AROUND OUA: Lakers sink No.4-ranked Redmen with late three-goal rally to snap streak
MONTREAL -- Chad Thibodeau of Sault Ste. Marie., Ont., scored a power-play goal at 14:16 of the third period to cap a late rally as the visiting Nipissing University Lakers shocked No.4-ranked mcGill 3-2 in men's hockey at McConnell Arena, Saturday.
SCOREBOARD
Windsor 5 @ Concordia 6
Lakers sink No.4-ranked Redmen with late three-goal rally to snap streak
MONTREAL -- Chad Thibodeau of Sault Ste. Marie., Ont., scored a power-play goal at 14:16 of the third period to cap a late rally as the visiting Nipissing University Lakers shocked No.4-ranked mcGill 3-2 in men's hockey at McConnell Arena, Saturday.
It marked the second time in the last three meetings that Nipissing had stolen a game from McGill, which owns a 7-2-0 lifetime record against the squad from northern Ontario. The Redmen are already circling Jan. 9 on their calendar for the rematch in North Bay, Ont.
Goaltender Demenic Graham, a freshman from Gatineau, Que., turned aside 39 of 41 shots and watched as the Lakers scored three power-play markers in less than five minutes, to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
It spoiled a nice soiree by McGill defenceman Samuel Labrecque, who scored twice in a losing cause. His goal at 9:47 of the middle stanza was beginning to look like the winner until the Lakers were resussitated over the final 10 minutes of the contest.
Erik Robichaud converted a pass from Jim McDowell to tie the game at 9:29 of the third period, then set up McDowell for the go-ahead goal at 11:21 and McDowell set up Thibodeau at 14:16 to make it 3-1. That goal chased McGill starting netminder Karel St. Laurent, who was replaced by freshman Joe Fleschler for the final few minutes.
McGill then pulled Fleschler for an extra attacker and it paid off when Labrecque potted his second of the night at 16:40.
But the Redmen ran out of time and watched in shock as the Lakers celebrated their first victory of the young season after suffereing a pair of overtime losses. McGill, which had a 41-36 edge in shots, went 0-for-5 on the power-play, including a fruitless two-man advantage for a minute and 53 seconds in the first stanza. Nipissing went 3-for-6 on their PP chances.
It was the first setback of the OUA season for the Redmen, who dropped to 3-1-0 and will now focus on preparing to host UQTR, which holds an identical 3-1-0 record, on Friday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.
REDMEN RAP: This was part of the Friends of McGill Hockey alumni Homecoming weekend... Among the former Redmen players spotted over the events was head coach Kelly Nobes, assistant coach David Urquhart, Mario Debenedictis, Steven Pearce, Michael Wells, Michael Nelson, David Grenier, Stephane Ducharme, Stephane Fortin, Dr. Jay McMullan, Leonard Verrilli, Eric L'Italien, Charles Gauthier, Dan Gubiani, Chris Churchill-Smith, Teddy Kyres, Max LeSieur, Guillaume Langelier-Parent, Cedric McNicoll, Paul Theriault, Guillame Monast, Christophe Longpre-Poirier, Steven Valente, Benoit Levevesque and Jonathan Brunelle.
Source: McGill Redmen
Despite outshooting UQTR 36-33, the Lakehead Thunderwolves fell 6-1 to the Patriotes at Le Colisee in Three Rivers, Quebec on Saturday evening.
UQTR got on the board early when Mathieu Lemay scored on Lakehead goalie Devin Green just 2:39 into the contest.
Lakehead replied when Tyler Kunz and Kelin Ainsworth fed Billy Jenkins who beat Patriotes' netminder Sebastien Auger at 5:52, but that would be the only puck to get past Auger for the rest of the game.
UQTR added two power play goals by Pierre-Maxime Poudrier and Martin Lefebvre to take a 3-1 after 20 minutes of play.
After a scoreless second period, the Patriotes went up 4-1 on a marker from Olivier Caouette at 3:28 of the third.
