M-HOCKEY PLAYOFF ROUNDUP: Lancers sneak past Brock 4-3 in OT to advance to OUA West semis

Sunday, February 15

Brock 3 @ Windsor 4 (OT) (Windsor wins series 2-1)

Windsor, ON – Kyle Hope scored an unassisted goal in overtime Sunday to lift the Windsor Lancers to a 4-3 victory over the Brock Badgers in the deciding game of their OUA men's hockey opening-round playoff series at South Windsor Arena.
 
With the victory, the No. 7 Lancers advance to the OUA West Division semi-finals against the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
 
Brock led 2-0 after the first period of play with goals from Sammy Banga and Daniel Tanel.
 
Julian Luciani scored his first of two on the night in the second to bring the Lancers within one heading into the final frame.
 
Chad Shepley evened the score at two apiece exactly twelve minutes into the third period, before the Badgers again took a one goal lead just thirty-four seconds later on a goal from Spencer Turcotte.
 
With only three minutes remaining in regulation, Matt Beaudoin and Spencer Pommells fed the puck to Luciani who fired the puck past Adrian Volpe for this second of the night, sending the game into extra innings.
 
In the overtime frame, Windsor and Brock battled hard on both ends with each goaltender registering some great saves to keep the score deadlocked midway through the extra frame.
 
Just past the midway point, Hope shot the puck towards the net from a weird angle in the corner, catching Volpe off guard and securing a berth in the next round for the top seeded Lancers.
 
Lancer goaltender Parker Van Buskirk had a strong performance between the pipes for the Blue & Gold registering 30 saves, while his counterpart Volpe once again was tremendous in net for his team, making 38 saves in the loss.
 
Stay tuned to www.goLancers.ca for playoff information as it becomes available.

Source: Windsor Lancers

Friday, February 13

UOIT 1 @ Carleton 6 (Carleton wins series 2-0)

In a rough and tumble encounter at Carleton's Ice House, the hometown Ravens men's hockey team rose above UOIT in Game 2 of their OUA East quarterfinal and took out the Ridgebacks 6-1 to clinch a series victory in a two-game sweep.

Defenceman Matt Stanisz led the way offensively for the Ravens, potting a goal and adding two assists, while Carleton goaltender Francis Dupuis was stellar in net, turning aside 25 of the 26 shots he faced.

"Offensively we produced tonight, and we skated real well in the first period," said Ravens head coach Marty Johnston. "It got chippy in the second half of the game, but the guys stuck together and anytime you can get out of a round in two games it's nice."

Carleton opened the scoring on the man advantage at 7:02 of the opening frame, as Mitch Zion took a feed from Joe Pleckaitis before beating UOIT goaltender Brendan O'Neill glove-side.

The Ravens would double their lead some seven minutes later, as defenceman Owen Werthner held the offensive zone with a good keep-in before hitting Chett Binning with a pass on the goal line. Binning walked into the slot and beat O'Neill with a nifty backhand to make it 2-0 Carleton.

UOIT's fate was sealed just 44 seconds later, as Corey Durocher beat O'Neill on a shorthanded breakaway to make it 3-0 Ravens.

Carleton then essentially put the game on ice just one minute into the second period, as Matt Stanisz ripped a shot past O'Neill glove-side to make it a four-goal Ravens lead. The UOIT starter was lifted after just 21:05, having given up four goals on 19 shots.

Then, it was David Weckworth's time to shine. The freshman defenceman, who scored just three goals during the regular season, waltzed to the UOIT net before neatly tucking the puck past Ridgebacks relief goaltender Colin Dzajicky.

UOIT drew a consolation goal back in the third period, as Jesse Stoughton tapped in a loose puck at the side of the net on a powerplay to cut the Carleton lead to 5-1.

Ravens captain Damian Cross would wrap up the scoring on the man advantage at 14:10 of the final frame, one-timing a Mike Lomas pass over Dzajicky's glove hand for his second of the playoffs.

When it was all said and done, the Ravens dominated virtually every aspect of the game. The penalty kill went 5-for-6, the powerplay went 2-for-6, and Carleton managed to outshoot the Ridgebacks despite spending a good chunk of the third period short-handed.

