As Marc-Olivier Mimar, forward of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) Patriotes, raced in on Ravens goaltender Patrick Killeen on the night of Feb. 21, the Ravens’ season hung in the balance.
Unfortunately for Carleton, Mimar was all alone and ripped the puck past Killeen for the deciding goal of the series, officially eliminating the Ravens from playoff contention.
The hours, days, and weeks afterward were understandably difficult for any member of the 2014-15 Ravens men’s hockey team.
“Anytime you end your playoffs sooner than you hope it leaves a sour taste in your mouth, so yes, obviously it’s frustrating,” Ravens assistant coach Ryan Medel said.
But on March 5, the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) announced the recipients of the annual player of the year awards.
Among the award winners is head coach Marty Johnston, who won the distinguished coach of the year award, and Patrick Killeen, who won the goaltender of the year award in his inaugural season in a Ravens uniform.
While Johnston said he was happy to win the award, he was quick to note it was far from an individual effort.
“At Carleton, it’s the staff who works together, and just because I’m the head coach doesn’t mean they’re not a part of the award,” he said.
Killeen, also known as “Killer” among his teammates, was spectacular in his first season, recording a 12-2 win-loss record to go with a spectacular .922 save-percentage.
“It was a real big challenge for Patrick at the start of the year,” Johnston said, given that he took the 2013-14 season off after spending the three prior seasons playing professional hockey.
“His first or second game he had a rough outing and after that he was pretty much lights out for us, and to have one loss from Oct. 10 onward is pretty impressive.”
Killeen, the commerce student from the Ottawa area, said he really didn’t put too much thought into the award until he started receiving congratulatory text messages from friends and family on the evening of March 3.
Following the major award winners were forward Joe Pleckaitis and defenceman Matt Stanisz, who received nominations as first and second team all-stars.
Pleckaitis registered 29 points this season with 16 goals, tying him for the all-time lead in goals in a Ravens uniform.
Unfortunately for Johnston and the Ravens, both players, along with Jeff Hayes and Damian Cross, will graduate at the end of the 2015 academic year, forcing the Ravens to fill the void with new recruits next season.
