OSHAWA, Ont. – The No. 4 ranked McGill Redmen needed overtime to pick up their league leading 22nd win of the season as they knocked off the UOIT Ridgebacks 4-3.
 
UOIT tied things up at 3-3 with 1:34 left on the clock in the third period when Jack Patterson (Bedford, N.S.) scored his third goal of the season.
 
Shortly after, Tyler Mayea (Burlington, Ont.) was sent to the box for tripping, giving the Redmen a power play heading into the extra frame. Just 47 seconds in, it was Nikolas Brouillard who beat Tyson Teichmann (Belleville, Ont.) blocker side, picking up the overtime winner on his first career OUA goal.
 
With two assists in the loss, senior Ben Blasko (Kingston, Ont.) set the UOIT single season point record with 33 points. Blasko (9 G, 24 A) passed Josh Vatri, who set the record in his freshmen campaign (2008-09) with 15 goals and 17 assists.
 
Blasko was not the lone Ridgeback with a multi-point night as Patterson finished with a goal and an assist and Malik Johnson (Montreal, Que.) had two helpers.
 
Josh Carrick (Stouffville, Ont.) scored the opening goal for UOIT in the first period giving the defender two goals and two assists in his last four games.
 
The Ridgebacks did a good job of shutting down Jerome Verrier, who is second in OUA scoring with 12 goals and 27 assists, as he had no points. This was just the sixth time in 27 games that Verrier was held off the scoresheet.
 
Defender Dominic Talbot-Tassi had a goal and two assists and Frederic Gamelin had a goal and an assist for the Redmen.
 
Making his first start in goal this season, fifth-year veteran goaltender Jacob Gervais-Chouinard made 31 saves in the victory. Teichmann stopped 36 of 40 McGill shots on net.
 
UOIT's penalty killers held the Redmen power play to just one goal on six attempts including fighting off a full two-minute 5-on-3 penalty in the second period.
 
McGill has clinched first place in the OUA eastern conference with a 22-4-1 record. UOIT (14-9-3) sits one point ahead of the Ottawa Gee-Gees (13-8-4) for fifth place, as the teams are set to meet in their regular season finale next Saturday in Ottawa.

UOIT will have one more game at home when they take on the Laurentian Voyageurs (7-18-1), who are clinging on to eighth place in the conference standings. The game will take place on Friday, Feb. 9 at the Campus Ice Centre beginning at 7:30 p.m.
 
QUICK LOOK AT THE RIDGEBACKS
Overall Record: 16-12-3
Conference Record: 14-9-3

Next game: Friday, Feb. 9 vs. Laurentian Voyageurs (7:30 p.m. – Campus Ice Centre)