February 17, 2016

Ravens blank Nipissing 3-0, take 1-0 series lead

(NORTH BAY, ON) — A trio of highlight-reel goals and a disciplined road performance led the Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team to a 3-0 win in Game 1 of its OUA East quarter-final against the Nipissing Lakers in North Bay on Wednesday night.

Nipissing

Carleton

Final

Nipissing

Carleton

Nipissing

Carleton

Final

Nipissing

Carleton

(NORTH BAY, ON) — A trio of highlight-reel goals and a disciplined road performance led the Carleton Ravens men's hockey team to a 3-0 win in Game 1 of its OUA East quarter-final against the Nipissing Lakers in North Bay on Wednesday night.

Francis Dupuis (Ottawa, ON) pitched a 27-save shutout for Carleton, which dominated the better part of sixty minutes at the North Bay Memorial Gardens.

"We started off really well—all four lines skated very well and did a good job moving the puck," said Ravens head coach Marty Johnston. "Our PK did a good job in the second and third, killing off four penalties, and it got chippy—there seemed to be a lot of slashing."

Carleton came out flying on the road, outshooting Nipissing 17-3 in the first period and scoring the opening blow through Brett Welychka (London, ON) at the 8:45 mark.

"There was a sense in the room that the energy was there, and it's a credit to our leadership group for having the team ready," said Coach Johnston, who denied having anything to do with his team's energetic start.

Welychka one-timed a beautiful powerplay feed from linemate Michael McNamee (Perth, ON) past Lakers goaltender Domenic Graham to put the Ravens deservedly on top. The second assist on the goal went to big Ryan Van Stralen (Prescott, ON), making Carleton's opener an all-first-line affair.

In his first game since Jan. 26, Ravens forward Corey Durocher (Ottawa, ON) netted a dandy of a goal early in the second period to double the Carleton lead. Off a face-off win and picture-perfect pass from Brent Norris (Ottawa, ON), Durocher rifled a wrist shot top-shelf to Graham's blocker-side.

Norris then sealed the deal in period three with an incredible solo effort; after stripping Nipissing's Jimmy McDowell of the puck in the offensive zone, the Ottawa-native was then tripped up before going bar-down on Graham with an incredible wrist-shot.

"I got a little lucky," chuckled Norris modestly of his play-of-the-week candidate goal. "The guy turned it over and I guess I had time to get up on mt knees, but I figured I'd catch him off guard a little (with a shot) and was able to do that."

The game then devolved into a series of cheapshots and pieces of stickwork art, with Carleton the more-penalized team in the final twenty minutes.

"It got pretty chippy, with a lot of stickwork," said Coach Johnston post-game. "Our guys persevered, and now we're ready to head back home to regroup and prepare for game two."

Source: Carleton Ravens