UOIT opens up preseason with an OT loss
 
OUA Men's Hockey: York defeated UOIT 3-2 (OT)
 
NORTH YORK, Ont. – The UOIT men's hockey team got to try out the new OUA overtime format in their first preseason game of the year as they dropped a 3-2 decision to the York Lions on Saturday night.
 
The new format features an additional five minutes of 3-on-3 overtime if the game remains tied after the opening five minutes of 4-on-4.
 
Making his debut behind the bench as UOIT's head coach, Craig Fisher was pleased with his team's improvement throughout the game. 
 
"We had a very slow start but we began to find our identity as the game wore on," said Fisher. "It was your typical first game with some sloppy mistakes made by both teams. I really liked how we played in the second half as we started showing the habits that will help us win games."
 
Nate Mitton (Oshawa, Ont.) and Jeff Braithwaite (Ennismore, Ont.) were the goal scorers for UOIT. Colin Dzijacky (Thunder Bay, Ont.) and Jesse Raymond (Woodstock, Ont.) split time in between the pipes, allowing two and one goal against respectively.
 
The Ridgebacks will continue preseason action on Sunday afternoon as they host the Guelph Gryphons. Puck drop at the Campus Ice Centre is 3:30 p.m.
 
A QUICK LOOK AT THE RIDGEBACKS
Overall Record: 0-0-1
Conference Record: 0-0-0
 
Next Game: Sunday, September 14 vs. Guelph (3:30 p.m.)