"We came out hard tonight," said Carleton defenceman Jason Seed. "We managed to put a few quick ones in right away and that helped us get right into the game." Seed, who picked up an assist on Corey Durocher's short-hander, admitted the final period was a grind. "Obviously they were getting a little frustrated, but we did a good job of letting them do that stuff and sticking to our game plan to see out a solid win."

Carleton forward Joe Pleckaitis left the game momentarily in the second period after taking a two-handed slash from UOIT forward Connor Jarvis. Pleckaitis returned to the game and showed no ill effects, while Jarvis was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct in an unrelated incident at the end of the second period.

The Ravens will now get set for a second round matchup, likely against their rival UQTR Patriotes.

"They're a team that rolls lines and plays with a lot of pace, so if they end up being our matchup we'll have to be at our absolute best to have a chance to win," said coach Johnston. "We'll enjoy the win tonight, but tomorrow we'll regroup and prepare for whoever our opponent in the next round may be."

Source: Carleton Ravens

McGill 5 @ Concordia 0

David Rose made a triumphant return to the lineup with a three-point soiree while his linemates Jonathan Brunelle and Cedric McNicoll tallied five points apiece as No.6 ranked McGill skated to a 5-0 whitewash at Concordia's Ed Meagher Arena, Friday, to even their best-of-three OUA East quarter-final series at 1-1.

The third and deciding game is slated for McConnell Arena on Sunday at 7 p.m. and a capacity crowd is expected.

The Redmen, who led 1-0 after one period and 4-0 after two, had a 48-32 edge in shots as goaltender Jacob Gervais-Chouinard made 32 saves to register his third career goose-egg in 56 games overall. It was only the fifth shutout in McGill playoff history, a span of 160 post-season contests dating all the way back to 1910. The team's last playoff whitewash was seven years ago, a 39-save performance by Mathieu Poitras in a 3-0 CIS tournament win at Moncton on March 23, 2008.

Rose, who returned to action after missing six games with a lower-body injury, collected one goal and a pair of assists, to spark the high-scoring McGill trio.

Brunelle, who had eight shots on net, potted a pair (including the winner at the 51-second mark of the first period) and set up three others while McNicoll scored once and added four helpers. It was the most assists in a playoff contest by a McGill player since Feb. 18, 2011 when both Alex Picard-Hooper (1-4-5) and Marc-Andre Dorion (0-4-0) accomplished that feat in a 10-5 win at Ottawa.

"Not only is Rosie a good player on the ice but his enthousiasm and positive attitude off the ice is a big plus for our team," said McNicoll, a third-year management student from Boucherville, Que., who in his final year of eligibity after playing three pro seasons in the AHL and ECHL. "We've been struggling to score first lately and he helped us get that first goal in the first minute tonight. We were perhaps a bit nervous facing elimination but we were more anxious than anything just to get on the ice and do something because we knew that we didn't play our best game in the series opener."

Lost in the shuffle a near-perfect performance by the Redmen was rearguard Samuel Labrecque, who was the only other player to be involved in the scoring, with a goal and one assist. The first-year transfer from Clarkson University led all CIS defencemen with 13 goals in 26 games. He now has found the back of the net three times in the playoffs and 10 times in his last seven outings, giving him 16 markers in 32 games overall. The team's single-season best for blueliners is 22 goals by Gilles Hudon in 40 contests during the 1981-82 season.

In a hard-hitting affair, Concordia drew 31 of 39 penalty minutes called and the Redmen took full advantage, going 2-for-6 on the power-play while killing off a pair of shorthanded situations. Stingers defenceman Gabriel Bourret was ejected at 14:41 of the second period after being assessed a major for boarding against McGill rookie forward Simon Tardif-Richard. Although the play appeared more severe than the checking-to-the head major and one-game suspension assessed to McGill's Patrick Delisle-Houde in Game 1 of the series, boarding penalties are not accompanied by an automatic one-game suspension.

Sunday night's rubber match at McConnell is scheduled to be streamed live on the SSN Canada network.