UQTR's Mikael Langlois and Guillaume Asselin notched late goals to round out the scoring.
The loss drops the Wolves OUA record to 0-2 and to 2-5 overall.
Lakehead will look to get its first win of the OUA season when the Queen's Gaels visit the Fort William Gardens next weekend.
Source: Lakehead Thunderwolves
Ravens beat Lauretian 6-3, sweep weekend homestand
(OTTAWA, ON) — A strong third period against the lilting Laurentian Voyageurs was enough to see the Carleton Ravens through to a 6-3 victory at the Ice House on Saturday night. Four of the six goals on the night for Carleton (2-1-0) came from freshmen, and the Ravens were lucky that Laurentian (1-2-0) faded in the final frame after a dominant second period.
"I thought it wasn't our best game of the year so far, but in the third period the guys got themselves together and played a really solid third," said Carleton head coach Marty Johnston.
After jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first period via goals from Derek Froats (Winchester, ON) — his first in the CIS — and Ryan Van Stralen (Prescott, ON), Carleton struggled in the second period of Saturday's game against the hard-working Voyageurs. Goals from Dylan Fitze and Kaden Ruest early in period two drew Laurentian level, and Carleton was lucky to escape the middle frame with the score tied 2-2.
Carleton responded early in the third period, as Ravens freshman Alex Boivin (Ottawa, ON) set the tone for the final frame with a glove-side snipe on Voyageurs netminder Alain Valiquette to give the Ravens a 3-2 lead at the 5:42 mark. Boivin then set up fellow freshman Brett Gustavsen (Scarborough, ON) three minutes later for a crucial insurance marker, pushing the Carleton lead to 4-2.
Laurentian cut its deficit in half with just under three minutes remaining, as Jacob Smith redirected a Vinny Llorca point shot past Carleton goaltender Patrick Killeen, but it was as close as the Voyageurs would come. Michael McNamee (Perth, ON) and Brent Norris (Ottawa, ON) each added empty-net goals to seal the win for the Ravens.
"We were a bit shaky out of the gates in the second period, but with the firepower we have we came together in the third, and I'm glad we got the win," said Ravens freshman Alex Boivin. "We wanted to bear down — I tried to get pucks to the net — and we ended up producing, which is always good."
After being the lone Raven held off the scoresheet in Friday night's 11-0 smashing of RMC, Derek Froats picked up the first goal of Saturday's game.
"Last night was big win for us, but I felt like I was fighting the puck all night — to put one in early tonight felt really good for me," said the Winchester-native, whose goal Saturday snapped a three-year goalscoring drought in competitive play. "There's some good things we can take out of this weekend, but we've got to continue focusing on playing a full sixty minutes."
Patrick Killeen (Corkery, ON) picked up the win for Carleton, as he managed to shake off a second period blunder and buckle down to solidify the win down the stretch.
The Ravens will hit the road to southwestern Ontario next weekend, with games against Waterloo on Saturday (7 p.m.) and Laurier on Sunday (7:30 p.m.). Both games will be available as webstreams on OUA.tv. Carleton will be back at home on Halloween weekend, with games against UOIT (Fri. 30th) and Queen's (Sat. 31st).
Source: Carleton Ravens
Short-handed Mustangs hold off Rams for third straight win
LONDON, Ont. – Trevor Warnaar scored his second of the game in a wild third period to help lead the short-handed Mustangs over the Ryerson Rams 7-4 at Thompson Arena on Saturday.
"We traded goals back and forth and it's not exactly how we wanted to win the game but we got the job done in the end and that's what's important," said Warnaar of the third period. "We're getting contributions from everybody on the ice—first line through fourth line."
Western dressed just 16 skaters and found themselves down to 15 when Nick Charif was assessed a 10-minute misconduct late in the second frame. But the Mustangs were able to survive three third period goals from the Rams and Charif made up for his time in the box by whipping an insurance marker by Ryerson's Taylor Dupuis late in the frame.
