Rams prevail over Western to clinch first round series
TORONTO, Ont. – The Ryerson Rams live to fight another day, as they take down the Western Mustangs in Game 3 of the best-of-three series with a thrilling 6-3 victory at the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Sunday night.
However, there was almost a vengeful sentiment embodied within the spirit of the Rams playing style on Sunday evening, as they attempted to correct all their shortcomings that led to their 5-1 loss to Western in Game 2 of the best-of-three series.
By implementing a more aggressive form of defense against the Mustangs in their own zone, while simultaneously playing with a much faster paced offense that relied on end-to-end rushes, Ryerson was able to keep the Western line-up on edge throughout the entirety of the first period.
And for utilizing this strategy, the Rams would be rewarded early on. Catching the Western line-up off-guard immediately off of the opening face-off, Rams forward Steven Harland (Toronto, Ont.) capitalized upon early Mustangs passing errors and tucked away his second goal of the playoffs just 24 seconds into the match.
Three minutes later, the Rams would pick up their second goal of the contest as Erik DeLaurentis (Markham, Ont.) would take advantage of a scramble around the Mustangs blue ice and tap in a rebounded point shot courtesy of teammates Marcus Hinds (Toronto, Ont.) and Vince Figliomeni (Bolton, Ont.).
With a 2-0 lead so early on in the contest suddenly the atmosphere in the Mattamy turned from one shrouded in ambiguity, to one exuding with confidence as the Rams continued to dominate the remainder of the opening frame.
Thirteen minutes into the second frame, Rams freshman forward Kyle Tibbo (Conception Bay South, Nfld.) would record his first goal of the playoffs following a beautifully executed series of passes from teammates Mitchell Skapski (Abbotsford, B.C.) and Brandon Hughes (Oakville, Ont.).
Tibbo's contribution would be quickly followed up by teammate Vince Figliomeni who tapped in the Rams fourth goal of the night, to give the home team a 4-0 advantage against a confounded and overworked Mustangs line-up.
Heading into the final frame, it was imperative for Head Coach Johnny Duco that his team maintain their composure, so as to prevent a potential Mustangs comeback.
Throughout the final period, the Mustangs threw everything they had at the Rams in the hopes of gaining some sort of momentum and, while they were able to tally some goals in the process, it was not enough to prevent an eventual Rams win.
"We knew it was do or die, and it was the first time our backs were really against the wall," stated DeLaurentis on the team's ability to maintain composure throughout the contest, adding, "everybody stepped up tonight. It took a full 20 of us, and everybody took their role and stuck to the game plan."
Less than two minutes into the final frame, Mustangs forward Trevor Warnaar (Brampton, Ont.), who recorded a hat-trick in game two of this series, tucked away Western's first goal of the contest.
Unfortunately for the visiting team, however, the Rams would have a response as veteran forward John Carpino (Maple, Ont.) fired home a shot from the slot to extend Ryerson's lead back to a comfortable four goals.
Further Western contributions to the scoring sheet, provided by Kolten Olynek (Saskatoon, Sask.) and Anthony Stefano (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) respectively, would further help in closing the goals deficit but would not be enough to push the visiting team to a come from behind victory.
A late empty net goal by Figliomeni would provide the eventual final score of 6-3 for Ryerson.
Next up, the Rams will contest with the York Lions in the OUA quarter-finals, which will begin on February 21 at Canlan Ice Sports.
Source: Ryerson Rams