REDMEN RAP: Blair Mackasey, director of player personnel for the NHL's Minnesota Wild, was scouting the game... Among the other faces in the crowd were three former Redmen who skated for the team more than three decades ago: Ken Covo (1976-81), Paul Barber (1981-86) and John Harris (1984-87)...The Stingers have a record of 95-92-14 in 201 lifetime meetings against the Redmen dating back to when the series started 1975 but McGill owns a 14-11 playoff record against Concordia... McGill has captured seven of the previous 10 series...The Redmen have taken the last two playoff confrontations, in 2014 and 2007... Concordia hasn't beaten McGill in the post-season since 2001... Other match-ups occurred in 2000 (McGill won), 1998 (ConU won). 1995 (McGill), 1993 (McGill), 1989 (McGill), 1988 (McGill), 1979 (ConU) and 1977 (ConU).

Source: McGill Redmen

Satuday, February 14

Lakehead 4 @ Western 1 (Lakehead wins series 2-0)

A hat-trick from Mike Hammond helped the Lakehead Thunderwolves to a 4-1 win over the Western Mustangs in game two of their OUA West Quarterfinals series on Saturday afternoon at Thompson Arena. With the win the Thunderwolves take the best-of-three series 2-0 and advance to the OUA West Semi-Finals.
 
"Well it's a good way to say it – a quick series," said Mustangs head coach Clarke Singer about the two game series. "Our league is so close, the playoffs are so close; I though the guys in there played a good series. Lakehead played a great series. [We] didn't have a lot of puck luck around the net – the series had to have over 100 attempts, close to 90 shots on net and to not be able to find the net when we're a pretty good offensive team, it's tough.
 
"The most important thing is we're losing nine great young men that aren't coming back next year. It's a tough time."
 
Hammond's three goals were also the first three of the contest, giving the senior forward a natural hat trick, and four total goals in the two-game series. He also assisted on Nathan Bruyere's goal, making it a four point night for the Victoria native.
 
Justin McDonald picked up the win for Lakehead between the pipes, putting on a impressive performance that saw him stop 31 of the 32 shots sent his way. Not to be outdone by his opponent, Marc Nother looked strong in the Mustangs net, stopping 30 shots and making key saves throughout the contest.
 
After a fairly even start, the Mustangs earned the game's first major scoring chance halfway through the first period asJulian Cimadamore cut to the slot from the side boards, sliding the puck to Jake Worrad, however McDonald was there to make the stop and keep things even.
 
The game wouldn't stay scoreless for long however, as less than a minute later Hammond received a pass near the face-off circle and fired a wrist shot that Nother got a piece of, however the puck had enough momentum to trickle in and give the Thunderwolves a 1-0 lead.
 
After Western found themselves in penalty trouble with back-to-back infractions late in the frame, Lakehead extended its lead as Keith Grondin fired a pass from the point to Hammond at the side of the net who slid the puck into the cage for his second of the game.
 
Hammond completed the natural hat trick a few minutes into the second, much to the displeasure of the Mustangs faithful in attendance. He picked up his third of the game following a mad scramble in the Mustangs crease that ended with Hammond jamming the puck in to make it 3-0 Thunderwolves.
 
The Mustangs began to take control of the play following Hammond's goal, pressuring the Thunderwolves and generating shots, however McDonald was there to turn them aside. Cimadamore had Western's best chance of the period with just over five minutes remaining, stealing the puck at the Lakehead blueline to break in alone on McDonald, however the netminder was there to shut the door, preserving his team's 3-0 lead heading into the third.
 
Western continued to pressure the Thunderwolves in the final frame, outshooting their opponents by a 17-10 margin. Despite putting pucks on net, McDonald continued his strong play from the first two periods, before Matt Marantz was able to break the shutout just under nine minutes into the period. Although Marantz finished the play it was another Matt, Matt Paltridge that got things started, firing a shot from the point that was deflected by Kyle De Coste which Marantz then picked up and fired it into the back of the net to cut Lakehead's lead to 3-1.
 
Unfortunately for the Mustangs that was as close as things would get as Bruyere added an insurance marker on the power play at 14:19 to give Lakehead a 4-1 win.
 
"Honestly I think it was just goal scoring," said Paltridge when asked what the difference was in the series. "We just couldn't seem to generate any goals from the opportunities that we were given, and unfortunately it is a numbers game and [Lakehead] were just able to capitalize."

Following his final game in purple and white, Paltridge said that the thing he'd remember most about his time as a Mustang were the "unbelievable friendships."

