Derek Brown (Ottawa, ON) scored his first two goals as a Raven in the victory, which saw Carleton outshoot Nipissing 39-20.

"I'm feeling pretty good," laughed Brown, a third-year biology major, after scoring his first goals in Ravens colours in 56 career games. "It got chippy—we played a physical team, but just played fast hockey and took it to them."

Brown opened the scoring at the 8:36 mark of the first period, ripping a shot from the point past Nipissing goaltender Domenic Graham. Though Brown's marker was the lone goal of the opening twenty minutes, Carleton was in firm control throughout, outshooting the visiting Lakers 10-5.

Ravens freshman sensation Brett Welychka (London, ON) then doubled the Carleton lead at 7:57 of the middle frame, tapping home a loose puck at the side of the Nipissing net for his second goal in as many games. Welychka's linemates, Michael McNamee (Perth, ON) and Ryan Van Stralen (Prescott, ON), assisted the goal for yet another all-first-line goal.

The trio then hooked up again less than two minutes later, with Van Stralen one-timing a ridiculous pass from McNamee past Graham's extended blocker to push the Carleton lead to three.

Nipissing cut its deficit back down to two at 12:14 of the second, when Brock Morrison roofed a beautiful shot past Ravens netminder Pat Killeen (Corkery, ON) for the Lakers' first goal of the series.

Carleton's Alex Boivin (Ottawa, ON) then restored the Ravens' three-goal lead at 18:25 of the middle stanza, dangling his way through a pair of Lakers before roofing a wrist shot on Graham.

Brent Norris (Ottawa, ON) stuck the dagger in Nipissing with a power play goal late in the second period, walking in from the point before ripping a shot past Graham with just 21 seconds left. After 40 minutes, Carleton led 5-1.

Brown's final goal—at an identical 19:39 mark as Norris's—late in period three added insult to injury for the Lakers, who struggled offensively without the services of top players Guillaume Naud (leg) and Chad Thibodeau (undisclosed) due to injury.

Pat Killeen picked up the win between the pipes for Carleton, turning aside 19 of 20 shots, while his counterpart Domenic Graham was saddled with the loss after surrendering six goals on 39 shots.

Beyond his magnificent 4-1 goal, Ravens forward Alex Boivin added two assists in his best performance of the season.

"It feels good, any time you play well defensively two games in a row you have success," said Ravens head coach Marty Johnston, whose team will now face the McGill Redmen in round two. "Obviously the power play came up with a couple big goals tonight—now we move forward to face an excellent hockey team."

Coach Johnston highlighted Brent Norris as a player that stood out in Carleton's first-round sweep of Nipissing.

"He had an excellent series, with some big goals and good play in his own end," said Johnston, whose all-time coaching record sits at 134-56-10. "He's playing the right way and getting rewarded for it—he wasn't getting bounces earlier in the year, but real happy to see him put some pucks behind their goalie."

Source: Carleton Ravens