February 20, 2015

Ravens Edged by UQTR in OT, Trail Series 1-0

Sometimes, you do everything right and still come up short.

Carleton

UQTR

Final

Carleton

UQTR

Sometimes, you do everything right and still come up short.

In Game One of their OUA East semi-final series against the UQTR Patriotes on Thursday night, the Carleton Ravens did everything a team is supposed to do in the playoffs, only to fall 2-1 to the Patriotes on a Billy Lacasse overtime goal. Carleton got physical, took forty shots on diminutive UQTR goaltender Francis Desrosiers, and largely neutralized the Patriotes' big guns. Despite their solid performance, Lacasse's wrister at 6:40 of overtime sent the Ravens to the dressing room down, but not out in the best-of-3 series.

"I thought we responded well after they scored the first goal," said Ravens head coach Marty Johnston. "But at the end of the day they found a way to win, and that's what counts in the playoffs."

Francis Desrosiers and Patrick Killeen stood on their heads for their respective teams on Thursday evening, making saves ranging from ridiculous to athletic to spectacular. Desrosiers earned first star honours on the night, turning aside 39 of 40 shots faced in the UQTR net, while Killeen made a couple of incredible glove saves while stopping 30 of 32 shots directed his way.

Antoine Quevillon opened the scoring just before the midway point of the second period, deflecting Tommy Tremblay's pass into the Carleton net. Though there were shades of a kicking motion and clear protests from the Ravens players near Quevillon at the goalmouth, his marker stood.

Ryan Van Stralen lifted the roof off the Ice House five minutes later, outwaiting every green jersey on the ice before backhanding a shot past a sprawled Desrosiers to tie things at one.

Despite numerous chances for both teams, the third period solved nothing and the game headed to overtime. Through sixty minutes, the shots tallied 40-26 in favour of Carleton.

In overtime, Lacasse took the pass from Mimar in the offensive zone and, with all sorts of time and space, wired a shot past Killeen blocker side, sending the UQTR bench into a frenzy and silencing the previously boisterous crowd at the Ice House.

With the loss, the Ravens now sit on the brink of elimination and will need to win Saturday's Game Two to extend the series to a third and deciding game.

"We have to be more consistent in our play," lamented Johnston, who also thought Thursday's Game One lacked pace in the opening frame. "We've got to elevate our play if we want to have a chance to win; you've got to be at your best, and it wasn't good enough tonight."

Source: Carleton Ravens