"You don't work harder anywhere else aside from here; this is literally a full time dedication," said Paltridge. "[I had] an unbelievable time at the university, probably the best place to come regarding student experience. Honestly, nothing but fond memories; it's been outstanding."

Coach Singer was proud of his team for their performance this season, saying that "they've done everything we asked them all year."

"I think we've had one of the best special teams in the country, one of the best offensive teams in the country - I thought we were in real good shape going into the playoffs with the character of the guys that we have in that room," said Singer. "Hold your head high; you played well. Our league is so close that anything can happen at any time, you can see by some of the other scores in game ones around the league: you never know what's going to happen."

NOTES: Lakehead's two game sweep marks the first time the Mustangs have been swept in the playoffs since the 2010 OUA West Final, which was also against the Thunderwolves… Tonight's game is only the third time all year that the Mustangs have allowed two power play goals in a contest, with the other two coming in Western's 4-3 win over Windsor on December 3, and in their 4-3 loss to Waterloo on October 18.

Source: Western Mustangs

Ryerson 4 @ Toronto 6 (Toronto wins series 2-0)

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's hockey team defeated the Ryerson Rams 6-4 in Game 2 on Saturday night (Feb. 14) to sweep the OUA West quarter-final series at Varsity Arena.

With the win, the Blues advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2006-07.

"It's been awhile since we won a playoff series," said Varsity Blues head coach Darren Lowe. "We've been on the brink of winning the last five years and we just haven't got it done. I just told our players that for our fifth-year players it was really special to win that one. We're looking forward to whoever we play next."

Fourth-year netminder Brett Willows once again led U of T between the pipes, making 39 saves, after posting 49 in the Game 1 victory.

Third-year forward Patrick Marsh scored two goals and added one assist, while linemate Christian Finch had one goal and three helpers and Russell Turner added three assists in the win.

Toronto wasted no time as Marsh opened the scoring two minutes in, skating off the half boards and wiring a shot top corner.

Ryerson answered right back, however, when Andreas Tsogkas beat Willows, also top corner, just 26 seconds later.

Both goalies were tested, but it was Willows who shone once again. The Rivers, Man., native came up with a beautiful save on a shorthanded breakaway midway through the frame and took a hard shot off the mask late in the period.

The Blues began pressuring Rams goalie Troy Passingham in the final two minutes, with Marsh hitting one off the post, but the Rams took the lead as Brian Birkhoff's point shot went through traffic and into the top corner of the net. Ryerson led 2-1 after the first.

U of T quickly evened the score as third-year forward Kevin Deagle one-timed a Casey Knight rebound into the net 2:28 into the second period.

Once again the Rams came right back as Daniel Clairmont tipped in a centering pass from Kyle Blaney 90 seconds later.

Finch evened it up again halfway through the period, showing great poise with the puck and skating around a Rams defender before backhanding it past Passingham.

Clairmont notched his second of the game with 3:13 remaining in the second as he received a pass from Jason Kelly and found the mesh. Ryerson led 4-3 heading into the final frame.

Fifth-year veteran Micahel Markovic tied things back up as he caught Passingham out of position and put it in from behind the net. Five minutes later, third-year defenceman Lane Werbowski wired a point shot through traffic for the eventual game-winner.

With just over three minutes left to play, Marsh added an insurance marker to round out the win.

Toronto now awaits the results of the other West first-round series to determine their opponent next week. 

Source: Toronto Varsity Blues

Brock 2 @ Windsor 4

The Lancer men's hockey team avoided elimination on Saturday afternoon with a 4-2 win over the Brock Badgers in game two of the first round of the OUA playoffs.
 
With the series tied at one game apiece, game three will take place on Sunday night at 7:30pm at South Windsor Arena.
 
The Badgers J. Kendra was the first and only scorer in the first period, giving the Badgers a one goal lead heading into the second period.
 
To start the second period, Windsor's Ryan Green evened the score as he put one past Brock goaltender A. Volpe.
 
Brock took a 2-1 lead late in the second period as P. Volpe found the back of the net.
 
Nine minutes into the third period, Windsor's Matt Beaudoin received a pass from Sebastien Beauregard, and fired one past Volpe to tie the game at two.
 
