February 25, 2016

First line flies, Dupuis denies as Ravens take Game 1 on road against McGill

(MONTREAL, QC) — A steady road effort and gutsy finish on Wednesday night were enough to see the Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team past the McGill Redmen in Game 1 of their OUA East semi-final. A pair of late empty-netters sealed a 5-2 win for Carleton, which took a 1-0 series lead thanks in large part to a superb 28-save performance from goaltender Francis Dupuis (Ottawa, ON).

McGill

Carleton

Final

McGill

Carleton

McGill

Carleton

Final

McGill

Carleton

(Photo: Valerie Wutti)

(MONTREAL, QC) — A steady road effort and gutsy finish on Wednesday night were enough to see the Carleton Ravens men's hockey team past the McGill Redmen in Game 1 of their OUA East semi-final. A pair of late empty-netters sealed a 5-2 win for Carleton, which took a 1-0 series lead thanks in large part to a superb 28-save performance from goaltender Francis Dupuis (Ottawa, ON).

"He played real well, fought through a lot of things and was certainly a big factor (in the win) as was our penalty kill," said Ravens head coach Marty Johnston. "It's obviously a big win—in a three-game series, getting that first one is huge—but we haven't done anything yet, we're going to need a big effort on Saturday."

Carleton got on the board first via a fortuitous bounce; speedy forward Mitch Zion (Manotick, ON) saw his centring effort bounce off McGill defenceman Samuel Labrecque and past Redmen 'tender Jacob Gervais-Chouinard, giving the Ravens a 1-0 lead on the road just 5:57 into the game.

CU doubled its lead fifty seconds into the middle frame, as veteran Mike McNamee (Perth, ON) nabbed his first goal of the postseason on a 5-on-3 powerplay. After Jeremie Fraser (Cantley, QC) missed the mark with a point shot, McNamee benefited from a big bounce off the in-boards and rifled the puck into a near-empty McGill net.

Ryan Van Stralen (Prescott, ON) then pushed the lead to three, banking a shot off a Redmen defenceman and past Gervais-Chouinard less than three minutes later.

Though the hosts surged back in the third period, with goals from Liam Heelis and Sam Labrecque, Carleton pocketed a pair of empty-netters from Corey Durocher (Ottawa, ON) and Joey West (Orleans, ON) to secure the crucial road win.

"It's huge to come in, Game 1 of a big series against a huge rival, and (come out with) an opportunity to win the series on Saturday," said Ravens forward Mike McNamee, who registered a goal and an assist in the victory. "It's a lot of teamwork, guys are getting better with communication, and some young guys are really doing what they have to do."

Dupuis picked up the win between the pipes for Carleton with 28 saves and had no chance on either of McGill's goals, while his counterpart Gervais-Chouinard took the loss after surrendering three goals on 21 shots.

Ravens blueliner Jeremie Fraser showcased his improved discipline throughout Wednesday's chippy affair, backing away from multiple scrums and playing a hard, clean defensive game.

"If you look at Fraze's track record, he's played on a lot of winning teams—with that comes the experience of playoffs and knowing how to play in big games," said Coach Johnston, who recruited Fraser from the QMJHL's Val-d'Or Foreurs. "He's certainly proven to be a big factor in our success."

The semi-final series now shifts to Ottawa, where the Ravens will host Game 2 on Saturday night at the Carleton Ice House (7 p.m., OUA TV) with a chance to sweep McGill.

Source: Carleton Ravens