OSHAWA, Ont. – Despite scoring the opening goal and leading after the first period, a four-goal second period by the McGill Redmen was the difference as the UOIT men's hockey team fell 6-2 in Game 1 of their OUA east quarter-final playoff series.
In their first-ever postseason meeting with McGill, the Ridgebacks knew they would be in tough after losing both games to the Montreal-based program in conference play this season, but this was the most lopsided result in recent years.
What UOIT may have going for themselves is that their 2018-19 road record is better than their home record and they had a better showing in Montreal than Oshawa when head-to-head with McGill this year. Given that they likely wouldn't have home ice advantage during the postseason, this could bode well for the Ridgebacks.
UOIT looks to even the series over the weekend, with Game 2 in Montreal on Saturday at 7 p.m. If necessary, Game 3 will take place Sunday night at 7 p.m.
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Brett Harasymuk (Yorkton, Sask.) opened the scoring, after intercepting a McGill break-out pass, firing his wrist shot past the unsuspecting Redmen netminder.
• McGill's Frederic Gamelin tied the game after taking a pass at the top-right faceoff circle, and squeaking the wrist shot past
Brendan O'Neill (Ilderton, Ont.) only 1:44 into the middle frame.
• Jordan Fournier gave the Redmen the lead when he broke off the side boards and slid the puck under the netminder's pads at the 11:37 mark of the second.
• Antoine Dufort-Plante and Michael Cramarossa scored goals 41 seconds apart late in the second period to really start to put the game out of reach for the Ridgebacks and cap off the four-goal frame.
• Opening the third period scoring, Samuel Tremblay finished off strong play below the goal line by Dufort-Plante. To wrap up the Redmen scoring, Keanu Yamamoto had a perfectly-placed deflection just to the left of the net.
• With the game all but over,
Keaton Holinaty (Hardisty, Alta.) batted the puck into the net, after it careened off the end boards with 5:25 to go in regulation.
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Brendan O'Neill made 33 saves on 39 shots in the loss.
• Louis-Philip Guindon had 27 saves in the win.
Overall Record: 16-12-5
Conference Record: 14-9-5
Next Game: Game 2 – Saturday, Feb. 16 @ McGill Redmen • 7 p.m. – Montreal, Que.
