TROIS-RIVIÈRES, QUE. – In the first half of their home-and-home series against the No. 5 ranked UQTR Patriotes, UOIT hung tough but failed to earn a win.
 
Trailing 2-1 in the second period, UQTR would score four unanswered goals to pick up the victory on home ice. The teams will meet again in Oshawa on Friday, January 15 with puck drop at the Campus Ice Centre scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
 
Ridgeback captain Luke VanMoerkerke (Tillsonburg, Ont.) recorded his fifth goal of the season less than a minute into the second, setting the trend for the remainder of the period.
 
Over a two-minute span, the two teams would score three goals with UQTR getting two of them to tie the game. Ben Blasko (Kingston, Ont.) would score for UOIT, his second goal in as many nights. Mike Robinson (Stouffville, Ont.) and Alex Yuill (Wellington, Ont.) would pick up assists on the play.
 
When it looked as if the teams would head into the locker room tied, Pierre-Maxime Poudrier scored on a late UQTR power play to put the Patriotes in front. UQTR would carry that momentum into the third period as they added on two more goals en route to their league leading 16th win of the season.
 
UOIT managed to hold OUA goal leader Guillaume Asselin scoreless, but the third year forward hurt them with his play-making ability recording four assists. Pierre-Olivier Morin also had a four-point night with two goals and two assists.
 
Penalties would end up hurting UOIT as UQTR had eight power play opportunities compared to just two for the Ridgebacks.
 
Brendan O'Neill (Ilderton, Ont.) made 26 saves in the loss while Sebastien Auger had 26 stops in his 16th win. The two netminders are one-two in league saves and minutes played.
 
UOIT (11-6-1) remains one point ahead of Queen's (11-4-0) who were idle on Saturday night. The Gaels have three games in hand on the Ridgebacks.
 
QUICK LOOK AT THE RIDGEBACKS
Overall Record: 14-10-1
Conference Record: 11-6-1
 
Next Game: Fri, Jan. 15 vs. UQTR (7:30 p.m.)