49 Sports: Three things we learned from the opening weekend

Toronto, Ont. (via 49 Sports; Ben Steiner) - For the first time since 2010, the OUA men’s hockey season began with sights set on the conference hosting the U SPORTS National Championship at the end of the year.

Entering the third season back from the COVID-19 disruption, the first full weekend of OUA hockey brought excitement and intriguing shifts, potentially bringing a new light to contenders in each division as championship windows shift for some of the top programs.

With the first weekend of games in the rearview, 49 Sports looks at three things we learned from the first few games.

A shifting environment in the OUA East

While it’s not entirely fair to judge a team on two away games, it looks like there might just be a shifting environment in the OUA East, as the UQTR Patriotes dropped their first two games of the season, a hiccup for sure for the two-time defending champions.

Despite still leaning on a decent veteran core of goaltender Alexis Gravel and reigning OUA and U SPORTS Player of the Year, Simon Lafrance, the Patriotes could not capture that strong start on their opening weekend, struggling to generate offensive opportunities and shutting down scoring chances in losses to the Ottawa Gee-Gees and Carleton Ravens.

The Patriotes lost several players from last season and have one of the largest rookie classes across the country, with 11 new student-athletes among their ranks. While they have the structure and players to fit into it, head coach Marc-Etienne Hubert may need time to bring his group up to speed.

On the other side, Ottawa’s two teams - the Ravens and Gee-Gees – appear to be within their competitive window, as they both put out strong efforts in the opening weekend. The Ravens defeated UQTR and fell to Concordia, while the Gee-Gees played just one game, the 5-1 win over the Patriotes.

For the Gee-Gees, composed and patient play led the themes of the opening weekend, as they stuck to an organized identity that head coach Patrick Grandmaitre has helped them develop with a younger group over the last several seasons.

Ottawa made the OUA Queen’s Cup Final in 2020, but had a large graduating class following that season and the COVID-19 cancelled campaign. The cyclical nature of university hockey, however, has them entering their contending window.

Led by a team effort, Bradley Chenier, Evan Boucher, and Anthony Poulin stood out offensively on the opening weekend. At the same time, Grayson Ladd and Peter Stratis continued to develop on Ottawa’s blueline. Meanwhile, Francesco Lapenna looked up to the OUA standard with 30 saves on 31 shots.

Queen’s Gaels looking ready to challenge

The Queen’s Gaels appear to be right back in the Queen’s Cup conversation, that is, if one overestimates the conclusions after the opening week of games. While Queen’s stood out in the COVID-adjusted season of 2021-22, they took a step back in the standings last season. Now, head coach Brett Gibson’s group looks to be among the best in the OUA East.

They opened their season with a dominant showing away from home against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks, putting 37 shots on goal on their way to a 7-2 win, while Aidan Spooner appeared settled, making 38 saves.

In their second game, Queen’s made easy work of a young York Lions group with an 8-3 victory, handing York their first loss as an OUA East squad.

Queen’s showcased their ability to move the puck swiftly through the neutral zone and set up offensively at even strength, and when they were set up, they did well to maintain zone control and force several chances before having to re-group.

At the same time, skilled forwards Jonathan Yantsis, Nolan Hutcheson, and Holden Katzalay played up to their usual standard and helped the Gaels’ counterattacks from defensive areas.

For Hutcheson, the weekend could not have gotten any better, as the third-year Gananoque, Ont. native scored four goals and an assist against the Ridgebacks, before adding another tally against York for a five-goal, six-point weekend.

While the Ridgebacks and Lions are more likely to battle for a playoff spot than for the top of the conference, the weekend showed the Queen’s Gaels potential and how they could be a genuine challenger come the end of the season.

TMU, Windsor defensively strong in debuts

For one team coming off a University Cup experience and one with a host-berth secured for this season, the Windsor Lancers and TMU Bold showcased their defensive abilities on the opening weekend, laying the groundwork for what could be a compelling season for both teams.

The two faced off in their opening game, as TMU downed Windsor 3-1, but the matchup brought two of the OUA’s best goaltenders together in reigning Goaltender of the Year Nathan Torchia and last year’s rookie standout Kai Edmonds.

Neither was called upon heavily in the opener, as Torchia made 24 saves on 26 shots, and Edmonds turned away 29 attempts. In effect, the teams have two elite goaltenders behind strong defensive cores.

Windsor’s Holden Wale and Matt McNamara continued their strong play as more experienced players on the blue line, while TMU’s Joe Rupoli and Aaron Hyman helped limit the Windsor attacks.

In their second game of the weekend, the Lancers shut out the Toronto Varsity Blues 3-0, while the Bold picked up a 3-1 victory against the Waterloo Warriors.

Despite high-event hockey often being entertaining, expect to see only a little of that with the Bold and Lancers this season, as both will likely continue to depend on defensive stability and enough goals to see out victories.

That said, the old trope of “defence wins championships” has proven true before, and the two OUA West contenders will hope it rings true again.

49 Sports’ OUA Men’s Hockey Player of the Week: Nolan Hutcheson (5 goals, 1 assist)