Box Score
OSHAWA -- If the old axiom is true that timing is everything, then Liam Heelis of Georgetown, Ont., picked a pretty good moment to show his true colours in his regular season debut with the Redmen as McGill officially christened their 139th year of hockey with a 4-2 victory over the University of Ontario Institute of Technology at the Campus Ice Centre, Friday.

Heelis, a newcomer who transfered from Acadia where he was named as the CIS player of the year in 2012-13, had not scored in seven preseason games for McGill.  One of four members on the Redmen roster who has played in the OHL, the 25-year-old master's student skated for the Peterborough Petes as a 16-year-old. He played four seasons for the Petes and one campaign for Owen Sound before moving on to the CIS, where he posted a 51-61-112 record in 109 league games with the Axemen.

The Redmen led 1-0 after the opening period on a power-play marker by Patrick Delisle-Houde, set up by Heelis. But Mitch Bennet potted the equalizer for UOIT at 19:59 of the middle stanza on a 5-on-3 man-advantage.

Momentum finally picked up in the third period with four goals, sparked by Heelis, who made it 2-1 at 9:12 and 3-2 at 14:15, sandwiched around Mark Petaccio's goal for the Ridgebacks.

Defenceman Etienne Boutet added an empty-netter to ensure victory for the Redmen who dropped their road game 3-2 at UOIT last year. It improved McGill's lifetime record to 8-1 lifetime against the Ridgebacks.

McGill, which had a 41-34 advantage in shots, went 1-for-2 on the power-play. The Ridgebacks were 1-for-4.

McGill goaltender Jacob Gervais-Chouinard made 32 saves and collected the win, improving to 26-7 in 35 regular season career appearances. Brendan O'Neill, who was beaten three times on 40 shots, was saddled with the loss.

The Redmen (1-0) will face a stiffer test when they renew hostilities with the Carleton Ravens (0-0) in Ottawa on Saturday at 7 p.m. in a contest that is slated to be streamed live on OUA.tv.. The Ravens are still feeling warm and fuzzy about a 1-0 preseason triumph over the Binghamton Senators, the AHL farm club of the NHL's Ottawa Senators, on Sept. 28. But McGill has taken the last five meetings in their heated rivalry with the Ravens, and own 27-20-1 lifetime record against Carleton.

REDMEN RAP: The Redmen have not yet selected a team captain for this season to replace Benoit Levesque, who has graduated. Four McGill players wore an "A" on their jersey against UOIT, namely forwards Heelis and Delisle-Houde, along with defencemen Boutet and Vincent Barnard. The first three all scored in the opener, so the pressure will be on Barnard in the game at Carleton... Former Redmen rearguard and assistant coach Adam Shell has earned his first regular season victory as new head coach at UBC, with a 4-3 overtime decision over Mt. Royal College. The 34-year-old had spent the last eight years as bench boss at RMC.

COMPLETE BOXSCORE

SCORING SUMMARY
McGill 4 at UOIT 2
(Friday, October 9, 2015 - Campus Ice Centre)

GOALS BY PERIOD:
McGill 1-0-3 -- 4
UOIT 0-1-1 -- 2

1st Period-
1, McGill, Patrick Delisle-Houde 1 (Labrecque, Heelis), 14:47 (PP).

Penalties-Woodcroft Uoit (tripping), 14:40; Bonneau Mcg (slashing), 16:51.

2nd Period-
2, UOIT, Mitch Bennett 1 (A. Yuill, Blasko), 19:59 (PP).

Penalties-Braithwaite Uoit (cross-checking), 13:31; Heelis Mcg (tripping), 18:38; Labrecque Mcg (hooking), 18:38; served by Petaccio Uoit (bench minor), 20:00.

3rd Period-
3, McGill, Liam Heelis 1 (Kaminsky, Lambert-Lemay), 9:12.
4, UOIT, Mark Petaccio 1 (Blasko), 10:10.
5, McGill, Liam Heelis 2 (Gamelin, Labrecque), 14:15.
6, McGill, Etienne Boutet 1 (unassisted), 19:29 (EN).

Penalties-Gamelin Mcg (interference), 16:43.

Shots on Goal-
McGill 17-14-10 -- 41.
UOIT 6-14-14 -- 34.

Power Play Opportunities-
McGill 1 / 3;
UOIT 1 / 4.

Goalies-
McGill,
Jacob Gervais-Chouinard (W, 1-0-0, 34 shots-32 saves; 60:00).

UOIT,
Brendan O'Neill (L, 0-1-0, 40 shots-37 saves; 58:52).
Empty-net (1 shot-1 goal; 1:08)

Attendance: 266
Start: 7:35 PM
End: 9:37 PM
Length: 2:02

Referees-Justin Kuipers, Sean Gray.
Linesmen-Steve Sidey, Danny Emerson.

THREE STARS
1. MCG - 10 Liam Heelis
2. UOIT - 33 Brendan O'Neill
3. MCG - 9 Frederic Gamelin



SOURCE:
 
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Tel.)
m.athletics.mcgill.ca (mobile website)
www.mcgill athletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
@EarlZukerman (twitter)
 
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