The Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team came away with their third weekend split in a row, making a statement with a resounding 6-1 win on Thursday before being humbled in a 5-2 loss on Saturday, both against the uOttawa Gee-Gees.
Thursday: Ravens thump Gee-Gees in dominant showing
The Ravens thoroughly dominated the Gee-Gees on Thursday, earning themselves a blowout victory at the Ice House.
Despite a slow start where the game could have swung either way, forward Sam Meisenheimer opened the floodgates for the Ravens after putting away a rebound.
“I didn’t love our start after the first couple minutes, but then we won a couple battles in front of the net and we got our legs underneath us,” Ravens head coach Shaun Van Allen said. “We made a lot of good passes and created a lot of good chances.”
The opportunities kept coming and less than two minutes later with a man advantage, centre Brogan O’Brien finished off a power-play goal for the Ravens, which has been one of their biggest strengths thus far this season.
Not even a penalty to defender Kaleb Bulych could slow Carleton’s momentum, as O’Brien picked off an errant Ottawa pass for a breakaway and netted another goal.
The onslaught continued with another power-play goal, this time courtesy of forward Aaron Boyd, who leads Ontario University Athletics (OUA) with seven goals.
The Ravens left the first period with a commanding 4-0 lead, one they held onto tightly for the remainder of the night. In addition to running up the score, the Ravens also took care of their own end, keeping the Gee-Gees on the outside and forcing turnovers all over the ice, something Van Allen was pleased to see.
“It’s not easy [to stay focused], but that’s when bad habits creep in and that’s when you start to lose,” Van Allen said. “It’s just a matter of staying consistent and playing better defensively.”
Forward Cole Carter fortified the lead with a one-timer goal early in the second period, with forward Oliver Castleman picking up his third assist of the night. Castleman is now fourth in the OUA in points and only one behind Boyd.
Ravens goaltender Cole McLaren, who made his OUA debut, shone brightly for Carleton, with the only blemish being a late third period uOttawa goal. McLaren stopped 33 of 34 shots for the win.
Saturday: Ravens fall back to earth with 5-2 loss
After Thursday night’s game, Van Allen anticipated the Gee-Gees would bounce back.
“They’re a well-coached team. I expect they’ll be much better on home ice,” Van Allen said. “We’re gonna have to play a hard game because they will definitely be better.”
His assessment held up as the Ravens fell 5-2 at the Minto Sports Complex on Saturday to a much improved and determined Gee-Gees team.
The Ravens grabbed the first lead of the match, taking advantage of forward Max Grondin’s cross check on forward Paul Larabie. The ensuing power play saw forward Parker Aucoin finish off defender C.J. Garcia’s feed.
However, penalty trouble afflicted the Ravens later in the first period as a pair of calls put the Gee-Gees on a five-on-three man advantage, leading to an easy goal for forward Bradley Chenier.
With Ravens goaltender Mark Grametbauer’s steady play, Carleton was able to escape the first frame tied 1-1 after being overwhelmed 17-6 on the shot clock.
Early in the second period and free of any penalties to kill, the Ravens excelled at five-on-five play, generating chances and controlling the puck more often than not. They were finally rewarded when O’Brien’s shot off the rush beat uOttawa’s Tristan Bérubé to take the lead again.
Heavy checking from both teams resulted in numerous power play opportunities for the Ravens, but they weren’t able to capitalize, an unusual struggle for a team that normally excels on the power play.
Late in the second, Carleton spoiled its own power play by taking an unnecessary penalty, creating a four-on-four environment where uOttawa defender Nicolas Mattinen tied the game 2-2 heading into the final frame.
The Gee-Gees came out flying in the third, throwing the Ravens back on their heels. Their excellent first two shifts culminated in the eventual game-winning goal by forward Charles-Antoine Roy, whose redirection made it impossible for Grametbauer to react.
The Gee-Gees had much more success at getting inside chances than Thursday night, which showed with their total of 45 shots.
The Ravens best efforts to spark up offence were stymied by the uOttawa blueliners, who blocked shots and forced forwards to the boards. Anything that did get by them was turned back by Bérubé.
Late goals by forward Mathieu Desgagnés and defender Jean-Robin Mantha sealed the win for uOttawa, ensuring a split in the latest edition of the Bytown Battle.
The Ravens, holding a 3-3 record, will return home to face the UQTR Patriotes for their second meeting of the season Thursday night.
Featured image by Isaac Phan Nay.
