5-4 double overtime loss saw Carleton eliminated from the playoffs ( Photo: Lasia Kretzel )

After a hard-fought three-game series, the Carleton men’s hockey team met the end of their season after losing to the Universite du Quebec a Trois Rivieres (UQTR) in double overtime on Patriotes ice March 1.

"I think the team really came together at the end of the playoffs. The way we played, we showed character . . . I think we surprised a lot of people in the last two weeks in the playoffs," said veteran forward Francis Walker, who played in his last Canadian Interuniversity Sport game Sunday as his five years of eligibility expired.

Friday, Feb. 27, the boys played to a packed crowd at Carleton. The crowd was energized, pumped up by a Ravens’ fan playing the trumpet. Early on Carleton took a number of point-blank shots at UQTR’s goalie, Michael Dupont. The game remained scoreless in first period as both teams fought hard to keep control of the puck.

Taking advantage of a power play in the second period, Patriotes’ Mathieu Gravel got a hold of the puck, scoring the first goal of the game.

Nine minutes later in the face-off circle, Andrew Self tied up the game 1-1 on the power play, causing the crowd to erupt into cheers.

Goaltender Alex Archibald defended the Carleton net, saving 17 of the 18 shots fired against him in the second period.

( Photo: Lasia Kretzel )

 

UQTR’s Francis Charland took control of a loose puck eight minutes into third period, giving the Patriotes a one-point edge. The Ravens made a strong push to score again, outshooting the Patriotes 11 to nine. In power play, Ryan Berard took a shot that narrowly missed the goal with seven minutes remaining on the clock.

Sunday night saw the Ravens lose again in a nail-biting 5-4 double overtime loss that would end their season and their Cinderella-story playoff run.

Jean Sebastien Breton earned UQTR a quick lead, scoring within the first minute of play.

Three minutes later Steve Bellefleur scored another goal for the home team, earning them a two-point advantage in the first period.  The Patriotes maintained that score until the intermission, outshooting Carleton 13 to 10.

In an aggressive second period, UQTR outshot Carleton 26-15.

Halfway through second period Francis Charland netted the Patriotes’ third goal of the night. 

Ryan Berard finally put the Ravens on the scoreboard 14 minutes into second period, but moments later UQTR’s Charland scored another goal for the Patriotes to push their lead to 4-1.

Then with one minute left in the period Raven Chris Boudeau-Mifflen lit the lamp with a power play goal, making the score 4-2.

In the third period, with both teams fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive, Carleton held on strong with Archibald making 10 saves. Berard popped in his second goal of the night, giving the Ravens their third goal midway. Dereck Wells earned the Ravens a fourth and tying goal, and forcing it into overtime locked at fours.               

The first overtime period remained scoreless as Archibald kept 10 more shots on goal out of the net.

Twelve minutes into the second overtime period Patriote Breton scored the game’s winning goal, defeating the Ravens 5 -4.

With a final score in the series of 2-1 for UQTR, they will be going to the Ontario University Athletics Eastern Conference Final where they will face McGill University’s Redmen.

"It was a very entertaining series. Obviously it came down to last shot wins and UQTR was fortunate to get that last shot and it went in," Ravens head coach Fred Parker said.

Goaltender Archibald was phenomenal throughout as he stopped 121 of the 130 shots he faced during the series.

"All season I think our best player was our goalie. Archibald I think is a tremendous hockey player. He’s a great goalie, a great leader even at his young age he really stood out from the rest of us," Walker said.

But Archibald said it was a team effort that got the Ravens so far.

"I think everyone on our team is holding his head high up in that series because everyone put in a good effort," he explained.

"I think you can feel nothing but pride in the way the team played and the way they represented Carleton University," Parker said. "They worked their tails off, they were very disciplined and they gave themselves a chance to win every night."