M-HOCKEY ROUNDUP: Warriors beat rival Golden Hawks 5-4 for 7th straight win

Friday, January 2

Queens 3 @ Nipissing 4

The Nipissing Lakers men's hockey team picked up where they left off in 2014, earning their second straight win, despite the two games coming about a month apart.

The Lakers started and finished strong and had to erase a two-goal deficit, but walked out of Memorial Gardens with two points after a 4-3 victory over the visiting Queens Gaels Friday night.

After Brogan Bailey scored the lone goal of the first period on the power play to give the Lakers a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes, the Gaels stormed back with three goals in the second period to take a 3-1 lead into the final stanza.

Two goals less than a minute apart and one near the end of the period had the Lakers in trouble, but they regained their early game form and came out flying in the third.

Erik Robichaud scored the Lakers second power play goal to cut the lead to one and just over three minutes later, Brock Morrison tied things up after a nice pass from Craig Campbell.

Matt Paton would score the game-winner after his initial shot was stopped, but the puck bounced up in the air and hit Paton, whose momentum knocked it into the net.

The Gaels protested, but the goal counted and would stand as the winner.

Lakers goalie Kirk Rafuse was busy and strong in the final period, stopping all 16 shots fired his way.

Bailey and Jim McDowell each ended the game with two points.

The Lakers are back in action Saturday night when they host the RMC Paladins at 7 p.m. at Memorial Gardens.

The game is Nipissing's annual Canadian Forces Appreciation Night, where the team will wear camouflage jerseys.

Source: Nipissing Lakers

Despite the loss, the Rams put 44 shots on first-year Gryphon goalie Andrew D'Agostini (Scarborough, Ont.), but ultimately couldn't capitalize. Rams goalie Troy Passingham (Mississauga, Ont.) faced 36 shots in the loss.

Gryphon defenceman MacKenzie Nichol (Listowel, Ont.) surpassed a hat trick, banking four goals past Passingham. Centres Scott Simmonds (Uxbridge, Ont.) and Carlos Amestoy (Toronto), and defenceman Jordan Mock (Dartmouth, N.S) would combine for the remaining four goals. Nicklas Huard (North Bay, Ont.) and Teal Burns (Victoria, B.C) added three assists each for the Gryphons.

On a high note for the Rams, defenceman Brian Birkhoff (Richmond Hill, Ont.) returned to the ice, after a nine week stint on the injured list. The fourth-year seemed undeterred by the loss.

"A couple shifts in I got my legs back," said Birkhoff. "Unfortunately we didn't compete to our ability and ended with a product like that, but nothing changes just because we got throttled here."

Birkhoff, along with the rest of the Rams, will travel to Quebec next week where they will face off against the No. 8 nationally ranked UQTR Patriotes (11-2-2) on Friday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.

Source: Ryerson Rams

Laurier 4 @ Waterloo 5

On a night when the Waterloo Warriors men's hockey team was victimized by plenty of misfortune, some late-game heroics ensured that the evening would end with a lucky number seven.

Stephen Silas (Georgetown) scored the eventual game-winner with under two minutes to play, and the Warriors won their seventh straight game with a 5-4 victory over the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in the second-half opener on Saturday night at the Columbia Icefield Arena.

Colin Behenna (Waterloo) scored twice and Chris Chappell (Pickering) added a goal and two assists for the Warriors, who improved to 11-6-1 on the season. Brett Mackie (Whitby) also contributed two helpers, while Kain Allicock (Markham) scored the late equalizer, setting the stage for Silas' winner.

Matt Provost and Ryan Lopes each notched two points for the Hawks, who dropped their fifth straight game to fall to 5-12-1. Despite being the victim of some bad bounces, Mike Morrison (Hamilton) was solid in the Warriors between the pipes, making 35 stops in the win. Meanwhile, Colin Furlong, who was Morrison's former backup with the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs, turned aside 24 shots in his OUA debut.

Coming off a five-week exam and holiday break, the crosstown rivals endured some disjointed play in the first period. While the Hawks got the bulk of the shots, the Warriors got the period's only goal – a Laurier turnover found its way to the stick of Chappell, who ripped home a wrister to give the hosts a 1-0 lead after twenty minutes.

In the second period, a sloppy hockey game turned into an out-and-out game of pinball. Just 11 seconds into the frame, Morrison and defenceman Jeff Einhorn (Red Deer) got their signals crossed behind the net, giving Laurier's Kyle Morrison an empty-net tap-in to even the score at 1-1. Then, less than three minutes later, Luke Hietkamp's centering feed went off of Waterloo's Ryan Hanes (Kanata) and behind Morrison for a 2-1 Laurier lead.

Waterloo bounced back with a lucky bounce of their own – Mackie let a shot go that deflected multiple times on the way through, and eventually it hit Behenna's shin pad and squeezed through Furlong to make it 2-2. Behenna put the Warriors in front just moments later on the man advantage, when he had room off the right post and went top corner to make it 3-2 for the Warriors after two periods.

The Hawks struck twice in 32 seconds midway through the third to swing the lead back to the visitors. First, Matt Dupont's wraparound attempt pinballed in off of Warriors defenceman Mike Moffat (Waterloo), squaring the score at 3-3. Then, a Taylor D'Andrea point shot deflected off of Zach Lorentz's shin pad and past Morrison to give Laurier their second lead of the game.

With Waterloo's winning streak in jeopardy as time ticked down, Allicock kicked off the late-game flurry when he broke in alone and zipped a shot off the post and in to make it 4-4. Just over two minutes later, with a tired Hawks line trapped on the ice after an icing call, Chappell won a clean faceoff and Mackie worked the puck back to Silas. The second-year defenceman ripped a slapper from the point that Furlong appeared to handle, but it squeaked through the wickets and just over the line for Silas' first goal of the season, and the game-winning marker.

The Warriors will now look to extend their winning streak to eight against one of the OUA's elite teams, as they host the McGill Redmen next Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30pm at the CIF arena.

Notes: The Warriors went 1-for-2 on the power play, while Laurier went 0-for-2…With the score 3-2 for Waterloo late in the second, Warriors captain Joe Underwood (Canton) made a diving save on a wide-open net after Morrison misplayed a puck behind the goal…This was Waterloo's second win in the past three games over Laurier. They also defeated their cross-town rivals 4-3 on November 26.

Source: Waterloo Warriors

RMC 2 @ Nipissing 7

It's only two games into the New Year, but the Nipissing Lakers men's hockey team is already liking the looks of 2015.

The Lakers won their second game of the weekend – and the year – defeating the RMC Paladins 7-2, which came one night after a comeback victory over the Queens Gaels.

In Friday night's game, it was a strong third period that gave the Lakers the win, Saturday night, it was a solid effort from start to finish that help them cruise to victory.

Erik Robichaud led the Nipissing attack scoring three times and adding an assist for a four point night, while Chad Thibodeau chipped in with a three point.

In total, five Lakers had multi-point games.

In a busy second, five goals were scored, three by Nipissing and two by RMC.

The Lakers went up 3-0 thanks to goals by Colin Campbell and Jim McDowell, but RMC stormed back with two quick tallies to make the score 3-2.

Brogan Bailey would restore a comfortable lead for the Lakers before the end of the second period, giving them a two goal cushion heading into the final 20 minutes.

Robichaud would score twice more, completing the hat-trick, and Thibodeau would add the other Lakers goal.

Dylan Staples, in his first game of the season, picked up two assists.

Kirk Rafuse made 30 saves for his second win of the weekend.

The Lakers remain on home ice, as they host the Lakehead Thunderwolves next weekend for two more games – Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at Memorial Gardens.