OUA Men's Hockey: Nipissing defeated UOIT 5-1
 
OSHAWA, Ont. – Nipissing goaltender Kirk Rafuse did everything in his power to keep the UOIT men's hockey team off the board on Saturday afternoon. Despite allowing a single third period goal, Rafuse succeeded as the Lakers skated away with a 5-1 victory.
 
Rafuse saw 52 shots and came up with save after save, including one right off his helmet from the side of the crease. The only blemish on his record was UOIT's Mitch Bennett scoring with seven minutes left to go in the third period. James Woodcroft (Milton, Ont.) and Riley Daly (Lorette, Man.) picked up assists on Bennett's third of the year.
 
Just after Bennett's goal with Nipissing leading 4-1, Rafuse made a diving glove save on a shot that looked like it was going in the wide open net. The save preserved the Laker's lead and put an end to any momentum UOIT had going for them in their comeback bid.
 
UOIT got off to a sluggish start in the contest as Nipissing's Brandon Warmington and Dane Horvat each scored in the opening ten minutes to give the Lakers a 2-0 lead.
 
The Ridgebacks would take over the play for the remainder of the period and the majority of the second as they fired 40 shots on net, but failed to convert on any of them. Nipissing on the other hand managed to take advantage of a couple of favourable bounces, as Brogan Bailey and Matt Paton scored, extending the Lakers lead to four.
 
The Lakers would cap off the game with their fifth goal coming with just over a minute left on the clock, as Jacob McDowell found himself alone in front of the net and scored his seventh of the year.
 
Brendan O'Neill (Ilderton, Ont.), who earned the win over Laurentian on Friday, stopped 24 shots over the first two periods. Colin Dzijacky (Thunder Bay, Ont.) finished the game in net for UOIT and stopped five of six Nipissing shots.
 
Only three power plays were handed out in the game, with UOIT going 0-for-1 and Nipissing ending up 0-for-2. Final shots finished 52-34 in favour of the home team.
 
UOIT heads into the break with a record of 7-9-1, sitting comfortably in seventh place in the OUA conference standings, five points ahead of the Concordia Stingers of Montreal. The Ridgebacks will return to the Campus Ice Centre for an exhibition game against the Guelph Gryphons on Dec. 30. Game time for the game will be 7:30 p.m.
 
A QUICK LOOK AT THE RIDGEBACKS
Overall Record: 8-11-2
Conference Record: 7-9-1

Next Game: Dec. 30 vs. Guelph (Exhibition Game)