With the Ravens men’s hockey team having clinched second place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East division, composure and focus are the team’s most eminent “eggs in the nest.”
It might sound like a cliché, but veteran Ravens defenceman Jordan Deagle knows that every game is dependent on composure and focus.
“We can’t get caught up in the stats,” he said.
With the men now on a five-game winning streak, the team is intent on avoiding complacency.
“We’re not thinking about clinching a six-game winning streak, it’s our next game against Nipissing University Lakers, our first period, our first shift. If we don’t get caught up in all the numbers then things will work out,” Deagle said.
Their Nov. 23 bout against the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins was a slow start for the 9-4-1 Ravens. The home team possessed a soft style of play against an RMC team that thrives on physicality and intensity, an element of the Ravens’ game that they needed to avert to come away with the win.
To start things off, defenceman Matthew Stanisz scored his first goal of the season at 10:16 of the first period with the lone assist from forward Joey West. The Ottawa native tallied four assists on the night.
“It was nice to have my family here tonight and be able to help the team out with the four points,” West said.
West was a huge contributor to the success of Carleton’s Joe Pleckaitis.
The winger’s hat trick in the Nov. 23 game was “a result of hard work by everyone tonight,” he said.
“Tonight’s game was a little too close for comfort, we need to shoot the puck,” Ravens assistant coach Ryan Medel said.
The Ravens did come out with the win against the RMC Paladins, with forward Joey Manley denting the mesh with the Ravens’ fifth goal of the night.
However, at times throughout the night the Paladins were controlling the play and had the Ravens on their heels.
Paladins defenceman Alex Pym scored the equalizer at the midway mark of the third period. The Ravens were fortunate to come away with the 5-3 win over the division’s bottom-ranked team.
Heading into the next day’s game, Carleton’s crew of 21 knew that they had to get off to a better start against the Queen’s Golden Gaels.
“We have to make sure we’re not turning pucks over in the neutral zone, if we have no play, pucks have to go deep and we capitalize on our forecheck,” Medel said.
The Ravens did exactly that in Saturday’s match against the Gaels. The Ravens, after 20 minutes, had a three-goal lead over the Gaels. Their night finished with their fifth straight win, 4-2 over Queen’s.
The Ravens’ recent success has led to an exponential increase in the fan support. The seats in the Carleton Ice House have been consistently filled in the team’s last five home games.
“It’s like having a sixth guy out on the ice with us, the support we get from our fans is incredible,” said Deagle.
In addition to local supporters and Carleton students, some of the Ottawa Senators are noting the play of the Ravens too.
“I’m not surprised at all by the Ravens’ success,” said Senators defenceman Marc Methot.
“They work hard in practice thanks to their coach and it shows in their games. They have to keep playing with confidence, almost an air of arrogance in their game, and they’ll keep playing great hockey.”
