M-HOCKEY ROUNDUP: Ravens sweep weekend series with Thunderwolves

Friday, October 31

Lakehead 1 @ Carleton 6

OTTAWA, Ont. - The Lakehead Thunderwolves lost 6-1 to the Carleton Ravens at the Ice House in Ottawa on Saturday night.

Carleton drew first blood when Mitch Porowski scored two goals just 33 seconds apart near the midway point of the first period, and then Joe Pleckaitis put the puck past Wolves' goalie Justin McDonald with just over four minutes remaining in the opening stanza to give the Ravens a 3-0 lead.

Lakehead narrowed Carleton's lead to 3-1 early in the second period when Mike Hammond beat Ravens' netminder Patrick Killeen, with Mitch Fillman and Keith Grondin picking up the assists.

Joey West restored Carleton's three-goal lead at the 7:54 mark, and then with the Ravens on the power play, Pleckaitis notched his second marker of the night in the final minute of the period to extend Carleton's lead to 5-1.

Porowski completed his hat-trick by banging home a rebound with just over eight minutes remaining in the third period to round out the scoring.

Shots on goal for the game were 54-27 in favor of the Ravens.

The loss drops Lakehead's OUA record to 3-5-2, and leaves the Thunderwolves tied for fifth place in the ten-team West Division.

Carleton improved its record to 6-2-0, and the Ravens sit just two points out of first place in the East Division.
 
The Wolves will head home for a pair of games against the Brock Badgers at the Fort William Gardens next weekend.

Source: Lakehead Thunderwolves

Queen's 3 @ UQTR 5

Trois-Rivières, Que. (October 31, 2014) - The Queen's Gaels looked to be on the verge of an upset over No.5 UQTR but the Patriotes scored four times in the third including an empty netter to take the 5-3 win.

The Gaels looked to be in the driver seat with a 3-1 lead in the third period on the road but UQTR scored two quick goals and added a late goal to take the lead along with an empty netter to secure the 5-3 win over the Gaels.

Spencer Abraham (Campbellville, Ont.) extended his point streak to six games and Braeden Corbeth (Oakville, Ont.) had a two-point night for the Gaels. The Patriotes were led by Billy Lacasse who had a three-point night with two goals including the game-winner.

Kevin Bailie (Belleville, Ont.) go the start for the Gaels and finished with 43 saves in a losing effort.

Queen's will continue their Quebec road trip tomorrow when they visit the Concordia Stingers.

Source: Queen's Gaels

Toronto 2 @ Western 5

LONDON, Ont. — Kyle De Coste celebrated halloween by dressing up as the Varsity Blues' worst nightmare on Friday night, finishing with a goal, three assists, and a pair of penalties to help lead the Mustangs to a 5-2 win over Toronto at Thompson Arena.
 
The sophomore forward was an integral part of the Mustangs offence last year with 16 goals and 27 points but just couldn't seem to catch a break early this season, finding himself without a goal until last Saturday's win over Queen's. But neither De Coste nor Mustangs head coach Clarke Singer felt that his stats were indicative of the quality of his early-season play.
 
"For me, I thought the first few games of the season I played positionally really well and physically and all those different things— it's just one of those things where the puck wouldn't go into the back of the net for me or, quite frankly, for other guys when I'd give it to them," De Coste said of his slow start on the scoresheet. "It was just kind of one of those slumps where you have to keep working hard and try to get through it."
 
"Kyle's had a great first half here, I mean maybe not on the scoresheet but he's been playing his best hockey as a Mustang," Singer said. "He's been physical, he's been working hard, he's improving defensively and he has been getting chances, they just haven't been going in the back of the net so it's nice to see him finishing and some of his line mates finishing."
 
De Coste and the Mustangs are now on a two game win streak and have failed to lose once through their first four home games of the season. Greg Dodds was once again a big reason Western's success, earning his second consecutive victory by turning aside 36 of 38 shots.
 
As is becoming a regular theme this season, Dodds and the rest of the Mustangs' penalty kill forced their opponent to create all of their offence at even strength on Friday. Western has now turned in four straight home games without giving up a power play goal, but after the game coach Singer admitted you have to chalk some of that perfection up to lady luck.
 
"The special teams so far this year have been very, very good, and you know we'll take it while it's there because there's a certain amount of karma [or] luck that goes along with special teams," Singer said. "You hit a post, you hit a stick, the puck deflects in and so far we've been fortunate and the guys have been working hard I'll give them that but we've gotta keep it up."
 