Brock's frustration showed as captain McGurk took a cross checking penalty and also received an unsportsmanlike conduct, giving the Lancers a four minute power play with five minutes to play.
 
Adding to the Lancers momentum, Brock' head coach Murray Nystrom received a bench minor to put the Lancers on another 5-on-3 power play.
 
Beaudoin found Ryan Green, who fired a shot from the corner and over the shoulder of Volpe, giving the Lancers a 3-2 lead.
 
With the Badgers still shorthanded, Spencer Pommells was able to put home a rebound to secure the 4-2 win for the Lancers.

Source: Windsor Lancers

Queen's 3 @ Laurentian 1

 The Queen's men's hockey team forced a decisive third game after defeating the Laurentian Voyageurs in game two of their OUA playoff series 3-1 on Saturday night at Countryside Arena in Sudbury. 

Neither side could find the back of the net in the opening two periods as goaltenders Kevin Bailie (Belleville, Ont.) of the Gaels and Alain Valiquette of the Voyageurs matched one another save for save. 

Queen's finally broke through in the final frame, scoring twice in the opening five minutes of the period. Brett Foy(Niagara Falls, Ont.) and Ryan Bloom (Calgary) collected the tallies to put the Gaels ahead 2-0. The Voyageurs found the scoresheet at the 12:35 mark but could not add another. 

With their net empty it was Kelly Jackson (Scarborough, Ont,) who sealed the win for Queen's.

Final shots for the night totaled 38 to 34 in favour of Queen's. Bailie finished the night with 33 saves as he collected the victory while Valuquette was charged with the 35 save loss. 

The Gaels are now scheduled to battle the Voyageurs Sunday night in Sudbury, Ontario in a winner-take-all match at 7:30pm. 

Source: Queen's Gaels

Other Saturday scores

Nipissing 3 @ UQTR 10 (UQTR wins series 2-0)

Sunday, February 15

Guelph 4 @ Waterloo 1 (Guelph wins series 2-1)

In the opening minutes of the decisive game three between the Waterloo Warriors and the Guelph Gryphons, Warriors rookie forward Tommy Tsicos (Barrie) burst down the left wing, earned some space, and let fly with a wicked wrist shot labelled for the top corner. And as his shot clanged off the crossbar, the host team and their rabid fans likely thought it was just a jolt of bad luck; a bump in their road to the second round of the postseason.

As it turns out, it was an omen.

Guelph goaltender Andrew D'Agostini made 38 saves, and his goalposts made three more, as the Gryphons ended the Warriors' season with a 4-1 win in game three of their OUA West division quarterfinal on Sunday night in Waterloo.

Nick Huard scored a goal and added two assists for the Gryphons, who advance to round two to face the Toronto Varsity Blues. Teal Burns also added a goal and an assist, while Carlos Amestoy and Jordan Mock added empty netters for the Gryphons.

The Warriors were held off the board for nearly 59 minutes, as Matt Amadio (Sault Ste. Marie) potted the lone Waterloo marker after the Gryphons had already scored one empty-net goal. The result also overshadowed the remarkable comeback of Warriors captain Joe Underwood (Canton), who rejoined the lineup just 29 days after suffering a broken bone in his foot. Underwood looked more comfortable as the game went on, although he fell far short of his normal 30-plus minutes of ice time. Mike Morrison (Hamilton) stopped 25 shots for the Warriors in a losing cause.

The clubs traded verbal barbs as the puck dropped in the first period, but the Warriors had more chances to throw the first punch on the scoreboard. In addition to Tsicos' shot off the bar, Kain Allicock (Markham) missed a wide open net when his shot from the slot unknowingly hit the shin pad of Guelph's Andres Kopstals. But as the period wore on, the Warriors found trouble in the penalty box – they were assessed three straight minors in the scoreless first frame, the last of which carried over to the second.

And it was on that third man advantage that the Gryphons finally made the hosts pay. A combination of quick-touch passing and fortuitous bounces left the puck on Huard's stick, and he shoved it past Morrison's outstretched pad to make it 1-0 Guelph.

