M-HOCKEY ROUNDUP: Warriors surge late to edge Rams 5-4

(Photo: Emma Ewing-Nagy)

Thursday, January 22

Waterloo 5 @ Ryerson 4

Maybe it was the oddity of a mid-week road game, or the awe of playing in the former Maple Leaf Gardens, or the fact that they were missing two of their top players. Whatever the reason, the Waterloo Warriors men's hockey team sure didn't get off to a very good start on Thursday night against the Ryerson Rams.

Their finish, however, was much more effective.

Andrew Smith (Kitchener) capped the comeback with a late go-ahead goal, and the Warriors scored the game's final three tallies to erase an early deficit and defeat the Rams 5-4 on Thursday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto.

Mitch Elliot (Prince George), Kain Allicock (Markham) and Paul Bonar (Brandon) all enjoyed multi-point nights for the Warriors, who won for the 10^th time in their past 11 games despite missing captain Joe Underwood (Canton) and leading scorer Chris Chappell (Pickering). The win improved Waterloo's record to 14-6-2, and it clinched the Warriors a postseason berth in the OUA West division.

Mike Morrison (Hamilton) was outstanding when called upon in the Warriors net, turning aside 41 shots – including 20 stops in a lopsided first period. His counterpart Troy Passingham made 38 saves in what was a costly loss for the Rams in the standings – Ryerson fell to 11-9-1, and they slipped 7 points back of the Warriors for third place in the OUA West with only six games remaining in their schedule.

If the first period were a prize fight, the unanimous decision would have gone to Ryerson. But it was Waterloo who landed the first blow, when Elliot scored his first of two goals in the period just 29 seconds into the game. The Rams were quick to respond though, as Jason Kelly batted a rebound out of the air to tie the game 1-1 less than three minutes in.

The Rams continued to come in waves, and they soon capitalized on the man advantage when Michael Fine backhanded home his own rebound to make it 2-1 for the hosts. Just over two minutes later, the Rams doubled their lead when Robert Visca finished off an odd-man rush, making it 3-1 Ryerson.

The Warriors were in dire need of another goal before the first intermission, and Elliot was happy to oblige – he scored his second of the night when he won a faceoff and then tipped home a Bonar point shot to make the score 3-2 for the Rams after 20 minutes.

The Warriors had some chances to tie the game on a power play early in the second, but it was the Rams who added to their lead when Mitch Gallant finished off a pretty passing play on a Ryerson man advantage to make the score 4-2.

The visitors were not discouraged, though, and the Warriors came in waves as the middle frame wore on. They were rewarded late in the period when Matt Amadio (Sault Ste. Marie) grabbed a loose puck and went to the backhand to make it 4-3, before Kain Allicock (Markham) ran a keeper play on a 2-on-1, rifling a wrister through Passingham's five-hole to tie it at 4-4 after forty minutes.

Things tightened up in the final stanza, but the Warriors broke through for the eventual game-winner with less than nine minutes to play. The Rams got caught making a change at the end of a Waterloo power play, and Allicock carried the puck down the left wing and around the net before firing it on Pasingham. The original shot was stopped, but Smith was on the doorstep to clean up the rebound and give the Warriors the 5-4 lead that they wouldn't relinquish. Morrison and his defense corps withstood a late Rams flurry, securing Waterloo's 10^th win in their last 11 games.

The Warriors will now turn their attention to their annual Alumni Weekend game, where they'll host a team nearly as hot as them – Waterloo will host the Guelph Gryphons, winners of five of their last 6, on Saturday night at 6:30 pm.

Notes: Waterloo went 0-for-4 on the power play, while Ryerson went 2-for-7…Underwood is out indefinitely after breaking a bone in his foot last weekend, while Chappell missed his second game in a row due to illness…This was Smith's first game back after an injury forced him to miss the last four games.

Source: Waterloo Warriors

Guelph 7 @ Laurier 2

Waterloo, ON - Thursday night in Waterloo, the Gryphons men's hockey team won 7-2 over the Laurier Golden Hawks. 

With the win, the Gryphons improve to 8-11-3.  The Golden Hawks fall to 7-14-1.  Less than five minutes into the game, the Gryphons had already built up a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Seth Swenson, Teal Burns and Nicholas Trecapelli. 

By the end of the night, seven different players on Guelph's roster would find the back of the net.  Nicklas Huard picked up four assists on the night.  Captain Daniel Broussard had three assists.  The Gryphons outshot Laurier 42-31.  Andrew D'Agostini picked up the win, making 29 saves on the night.

The Gryphons now boast a 5-1 record in 2015 and own the longest current win streak in the OUA at four games.  As a result, the Gryphons have gone from 10th in the OUA all the way up to sixth in the current standings. 

The Gryphons have now won each of the first two games of their current five game road trip. 

Up next, another short trip to Waterloo, this time, to take on the red hot Waterloo Warriors who have won 10 of their last 11 games and sit at 14-6-2 on the season.  That game is scheduled for Saturday (Jan. 24) at 6:30pm.

Source: Guelph Gryphons