Marquee Matchup: Ryerson welcomes winter homecoming with Blue & Gold Night bash against rival Lions
Toronto – Friday night will bring a blue and gold flare to our provincial capital, as the Ryerson Rams host their winter homecoming event at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. If that’s not enough to get fans excited, the host Rams will be hitting the ice against their cross-town rivals from York to mark the occasion, as the Lions make the short trip for the all-GTA battle in this week’s OUA Marquee Matchup.
While their seasons have told very different stories thus far in the standings, there is always a little extra motivation when penning the next chapter of the rivalry. The veteran-laden Rams have earned the edge of late over the robust roster of rookies from the Lions (17 to be exact), sweeping York a year ago and taking their first meeting already this season, but there are no forgone conclusions once the puck drops on a fresh 60 minutes.
Part of the reason for this seemingly inevitable toss up is that, despite the losses, York competes game in and game out, and even with a 10-game losing streak in tow, the team has lost five of those tilts by just one goal. And while the recent stretch hasn’t done any favours for the Lions in the standings – with the club continuing to search for their first win of the 2020 calendar year – players are still doing all that they can to help them buck the trend, including their two leading scorers Jeremy Lucchini and Scott Feser.
Lucchini’s 15 points have him atop the York roster and place him as the 11th highest scoring defenceman in the conference. After playing in just 11 games in his rookie campaign, the now second-year rearguard has been a staple for the team on both ends of the ice, which the Trail, B.C. native will need to showcase yet again on Friday night. While Lucchini leads the charge on the blue line, it’s Feser (5G, 8A) that powers the prowl up front. The team captain and OUA all-star, who hails from Red Deer, Alta., has been a key veteran for the youthful Lions, both on and off the ice, and will bring a battle-tested presence to this latest head-to-head encounter.
Both of these players helped set up York’s lone goal in their October contest with Ryerson, but as has been a tendency for much of the season, the offence wasn’t able to get over the hump to earn them the win; a trend that will be front and centre for the team to overcome in their rematch on Friday. Entering play this weekend, the visitors are averaging almost a full goal less per contest than their hosts (2.43 vs. 3.33), and while the aforementioned pair may provide the most offence for Lions, the team as a whole will need others to find the score sheet to help upend the high-octane Rams.
Similar to York, it was Ryerson’s top point-producers who set up a key goal for their squad back in October, as both Matt Mistele (Whitby, Ont.) and Mathew Santos (Toronto, Ont.) picked up helpers on Ryerson’s game-winner in the low-scoring 2-1 affair. But finding their names on the box score is nothing new for two of the OUA’s most gifted offensive players – both of whom rank in the conference’s top 15 in points – which definitely makes them a focal point for York.
It is no easy task slowing down this dynamic duo. The former, with 26 points on the year (8G, 18A), is the OUA’s reigning Most Valuable Player and leading scorer, and also became the Rams’ all-time scoring leader earlier this month. The captain is also joined by Santos (25 points), the team-leader with 12 goals on the season, who was selected to play with the U SPORTS all-star squad in December as part of the Hockey Canada World Juniors training camp. The forwards have continued to anchor Ryerson’s high expectations this season, after finishing first in the OUA West a year ago, and have done well to put the Rams in the national ranking conversation throughout the 2019-20 season.
With around one month to go before the postseason, the time is now for Ryerson to find their consistent stride – something that a recent win over the streaking No. 3 Toronto Varsity Blues should help with – and for York to regain their footing and finish strong down the stretch. But regardless of their place in the standings, both sides have their sights set on claiming victory against their fellow Torontonians, with York eyeing the spoiler role and Ryerson shooting for a celebratory homecoming.
Doors for the Mattamy Athletic Centre open at 6:00pm, while puck drop is scheduled for 7:15pm. For those who won’t be packing the stands for Blue and Gold Night, all the action is also available live on oua.tv.