Just over four minutes later, Burns would take advantage of a giveaway in the Waterloo zone, as he beat Morrison to the blocker side to extend the Guelph lead to 2-0. There were no more goals in the middle stanza, but the iron behind D'Agostini stymied the Warriors twice more – once on a Mike Moffat (Waterloo) slapper from the point, and once on an Andrew Smith (Kitchener) chance from the slot.

The Warriors continued to pour it on in the third period, and with less than 3 minutes to play, D'Agostini made his best save of the night when he went post-to-post to rob Allicock on the doorstep. Guelph would add two empty netters, sandwiched around Amadio's goal, to salt away the series victory.

The Warriors will now have a long spring and summer to reload and prepare for next season, while the Gryphons will move on to continue their chase for a Queen's Cup OUA Championship.

Notes: The Warriors went 0-for-4 on the power play, while Guelph went 1-for-5…This was the final CIS game for graduating seniors Justin Larson (Buckhorn), Riley Sonnenburg (Cambridge), Anthony Tapper (Marmora), Kain Allicock (Markham), Robin Clarke (Cambridge), and Jeff Einhorn (Red Deer)…Waterloo was once again without injured forwards Chris Chappell (Pickering) and Matt Kennedy (Oro Medonte).

Soure: Waterloo Warriors

Concorida 3 @ McGill 6 (McGill wins series 2-1)

MONTREAL -- Max Le Sieur scored twice and added an assist as sixth-ranked McGill doubled Concordia 6-3 at McConnell Arena, Sunday, to give the Redmen a 2-1 series victory in their OUA East quarter-final. McGill, the top seed in the division, advances to the semifinals, where they will play Queen's in another best-of-three affair beginning Wednesday night in Montreal.

The game started 11 minutes late due to transportation problems for Concordia, who ended up borrowing the bus used by the Montreal Carabins, while they were in the process of losing 6-3 to the Martlets in a matinee matchup between the top two ranked women's hockey teams in the nation.

The rushed start did not appear to affect the Stingers who opened the scoring when Ben Dubois struck only 99 seconds after puck drop.

But like we've seen countless times, this McGill squad roared back with four consecutive goals -- by Cedric McNicoll, Mathieu Pompei, David Rose and Pietro Antonelli -- the third one chasing Concordia starter Robin Billingham at the 4:31 mark of the second period.

It was the first career playoff tally for Antonelli, a sophomore from Blainville, Que., who raced out of the penalty box for his milestone marker and also had an assist. The stocky 5-foot-11, 213-pound left-winger saw liitle ice time until late in the season. But since suiting up in a key win at UQTR on Jan. 28, Antonelli has racked up points in five of seven games, scoring three goals and collecting five assists.

Philippe Hudon gave the Stingers a bit of hope at 19:28 of the middle stanza, narrowing the gap to 4-2, but Le Sieur restored the three-goal advantage at 9:06 and added an empty-netter after Dany Potvin's goal had given Concordia a feeble heartbeat at 14:52 of the third. Le Sieur, an economics junior from Montreal, has 10 career playoff points, five of them goals, in 16 post-season games with the Redmen.

Jacob Gervais-Chouinard of Sherbrooke, Que., made 29 saves in the McGill net for the win, improving his career post-season record to 9-4. Concordia back-up Alexandre St-Arnaud took the loss in relief of Billingham (3 goals on 19 shots) after conceding two goals on 15 shots in 34:49.

"Chouinard was real good (in the Game 2 shutout) and he was solid again tonight," said Redmen head coach Kelly Nobes. "He's in good rhythym, is making the big saves at the right time, playing the puck well and seeing the puck well. He's real focussed."

"We weren't happy with Game 1 (a 6-4 loss) and we didn't play the way we need to play to be successful," added Nobes. "We made some adjustments, brought a sense of urgency, physicality and the right mentality for the playoffs. You have to elevate your game, whether it is the first round or at the national championship. In Games 2 and 3, we brought that mode that is needed in playoff hockey."

McGill was 0-for-2 on the power-play while Concordia was 0-for-1 in a game that featured only three minor penalties for a total of six minutes -- all in the second period -- four of them by the Stingers. It surpassed the the lowest combined total ever between these bitter rivals, when 12 minutes were assessed (all to Concordia) in a 4-1 Corey Cup triumph for McGill, Feb. 13, 2011.