Lucky or not, Western got the job done, and with the man advantage they proved to be just as strong. The Mustangs finished the night with three power play goals on three chances to raise their league-leading success rate to an impressive 36.7% on the year.
 
"[Special teams were] something at the beginning of the year we really looked at," said De Coste. "Power play wasn't where we wanted it to be and the penalty kill was doing fairly well but it's one of those things we want to improve every time anyways. So our special teams the last few games here have been a lot better and obviously we've been productive because of it."
 
The line of Noah Schwartz, Julian Cimadamore, and Luke Karaim set the tone on the first shift of the game and a great period from Matt Marantz helped the Mustangs carry that momentum all the way through the period. Not only did the third-year forward open the scoring, he also helped Western kill off their first penalty of the period by stealing the puck and holding off three Toronto players in their defensive zone. Thanks in large part to his effort, Toronto wouldn't manage a shot on that power play.
 
The Varsity Blues would, however, get an even-strength goal with just under four minutes left in the period, with Andrew Doyle using a defender as a screen to beat Dodds off the far post for his first goal of the year. But Western would respond just 51 second later with a goal from De Coste, who tapped the puck in off a rebound following a tough-angle shot from Steve Reese.
 
De Coste would return the favour to his captain exactly two minutes later, as the sophomore forward found Reese with a crisp cross-ice pass on the power play and he ripped it between two Toronto defenders and under Michael Nishi's arm to make the score 3-1 heading into the intermission. Western's three first-period goals on Nishi were more than the second-year goaltender had let in all season, as he had allowed just two goals in his first two appearances.
 
After combining with Reese to pot the two first-period goals, De Coste was back at it again in the second, wiring a slap-shot from the point that was tipped in by Cimadamore. The goal— which would stand as the only offence from either team in the period— produced some music for the ears of Mustangs fans, as it rang off the cross bar before dropping neatly into the net.
 
But in the end, Western's three goal first-period would prove to be all the offence they would need on the night, as the Varsity Blues buzzed around the Mustangs goal in the third but were unable to score more than one goal. Western would add a tally in the frame too, as Karaim gave the Mustangs extra insurance with his third of the season just over a minute into the period.
 
Despite the fact that his team was able to hold off a Varsity Blues comeback, Singer wasn't at all pleased with his team's consistency on the night.
 
"I think any time you can win by three goals on our side you have to be happy with the result, maybe not necessarily happy with the entire process along the way," Singer said. "I thought we were pretty inconsistent overall tonight— power play did a great job, penalty kill was good— but I thought five-on-five we had some ebs and some flows, some peaks and some valleys for sure and don't like to finish that way in the third, kind of leaving Greg there hung out to dry." 
 
Dodds was solid in net once against for Western, especially in a final frame that saw him stop 16 of the 17 shots that came his way. His counterpart, Michael Nishi, entered the game as the only goaltender in the OUA with a higher save percentage than Dodds— albeit in only two appearances—but he wouldn't leave with that honour. Western's sophomore goaltender heads into tomorrow's matchup with Ryerson with the OUA's highest save percentage at .940.
 
That matchup, which features a meeting between one of the leagues most potent offences and the league's top goaltender, ought to make for some exciting hockey.
 
"Ryerson is— in my mind— the most dangerous offensive team in the league, on either side," Singer said of tomorrow's opponent. "So it's going to be a real challenge but hey, anytime you get to go to Maple Leaf Gardens you've got to enjoy the day and we're hoping to enjoy the day and play a good hockey game."
 
Notes
 
Western entered the game with a record of 2-0-0 in games where their opponents outshot them, while Toronto came in with a 0-2-0 record when they outshot their opponents. In a weird twist of fate, nobody outshot anybody, as both teams registered 38 shots… Toronto's power play woes on the road continued Friday, as they came in with only one power play goal on 14 opportunities and failed to score on all four chances… The game was the second one in as many nights for the Varsity Blues, who destroyed Guelph 7-2 on the road on Thursday before losing to Western… Both Schwartz (2-6-8) and Reese (5-6-11) extended their point streaks to seven games on the night and Reese was in on three of the goals…

Source: Western Mustangs

Brock 1 @ McGill 8

MONTREAL - The Brock Badgers men's hockey (2-4-1 OUA) team fell behind early and couldn't recover dropping an 8-1 decision to the McGill Redmen (5-2-0 OUA) Friday night in Montreal.

McGill opened a 3-0 lead in the first period with goals coming from Max Le Sieur, Jonathan Brunelle, and David Rose. Brock's Evan Morden and Anthony Geldart setup Jordan Gignac on the powerplay with 3:08 remaining to give the homeside a 3-1 lead after one.

