Stingers end UOIT's season with OT win

MONTREAL, Que. – The UOIT men's hockey season came to an end on Friday night after a 3-2 overtime loss to the Concordia Stingers in Montreal.
 
This marks the second straight season UOIT's playoff run has ended in Montreal as the Stingers beat UOIT 3-2 in game three of their series one year ago, picking up their first series win in 17 years. Concordia will advance to the second round along with the Queen's Gaels who swept Nipissing.
 
UOIT had a gutsy effort on Friday night as they fought back from a 2-0 deficit that included Jack Patterson (Bedford, N.S.) scoring the game-tying goal off a deflection with just over two minutes left in the third period.
 
In overtime, Concordia captain Phil Hudon, who was playing with a full cage and a broken nose, scored the series clinching goal on the power play 5:08 into the extra frame.

"We knew it would be tough winning two games in Montreal but our guys showed a lot of heart fighting back from a two-goal deficit to force overtime tonight," said UOIT head coach Curtis Hodgins. "Our team has been resilient all season long and it proved to be true again tonight. The series didn't go the way we had hoped but our guys have nothing to hang their heads about."
 
Concordia looked impressive in first half of the game and were rewarded for their strong play as Raphael Lafontaine and Carl Neill scored their first goals of the playoffs to put the Stingers up 2-0. UOIT goaltender Brendan O'Neill (Ilderton, Ont.) was busy in net, keeping the Ridgebacks within striking distance despite being outplayed.
 
Mike Robinson (Stouffville, Ont.), who tied the UOIT single season record for goals with 17 this year, sparked the Ridgeback offensive attacked as he scored a power play marker with just over a minute to go in the second period. Alex Yuill (Wellington, Ont.) added an assist on Robinson's shot top shelf.
 
On Patterson's tying goal in the third period, Yuill picked up his second assist of the game as he passed it to Jesse Baird (Brampton, Ont.) who got the initial shot off.
 
O'Neill made 35 saves in the loss while Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 31 stops for his second straight win. Concordia outshot UOIT 7-1 in the overtime frame.
 
This marked the sixth straight year UOIT has qualified for the postseason and eighth overall. This was the first time since 2015 that the Ridgebacks were swept in the opening round.
 
UOIT's season has now finished for 2017-18, meaning the focus will now turn to recruitment and preparing for the 2018-19 campaign.

Source: UOIT Ridgebacks