"I thought the guys battled," said Mustangs head coach Clarke Singer. "Ryerson didn't play yesterday—we did—we had a pretty physical game against Laurier. Power plays were nine to two and I mean you waste a lot of energy killing penalties. I do think it caught up to us a little bit there and we weren't thinking like we should or maybe playing the body as smart as we could in the d-zone.
"It would have been easy to fold the tent there but our guys battled back and had a great effort in the last 10 [minutes]."
In total, the two teams combined for eight goals in the third, as a previously low-scoring game erupted into a free-for-all. Warnaar and rookie Ray Huether both finished with two goals on the night, while Huether added an assist to finish with a team-high three points. Both of his goals came in the third period—the latter was an empty netter that put the cherry on top.
Western entered the third period up one and added to their lead early, but the Rams would fight back with three goals to eventually tie the game at four. Warnaar's goal eleven minutes in was enough to put the Mustangs up for good, as he picked up his own rebound and slid it in.
"I came on a late change kind of thing and the puck bounced out," said Warnaar of his winner. "I fanned on the first one but I was lucky enough to get on top of the second and bang her home."
Trent Ouellette and Matt Marantz also had multi-point games, with Ouellette scoring the opener and adding an assist and Marantz registering a pair of helpers. Ouellette's goal was part of a two goal first period that had the Mustangs up 2-0 at the first intermission.
If you would have told coach Singer before the game that the severely shorthanded Mustangs would have a two-goal lead heading into the first intermission and a one-goal lead at the second, he probably wouldn't have believed you. But that's just the way it's gone for 3-0 Western so far this year: they're finding a way to score despite all of the odds.
"Certainly a bit of a surprise," said Singer when asked about Western's early-season offensive outburst. "The key goals have been critical. If you look at it [Ryerson] came back and we get the fifth and put it away. So we'll keep working on it and keep trying to get those hard-working gritty goals. We haven't had a power play goal, which is something—when you look at that—you think our power play would contribute but it hasn't yet."
Greg Dodds earned his second win of the season for the Mustangs, stopping 43 of 47 shots to hold off the Rams. Twenty-six of those saves came in the third-period alone, as the Rams pummelled him with pucks in a desperate attempt to get back in the game.
A hustle goal from Aaron Armstrong on a scrum in front of the net, a nice tip-in by Sam Blanchet on a point-shot from Alex Basso, and a slapper from Andreas Tsogkas on a two-on-one were the only three shots to get by him in the final frame, as he stood on his head for the Mustangs. His counterpart in Dupuis finished the game with a whopping 46 saves on 52 shots.
"Both Peter and Greg have been exceptional," said Singer. "Often your goaltender's your best penalty killer and both Peter and Greg have been great for us in the first three games."
Western didn't give Dupuis much of a chance on a number of their goals. Both Warnaar and Huether wired shots off the cross-bar and in for one of their goals, while Luke Karaim scored his second of the season on a bang-bang play in the third.
Those goals helped lead to result that Western needed but weren't necessarily looking for, as the young team focuses on implementing coach Singer's systems. A 3-0 start is certainly a bonus, but the injury plagued team is looking for more than just wins early on.
"We're not trying to focus on the results, more the process," said Singer. "So far the guys are doing a good job. We're happy with where we are, we've got a long ways to go with the group but they're very receptive. They've been working very hard and that's all you can ask."
The Mustangs will now turn their attention to next weekend, when they'll face off against the Varsity Blues in Toronto on Friday and the Guelph Gryphons in London on Saturday. The purple and white will have a chance to reassess their injuries this week as they continue one to be part of one of the oddest starts in Mustangs hockey history.
"Never," Singer responded when asked whether he had ever seen such an injury-plagued start. "I thought last year was tough as we finished the season without some of our best guys but we dressed 18 players today. We have 28 players on our roster and we dressed 18. The odd time you have to dress 19 maybe but never can I remember being two short of what you can dress."