The Redmen would tack on three more goals in the second period as Brunelle, Le Sieur and Rose all collected their second goals of the night. In the third period, McGill would add two more goals from Etienne Boutet and Guillaume Langelier-Parent. Simon Tardif-Richard also collected three assists on the night.

"This is a tough loss," Brock Head Coach Murray Nystrom said.  "We had many individual efforts but very little as a group.  That is not good for a team like us where the collective is a requirement for success.  We will be better next week."

Rookie Clint Windsor got the start in goal for the Badgers but was pulled in favour of Adrian Volpe after allowing five goals on 19 shots.  Volpe would make 19 saves on 22 shots as McGill outshot Brock 41-33 overall. McGill starter Karel St-Laurent turned aside 32 of 33 shots he faced for the victory.

The Badgers finished the night 1-for-9 on the powerplay, while the Redmen were 2-for-3. McGill also added two shorthanded markers.

Brock now visits Thunder Bay for two games against the Lakehead Thunderwolves next weekend before returning home on Friday, November 14th to take on the Carleton Ravens.  Game time at the Seymour-Hannah Centre is 7:15 pm. 

Source: Brock Badgers

Laurier 3 @ Nipissing 5

It took longer than they would have liked, but the Nipissing Lakers men's hockey team earned their first home ice win Friday night over the Laurier Golden Hawks.

The Lakers were winless at home entering the game, but got off to a very strong start and used that start to pick up a 5-3 win.

The Lakers scored two goals within the first five minutes, as Matt Paton and Brock Morrison found the back of the net to put the Lakers up 2-0.

Laurier would get one back before the end of the period as the first 20 minutes ended with Nipissing up 2-1.

The two teams exploded for three goals in the first four minutes of the middle frame, as the Lakers went up 3-1 before Laurier closed the gap once again.

Right after that goal, the Lakers took a two goal lead again.

Jacob McDowell and Mackenzie Keirstead scored in the second period for Nipissing.

In the third, the teams traded goals as Laurier climbed within one with a power play goal just before the midway mark of the period.

The Lakers would hold on, however, and an empty-net power play goal would seal the win and give Nipissing their first home win of the season.

Erik Robichaud had two assists and Kirk Rafuse picked up the win, making 33 saves.

Looking to make it two in a row, the Lakers will host the Waterloo Warriors tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Memorial Gardens.

Source: Nipissing Lakers

UOIT 6 @ Concordia 3

MONTREAL – The UOIT men's hockey team got their weekend road swing off to a great start as they earned a decisive 6-3 victory over the Concordia Stingers.
 
UOIT's offence came out on fire, scoring three goals in the first eight minutes to shock the hometown crowd. Cameron Yuill (Wellington, Ont.), Jordan Ramsay (Pickering, Ont.) and Connor Jarvis (Port Union, Ont.) were the goal scorers. For Jarvis, it was his first career OUA goal.
 
With Concordia back on their heels, the Ridgebacks took their foot off the gas as the Stingers would knock off three straight goals of their own to tie the game up.
 
One minute after Concordia leveled the score, assistant captain Kevin George (Uxbridge, Ont.) would regain the UOIT one-goal lead as he recorded his fourth goal of the season.
 
In the third period, UOIT would put the game to rest as Jesse Stoughton (Bobcaygeon, Ont.) and James Woodcroft (Milton, Ont.) would each light the lamp, giving the Ridgebacks their fourth win of the year.
 
Colin Dzijacky (Thunder Bay, Ont.) got the start in goal for UOIT and made 17 saves in his first win of the season. UOIT outshot Concordia 28-20.
 
Friday's offensive output was spread throughout the line-up as six different players registered a goal and an assist. Alex Derlis (Campbellcroft, Ont.) was the lone Ridgeback with a multi-point night without a goal, as he recorded two assists.
 
The Ridgebacks will be back on the bus on Saturday as they head to UQTR for an afternoon affair with the Patriotes.

Source: UOIT Ridgebacks

RMC 1 @ Windsor 3

The Lancer men's hockey team kept their win streak alive with a 3-1 win over the RMC Paladins on Friday night at South Windsor Arena.
 
With the win, the No. 4 Lancers are 8-0-0 on the season, are in first place in the OUA, and remain the only undefeated team in the country.
 
RMC opened the scoring just 4:06 into the first period when Windsor gave the puck away in their own end. Scott Domenico broke in alone on Lancer goaltender Parker Van Buskirk to put the visitors up 1-0.
 
