February 18, 2017

Stingers buzz back to take Game 2 and even series with UOIT

MONTREAL – The Concordia Stingers scored four third-period goals in a 5-2 comeback win over the UOIT Ridgebacks Friday night to even up their best-of-three opening round OUA playoff series.

Concordia

UOIT

Final	1	2	3	T
Concordia	0	1	4	5
UOIT	1	1	0	2

MONTREAL – The Concordia Stingers scored four third-period goals in a 5-2 comeback win over the UOIT Ridgebacks Friday night to even up their best-of-three opening round OUA playoff series.

The third and deciding game of the series will take place on Saturday, Feb. 18. in Montreal. Puck drop at Ed Meagher Arena is 7:30 p.m.

This will be the fourth time in program history that the Ridgebacks will play in game three of a playoff series. Last year, UOIT defeated Queen's for their first playoff series victory as they were 0-for-2 in their previous game three situations losing to Western (2010) and Laurier (2011).

The Ridgebacks managed to limit the OUA eastern conference's top offence to just one goal for the first 100 minutes of the series but could not find a way to keep the Stingers off the board in the third period of game two as Concordia lit the lamp on four occasions.

UOIT freshman Jack Patterson (Bedord, N.S.) scored six minutes into the first period as he tucked in a goal while driving to the net. Jake Logan (Napanee, Ont.) and Kyle Locke (Aurora, Ont.) added assists on Patterson's first of the playoffs.

Midway through the second period, the OUA's leading sniper Anthony De Luca broke up Brendan O'Neill's (Ilderton, Ont.) shutout streak as he scored Concordia's first goal of the postseason. This was O'Neill's first goal against in over 156 minutes as he posted two straight shutouts heading into the game.

Shortly after De Luca's strike, UOIT regained the lead as Mitch Bennett (Fenelon Falls, Ont.) scored off a backhander. Tyler Mayea (Burlington, Ont.) picked up an assist on the power play goal.

With their season in jeopardy Concordia managed to dig deep and score four goals in the final 20 minutes of play. Their first goal came from an unlikely source as defender Philippe Charbonneau beat O'Neill at 6:37, scoring just for the second time this season.

Scott Oke would score the game-winner with five minutes left on the clock with Olivier Hinse and De Luca adding insurance markers. De Luca's second of the night came with the UOIT net empty.

Shots finished 45-21 in favour of Concordia with O'Neill making 40 saves in the loss. His counterpart Philippe Cadorette made 19 stops in his first career OUA victory.

Concordia was once again shutout on the power play as they went 0-for-3 while UOIT was 1-for-3 a man up.