NOTES: Western gave up just a single power play goal on seven opportunities, but were unable to score one of their own for the third game this season. The penalty kill hasn't given one up either, though, and has looked good through the first few games…
Source: Western Mustangs
Pair of third period goals sink Golden Hawks
TORONTO (October 17, 2015) – The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's hockey team lost their second straight game on Saturday night as they fell 4-2 on the road to the Toronto Varsity Blues.
Entering the third period tied at two, the Hawks surrendered two early goals and were unable to recover as they saw their record fall to 1-2-0 on the season.
Playing the hero for Toronto was Andrew Doyle of Richmond Hill, Ont., as he scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner less than two minutes into the final period. Patrick Marsh of Oakville, Ont., and Christian Finch of Markham, Ont., also scored for the Blues.
Replying for the purple and gold were Kyle Morrison of Mississauga, Ont., and Derek Schoenmakers of Kitchener, Ont., who both scored their first goals of the year.
Colin Furlong of Cambridge, Ont., took the loss in goal for Laurier in his first start of the season. He stopped 27 of the 31 shots he faced.
Brett Willows of Rivers, Man., picked up the win as he made 31 saves for the Varsity Blues, helping his team even their record at 2-2-0.
Laurier will look to even their record at .500 next Saturday, October 24, when they host the RMC Paladins at Laurier Brantford Homecoming. Puck drop is set for 4 p.m. at the Brantford Civic Centre.
Source: Laurier Golden Hawks
D'Agostini Shines as Gryphons Shutout Waterloo in Home Opener
Guelph, ON - The Guelph Gryphons Men's Hockey team got a real taste for winning late in the 2014/15 season. A run through the OUA playoffs produced a Queen's Cup and a subsequent bronze-medal finish at the CIS University Cup in Halifax. Those winning ways were slow to arrive this season but the defending OUA champions got back on track Saturday night at the Gryphon Centre with a tight 1-0 victory over the rival Waterloo Warriors, thanks to a pair of youngsters.
Cody Thompson, a first-year winger from Mississauga, ON, scored the only goal of the game for Guelph (1-2-0), notching the first of his young OUA career. And second-year goaltender Andrew D'Agostini was brilliant, turning away all 40 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season.
D'Agostini, the Top Goalie at the CIS Championships last March, had a notably busy start to the second period and made key saves that kept the game scoreless. His efforts allowed Guelph to go down the ice and take a 1-0 lead when Thompson went to the net and buried a rebound from a Nick Trecapelli shot at 3:52 of the period. Trecapelli has assisted on all three Guelph goals this season.
Guelph played with much more confidence after Thompson got them on the board. D'Agostini kept the level extremely high and the Gryphons seemed more precise breaking out of their own zone and finding open teammates.
Guelph did get fortunate when a Waterloo goal was waved off early in the third period after D'Agostini's net was dislodged. The Warriors then went on the power play with about eight minutes left in regulation but the Gryphon penalty killers played desperate, clogging lanes and fighting hard for the puck.
D'Agostini saved some of his best work for the third period, including a big stop on Mitch Elliot late in the game after the Waterloo forward broke in alone and tried to beat the standout goaltender low.
The Gryphon Centre crowd was hoping that a sentimental look back to the recent past would help kick start a team in search of its first win of the season. There was a pre-game ceremony to honour last year's squad and the championship banner was unveiled to applause, commemorating Guelph's first league title since 1997. Last year's captain Dan Broussard and outgoing Athletic Director Tom Kendall were on hand to drop the puck for the ceremonial face off.
But the 2015/16 Gryphons still seemed to be finding their way early in the home opener after scoring just two goals total in losses to Windsor and Ryerson. It was an erratic start by the hosts, who managed to get deep into the Waterloo zone but were unable to put many shots on goal. Guelph finally registered their first on Mike Morrison 8:06 in. A few turnovers almost proved costly as D'Agostini was forced to come up large on a Waterloo power play, denying two Warrior chances from in close midway through the opening period.