McGill (21-5-0) now shifts their focus on fifth-seeded Queen's  (13-12-1), a long-time rival and next round opponent, who also won their quarter-final series the hard way. After losing 2-1 at home to Laurentian, the Gaels made the lengthy trek to Sudbury, where they prevailed 3-1 and 2-1 in overtime.

The McGill-Queen's series is the third oldest hockey rivalry in North America since the two archrivals first hooked up back in 1895. The only older rivalries on record are Queen's-RMC (1886) and McGill-RMC (1892).
 
McGill has won 27 consecutive victories over the Gaels since their last loss 11 years ago, in a 5-2 setback on home ice, Feb. 6, 2004. The Redmen are 121-50-2 in 173 lifetime meetings.
 
This season, McGill swept both meetings against the Gaels, winning 4-3 in Kingston in the OUA opener (Oct. 10) and 4-1 at McConnell Arena (Jan. 23). In the opener, defenceman Samuel Labrecque tallied the game-winner with only 14 seconds left in the third period. In the last meeting, Labrecque struck for a natural hat-trick in a six-minute span during the second period, including the game-winner. Max Le Sieur also scored in both games.
                                                                                                        
This will be only the fourth playoff series ever between these historic clubs, with McGill sweeping the series in both 2012 and 2008. McGill is 4-1 lifetime in post-season play against the Gaels and haven't lost a playoff encounter to them in over a century, dating back to an 8-2 sudden-death final, played in Ottawa on March 7, 1910.
 
In the last playoff rendez-vous with the Gaels, held in 2012, the Redmen swept a quarter-final series 3-2 and 5-1 and went on to register a 9-1 record in post-season play, en route to winning their first-ever CIS national championship.

After Game 1 on Wednesday, McGill will make the trek to Kingston for Game 2 on Friday night. If a rubber match is needed, it is slated for 7 p.m. on Sunday night back at McConnell Arena.

Source: McGill Redmen

Queen's 2 @ Laurentian 1 (OT) (Queen's wins series 2-1)

In Game Three, the Laurentian Voyageurs and the Queens Gaels needed more than just regulation time to decide the series. Overtime brought the Gaels scoring to take the game and the series 2-1.

Laurentian came out in the first period ready to leave everything on the ice, they pushed hard to get the first scoring opportunity of the game. Adam Glynn (4) took a shot from the point that Kevin Bailie (30) only got a piece of before just trickling wide of the net.

Both teams then found themselves in some penalty trouble. With a 4-on-3 chance and a lot of ice to use, the Voyageurs were able to create some offence. Elliott Richardson (23) passed to his defence partner Vincent Llorca (17). The captain one timed it into the back of the net beating Bailie (30) to take the first lead of the game.

Laurentian dominated the rest of the period and headed to the intermission still carrying the lead.

Early in the second period, the Gaels struck to tie up the game. Kris Grant (2) shot off the boards, resulting in an awkward bounce coming back to the stick of Corey Bureau (14). The Queens captain was able to put the puck past Alain Valiquette (29) which brought the score to 1-1.

Throughout the rest of the second Valiquette (29) made some great saves with both his glove and pads to keep the score tied and his team in the game. Laurentian was given a powerplay opportunity late in the period, however they were unable to make anything of it.

Both teams fought hard for the next goal, Nicolas Dionne (19) came down and shot right glove side but Bailie (30) was there to rob him of the tally. The game continued to keep the fans at Countryside Arena at the edges of their seats awaiting another goal.

The Gaels took another penalty, Laurentian again could not get anything going and Queens, back on even strength, sent three guys down the ice. Valiquette (29) was there to stone them with the glove, sending this game into overtime.

As regulation solved nothing, the sudden-death winner-take-all period began. Not even three minutes into the fourth period, Grant (2), picking up his second assist of the night, threw the puck towards the net. Kelly Jackson (16) redirected the puck past Valiquette (29) for the game-winning goal.

Although Laurentian won the first game on the road, they were unable to clinch a spot in the next round losing the series 2-1 to Queens.

Laurentian University's Department of Athletics is home to 18 varsity sports teams. The Voyageurs decorated history of pride and tradition includes 62 provincial championships as well as 10 national championships in 52 years of competition.

Source: Laurentian Voyageurs