UOIT closes out the regular season with a win – Playoffs up next

WATERLOO, Ont. – The UOIT men's hockey team closed out their regular season with a 2-1 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday night in Waterloo.

With the win, UOIT finishes in seventh place in the OUA eastern conference and will take on the UQTR Patriotes in the opening round of the playoffs. Game one will take place on Wednesday night at the Campus Ice Centre with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Freshman Mitch Bennett (Fenelon Falls, Ont.) was the late game hero for UOIT as he scored the game-winning goal at the 14:35 minute mark of the third period. Bennett has scored 11 goals this season, which ranks third among OUA freshmen. He also finishes the year tied for the UOIT scoring race with captain Luke VanMoerkerke, with each player posting 18 points.

A key factor for UOIT in the win was the performance of their penalty-killing unit which was exceptional down the stretch as they fought off three straight minor penalties in the final ten minutes of the game.

The Ridgebacks played one of their most complete road games as they outshot the Golden Hawks by a 34-27 margin while generating a number of scoring opportunities. Colin Dzijacky (Thunder Bay, Ont.) had a solid effort in net as he made 26 saves for his seventh win of the season.

After trailing 1-0 midway through the second period, UOIT's Jordan Ramsay (Pickering, Ont.) tied the game up with his fourth goal of the year.

UOIT finishes the year with an 8-16-4 record and head into their playoff series against UQTR on a winning note. The Patriotes clinched second place on Saturday afternoon with a win over Nipissing giving them a 22-6-0 conference record, one point behind the Carleton Ravens who earned the divisional title. This will be the first time these two sides have squared off in the postseason.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE RIDGEBACKS
Overall Record: 8-22-4
Conference Record: 8-16-4

Next Game: Wed. Feb. 19 vs. UQTR (7:30 p.m.)