Waterloo outshot Guelph 40-19 on the night but the Gryphons came out on top in the only category that matters with a slim 1-0 victory over their local rivals.
The Gryphons are next in action on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 pm when they host the Ryerson Rams. That will mark the second meeting this season between the two teams after Ryerson beat Guelph 2-1 in Toronto last Thursday.
Source: Guelph Gryphons
Penalties hurt UOIT against York
OSHAWA, Ont. – UOIT failed to pick up their third straight win on Saturday night after dropping a 5-2 decision to the York Lions at the Campus Ice Centre.
It was a parade to the box for the Ridgebacks as they were called for 32 minutes of penalties, giving the Lions 10 power play opportunities. York would take full advantage of the infractions as they scored four power play markers en route to the three-goal victory.
Leading 3-1 in the third period, York would put the game to rest with back-to-back goals one minute apart with eight minutes to go in the game.
Loren Ulett (Port Perry, Ont.) and Alex Derlis (Campbellcroft, Ont.) were the goal scorers for UOIT, with Alex Yuill (Wellington, Ont.) and Keaton Lubin (Okotoks, Alta.) picking up assists. In three games this year, Ulett has scored three goals.
For the first time in his Ridgeback career, Mark Petaccio (Sicklerville, N.J.) was held of the scoresheet.
UOIT had several chances of their own, but York goaltender Chris Perugini made several key stops including a cross-crease save on Jesse Stoughton (Bobcaygeon, Ont.) in the second period.
York's Tyler Mort and Mark Cross had three points apiece, while Shayne Rover had one goal and an assist.
Brendan O'Neill (Ilderton, Ont.) suffered the loss in net allowing all five goals on 34 Lion shots on goal. York outshot UOIT 34-26.
UOIT slips to 2-2-0 this season and are tied with four other teams for third place in the OUA eastern conference standings.
The Ridgebacks will be on the road next weekend as they head to Windsor for back-to-back games against the Lancers.
Source: UOIT Ridgebacks
Gaels hold on for 4-3 win after bizarre play
KINGSTON, Ont. (October 17, 2015) - The Queen's Gaels (2-1-0) defeated the Brock Badgers (0-3-1) 4-3 on Saturday night in OUA men's hockey at the Memorial Centre in Kingston. The Gaels held on to a 4-3 win after a bizarre play where Brock scored with too many men on the ice.
Making his first start for Queen's between the pipes was Jacob Brennan (Halifax) and he was tested often throughout the game. In the first period he held strong for Queen's stopping all 13 shots he faced from the Badgers. The Gaels were also able to open the scoring in the first period as they struck on the powerplay. Peter Angelopolous (Nobleton, Ont.) scored at 12:26 for his first career CIS goal, Angelopolous broke in over the blue line and fired a shot high over the shoulder of Badger starting netminder Real Cormier.
In the second period the Badgers responded as Skylar Pacheco potted his second goal on the season beating Brennan on a shot from the point that was low to the ice. Just under four minutes later Queen's struck again. This time it was Slater Doggett (Oakville, Ont.) picking up his first career CIS tally as he potted a rebound off of an Angelopolous shot for an easy goal to put Queen's back in front. After the Gaels added another to go out in front 3-1, the Badgers used a later powerplay in the 2nd to cut the lead back down to one with only 21 seconds left in the frame.
In the third Brock once again evened the score with Queen's as Mitch Nardi scored his second of the young season. They Gaels kept the pressure on and as Andrew Wiebe (Thunder Bay, Ont.) and Patrick McGillis (Calgary) broke in on a two on one Wiebe was able to find McGillis who cut to his backhand and snuck the puck past Cormier to restore the Gaels lead.
Late in the final period the Badgers beat Brennan to tie the game at 4-4 but after the Brock players finished celebrating the ref grabbed and counted six skaters for Brock along with their goalie. Instead of tying the game at 4-4 the goal was disallowed and Brock was assessed a penalty on the play for having too many men on the ice.
Source: Queen's Gaels
