The Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team put up a valiant effort against the first-place Concordia Stingers on Oct. 31, but stepped off the ice with a 3-2 overtime loss.
The last time the Ravens met the Stingers was on Oct. 13, where Carleton lost in a 10-1 blowout. Ravens head coach Mark Cavallin said their rematch with the Stingers was important for the team to realize its potential to compete with the OUA’s top teams.
Ravens captain Blake Allan said the results will come if they continue playing this way.
“We have built a lot of good and foundational things tonight and I think if we keep pushing like that and playing like that every night, things will turn around for us,” Allan said.
After another tough loss against the Queen’s Gaels on Oct. 26, Carleton was looking for redemption.
“We want to play a pretty hard-nose game, but still want to play smart,” Ravens forward Gio Morneau said.
Carleton brought plenty of energy against Concordia in the first period. However, their physicality led to a number of penalties early on, as Ravens defenceman Alexandre Hogue was sent to the penalty box twice in the first frame.
The Stingers opened the scoring with a power-play goal from forward Nicholas Girouard just eight minutes into the game during Hogue’s second penalty of the game.
The Ravens locked in during the second period, starting with Morneau’s goal following a turnover just two and a half minutes into the middle period to open the Ravens’ scoring.
MHKY | Gio Morneau gets his first OUA goal and it's a 1-1 game! pic.twitter.com/E8kQOZOF0A
— Carleton Ravens (@CURavens) October 31, 2024
That first goal afforded Carleton some confidence, leading to another goal from forward Félix Bédard just five minutes later.
“We definitely played a lot better tonight than we have the last few games and I think that’s a real positive thing on the bench,” Allan said.
Ravens’ goaltender Steven Bacovsky made 13 of his 35 saves in the third frame. He was key in keeping Carleton in the game against the Stingers’ high-flying offence.
“[Bacovsky] made some unbelievable saves and that’s really what you want in a goalie—to be able to make those saves when the team really needs it,” Cavallin said.
A scoreless third period meant the Ravens and the Stingers would have to settle their disputes in extra time.
Ultimately, it was Concordia forward Mikael Huchette who buried the game-winning goal just over three minutes into overtime.
The loss dropped Carleton to a 2-6 record on the season, but Cavallin said he remains hopeful for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.
“I am proud of the boys, they really battled, and it was a great game to sit back and to watch because they all played very well,” Cavallin said.
The key takeaway, according to Cavallin, is that the Ravens kept up with the OUA’s top team for a full 60 minutes.
“It stings now,” Cavallin said. “But as the dust settles, we’re just forming our identity now and if that’s our identity I’m pretty happy with it.”
The Ravens have since fell 6-2 to the Western Mustangs on Nov. 3, extending their losing streak to six games. Carleton is headed on a two-game road trip to Kingston, Ont., where they will take on the Gaels on Nov. 8 and the RMC Paladins on Nov. 9.
Featured photo by Marc Lafleur / Carleton Ravens