In the second period it was the Lancers who scored first 5:28 into the period, as Ryan Green put in a rebound to tie the game at one a piece. After both teams killed off numerous penalties, Matt Beaudoin found the back of the net off a pass from CIS scoring leader Spencer Pommells and Green.
 
RMC goaltender Evan Deviller made some solid saves for the visiting team and kept the score closer than the Lancers would have liked going into the dressing room after the second period.
 
With the Blue & Gold killing off a penalty, Beaudoin scored his second of the game on a beautiful pass from Julian Luciani to put Windsor up 3-1. Van Buskirk and the Lancers then held off RMC for the remaining nine minutes of the game to seal their eighth straight win.
 
Van Buskiek made 19 saves, while Deviller had an outstanding night in net with 41 saves against the powerful Lancer offence.
 
The two teams will face off again on Saturday night in the second game of the weekend doubleheader at 7:30pm at South Windsor Arena.

Source: Windsor Lancers

Waterloo 3 @ Laurentian 4 (SO)

He might not have been wearing a costume, but Laurentian Voyageurs goaltender Alain Valiquette was Superman for Halloween.

Valiquette made 34 saves in regulation and overtime, before going a perfect 6-for-6 in the shootout as the Voyageurs topped the Waterloo Warriors 4-3 on Friday night in Sudbury.

Nick Esposito registered a goal and an assist, and Vincent Llorca added three helpers for the Voyageurs, who improved to 5-3-0 on the season. The Warriors got two-point performances from Kain Allicock (Markham) and Matt Kennedy (Oro Medonte) in the loss, as their record dropped to 4-3-1.

Although Valiquette was the story, Warriors goaltender Mike Morrison (Hamilton) was solid in defeat, making 24 stops and forcing the shootout to go six rounds.

The first period had plenty of pace and physical play, but it lacked offense from either side. Valiquette and Morrison were both sharp out of the gate, and the opening frame yielded a scoreless draw.

The game was over 32 minutes old before Allicock opened the scoring, with Riley Sonnenburg (Cambridge) and Adam Bignell (Kitchener) drawing assists. That first goal set off a flurry of scoring to close the period - Laurentian's Michael MacDonald and Brad MacDonald scored less than two minutes apart to give the Voyageurs the lead, before Warriors captain Joe Underwood (Canton) cashed in on the power play in the period's final minute to make the score 2-2 after 40 minutes.

The tie was short-lived in the third, as Esposito rifled one past Morrison to restore the Laurentian lead just over 3 minutes into the period. The Warriors responded by carrying the play throughout the final stanza, and they were finally rewarded in the game's closing seconds. With Morrison on the bench for the extra attacker, Kennedy beat Valiquette to tie the game at 3-3 and send it into overtime.

Five minutes of 4-on-4 and five more of 3-on-3 solved nothing, as did the first five rounds of the shootout. Valiquette and Morrison were perfect through a combined 11 shooters before Nicolas Dionne gave the home team the extra point with the shootout winner.

The Warriors will now try to take 3 of 4 points on their northern Ontario trip, when they face the Nipissing Lakers on Saturday in North Bay. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 pm.

Notes: The Warriors went 1-for-4 on the power play, while Laurentian went 0-for-1...Bignell's second-period assist was the first point of his CIS career...Warriors forward Colin Behenna (Waterloo) was assessed a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for a check to the head in the second period.

Source: Waterloo Warriors

Sunday, November 1

UOIT 0 @ UQTR 5

TROIS-RIVIÈRES, Que. – The UOIT men's hockey team were unable to score against the No. 5 ranked UQTR Patriotes on Saturday, losing 5-0 to return home with a weekend split.
 
Up against the top team in the OUA East, the Ridgebacks didn't allow a goal until the 10:10 mark of the first period when Billy Lacasse beat Colin Dzijacky.
 
UOIT's Cameron Yuill took a tripping penalty with 23 seconds remaining in the period, but UQTR was unable to score before the intermission. With the ice still wet and only two seconds remaining on the power play, Tommy Giroux put the Patriotes ahead 2-0.
 
Under two minutes later Carl-Antoine Delisle made it 3-0. Before the second intermission Guillaume Asselin pushed the lead to four.
 
Giroux scored his second of the game with 4:57 to go in the third, en route to his team's 5-0 victory.  UQTR currently leads the OUA East with a 7-1-0 record. Francis Desrosiers has won three of those games, picking up Saturday's win against UOIT with 35 saves.
 
Dzijacky made 28 saves in the loss for UOIT.
 
The Ridgebacks are back in action on Friday night at RMC before returning home Saturday to host Carleton.

Source: UOIT Ridgebacks