Inconsistent season for men’s hockey generates excitement for upcoming year

The Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team finished the 2022-23 season in fourth place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) east division. The team managed to scrape into the playoffs for a fifth straight season with a 14-12 record. 

In postseason, they defeated the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks in back-to-back games before losing a hard fought series to the eventual Queen’s Cup Champions, the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) Patriotes. 

“In the first period of game one against Ontario Tech, our goalie [Mark Grametbauer] saved us,” forward Parker AuCoin said. “We got outshot 25-4 and were outplayed.”

Grametbauer made 87 saves in the two shutout wins. Throughout the season, Grametbauer proved to be a critical player who shone brightly in key moments and during the series against Ontario Tech.

“Grametbauer saved our bacon many times this year,” said AuCoin. “Having him on our team is very helpful, especially in the playoffs.”

“Grametbauer gave us a chance to win until we got our legs underneath us. Then once we got the lead, we controlled both games,” head coach Shaun Van Allen said of his goalie during their first-round playoff matchup. 

Van Allen added Grametbauer’s stellar play gave the team time to adapt their defensive strategy. 

Offense leads the way

Last season, the Ravens’ offense had one of the best years in recent history, scoring 97 goals, the fifth-highest in the OUA, with 34 from power plays. The team’s strong offensive performance was a major contributing factor to the Ravens making the playoffs.

Van Allen credits the players’ chemistry for their success on the power play. After figuring out optimal line combinations, the Ravens excelled at executing passes. By generating traffic around the net and screening the opposing goalie, the team dominated the offensive zone.

“We tried some new things on the power-play and the guys adjusted to it really well,” said Van Allen. “We scored the most power-play goals this season than we’ve had in a long time.”

AuCoin said it’s extremely beneficial to have Van Allen, an NHL veteran of nearly 800 games, coach their power-play unit.

“He’s been awesome helping us figure out what works best against each team and find our optimal line pairings and formations,” said AuCoin.

AuCoin led the OUA and all of U Sports hockey with 24 goals and was critical to the Ravens’ success.

He credits his scoring success to his hard work in the off-season, at practice and team chemistry.

“When we lost a bunch of guys last year, I shifted up the lineup and was relied upon a lot more,” AuCoin said. “Increased opportunity comes with increased pressure and I’m glad I was able to produce at a high level.”

AuCoin really clicked offensively on a line with his childhood friend, forward Nick McCarry. 

“He’s a pass-first player and I’m a shoot-first player, so we worked out really well together in the first half of the year, especially on the power-play,” said AuCoin.

Van Allen also praised AuCoin’s work ethic and skill set.

“It’s not often that someone leads all of Canada in goals [ … ] he’s got a real NHL shot. Anyone that’s seen him play knows if he gets two opportunities, he’s likely going to score one,” said Van Allen. “He’s dangerous on the ice every time he gets the puck in their end.”

AuCoin said he’s seen huge improvements in his game this season, including better puck management.

“A huge focus of mine was maximizing my good tendencies and minimizing my bad ones,” said AuCoin. 

Working on the details

As a team, those bad tendencies, such as defensive zone turnovers and incomplete passes, cost them at the outset of the season. New players adjusting to new systems implemented by the coaching staff resulted in the Ravens winning their first two games but losing their next three. This inconsistency continued throughout the first half of the season. 

However, in November, the Ravens rattled off four straight wins against Nipissing, Queen’s, RMC and McGill to improve to an 8-4 record and grab some much-needed momentum. According to AuCoin, this was a critical stretch in their season and their development as a cohesive unit.

“The biggest strength of our group is how close-knit we all were,” AuCoin said. “We all spent a lot of time together at and away from the rink. Our chemistry was high, we knew each other’s strengths very well, we supported each other and something just clicked.”

Although the Ravens rang in the new year with three consecutive losses, they followed it up with four straight wins against quality opponents. 

Van Allen said the majority of their losses stemmed from slow starts and crucial mistakes in the defensive zone, leading to goals against.

“At the halfway point, we needed to continue improving defensively, something that takes time, especially with many first-year defencemen like [Alexandre] Hogue, [Majid] Kaddoura, [James] Mayotte and [Braeden] Virtue,” said Van Allen. “Great defence wins championships.”

Van Allen consistently emphasized focusing on details in practice. As the season progressed, he noticed improvement.

“They all put the work in, focused on their technique, watched film and that’s how you improve, so huge credit to them,” Van Allen said. “Their improved defensive play, forechecking, backchecking and playmaking definitely helped our playoff push.”

The Ravens ended the season on a high, winning six of their final eight games to clinch a playoff berth, largely in part through great defence and goaltending.

Van Allen credits the team’s motivation for reaching the playoffs.

“I think they knew if we didn’t go on a run, it would’ve been pretty easy to miss the playoffs [ … ] you don’t need much more motivation than that,” Van Allen said. “Our guys rose to the pressure.”

Looking forward

Heading into next season, Van Allen said it’s crucial to add difference-makers who buy into the team’s culture and motivate other players. 

“We want to make it really competitive on our team and guys have to fight for ice time and hopefully that pushes everybody along the way,” Van Allen said in a July interview.

AuCoin will undoubtedly lead that push.

“AuCoin will be back for his fifth year of eligibility and we can’t wait to see what he’ll accomplish,” Van Allen said.

Armed with the nation’s top scorer, there is reason for excitement as the Ravens approach next season.

Van Allen, however, prefers to temper expectations until the season begins.

“Right now, it’s too early for me to be thinking about expectations,” Van Allen said. “So many times you get fooled by having a great team on paper and it doesn’t work out.” 

Another factor at play is the addition of cross-divisional matchups, a feature that was noticeably absent last season as the Ravens played out the entirety of their season against the members of the OUA East Division. 

This season, they will face OUA West Division teams. 

“I think it’s better for the league,” Van Allen said. “We’ve got 19 teams in the OUA, it’s nice to be able to play all of them and not have to play the same teams over and over again.”

Whether this presents an advantage for the Ravens remains to be seen.

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Featured image by Marc Lafleur. With files from Janson Duench.