The Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team went on the road to take on the York Lions and Brock Badgers in their final two games before the holiday break.
The Ravens opened their road trip on Dec. 2 against the Lions, who were second place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West entering the game.
Carleton opened the scoring midway through the first period with goals from Corey Durocher and captain Michael McNamee. With the goal, McNamee notched his team-leading 27th point of the season.
Heading into the second frame with the two-goal lead, the Carleton defence took over and allowed only four shots on goal in the second period.
Ravens freshmen Adam Chapman scored to extend the Carleton lead to three with his eighth goal of the year.
Carleton forward Curtis Meighan added a goal in the third period and the Ravens cruised to a 4-0 victory.
Rookie goaltender François Brassard notched a 23-save shutout—his second of the season.
“Brassard came up with some big stops early which helped us get that lead going into the second period, but overall, we limited their chances, we had contributions from all four lines, and our special teams were effective,” said Ravens head coach Marty Johnston.
Another Ravens rookie goaltender, Justin Nichols, got the nod in net for Carleton the following night against the Badgers.
Brock was in the midst of a six-game losing streak heading into the game on Dec. 3, but came out with a dramatic 1-0 double overtime victory.
The Ravens and Badgers had little trouble generating opportunities throughout the game, but goaltending stood out for both teams. Nichols stopped 36 of 37 shots he faced throughout the game, while Brock goaltender Alex Brooks-Potts stopped all 39 shots he faced for a shutout.
Brock had its best chances in regulation during the second period, but Nichols stood tall with two saves, first on a breakaway and then on a two-on-one odd man rush.
The Ravens had a two-man advantage opportunity in the third period and then another power play heading into the first overtime, but were unable to capitalize on either.
Carleton outshot the Badgers 10-0 in the first overtime, with Brooks-Potts’ strong play forcing the game to continue to a second overtime.
Brock forward Matt MacLeod ended the game a minute and a half into the second overtime with his sixth goal of the season.
“You have to give their goalie a lot of credit, he had a huge game for them and made some key saves,” said Ravens fourth-year defenceman Jason Seed. “At the same time, we struggled offensively and failed to capitalize on our power plays.”
Seed also said, he was extremely impressed by the play of both Brassard and Nichols. The two Carleton goaltenders finished the weekend with a combined one goal against on 60 shots.
Splitting the weekend’s two games, the Ravens now find themselves in sixth place in the OUA East with a 10-7-1 record.
Carleton will return to action on Jan. 6, following the Christmas break, when they head to Kingston to take on the Royal Military College Paladins.
