The Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team started off 2020 with a win and a loss as they shut out the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) Patriotes 4-0 on Jan. 3 and lost 0-3 against McGill University on Jan. 4.
In the first match against the Patriotes, the Ravens quickly seized control of the game.
Veteran forward Alex Boivin was able to finally break the deadlock at the end of the first period and scored the team’s first goal of the New Year.
Moving into the second, the hosts were able to extend their advantage when Cole Carter scored on the power play moving the Ravens up 2-0.
As the game continued, tensions were high between Carleton and UQTR often resulting in the referees stepping in. By the end of the game, Carleton spent 22 minutes in the box over seven infractions, a theme which carried over into the next game.
While the Patriotes hammered Justin Nichols in net with 33 shots compared to Carleton’s 24, the defence stood strong and let no puck go astray.
By the third period, forwards Parker AuCoin and Matthew Forchuk added the third and fourth goals for the Ravens, solidifying their win.
The next night however, the tide turned for the Ravens as rival McGill University came and once again handed Carleton their fourth loss of the season.
The game was tense right from the start but McGill’s Johnatan Legault put an early goal past Carleton’s Mark Grametbauer and the Ravens found themselves down 1-0 after two minutes.
Having gone down so early, Carleton focused on spreading McGill to the perimeter of the ice to limit their action on the puck in the centre.
The second period was a battle of defence as both teams looked to score the next goal, but after a combined 24 shots, the scored remained at just 1-0.
By the time the third period came around, Christophe Lalonde and Keanu Yamamoto added McGill’s second and third goals.
Over all three periods, the Ravens were handed three 10-minute misconducts and numerous two-minute penalties totalling to 54 minutes on 15 infractions.
What saved the Ravens from their lack of discipline was their power-play kill which sits at 86 per cent, ranked third in the Ontario University Athletics East Division. McGill was forced to score their goals when both teams were at full strength.
The Ravens now play two games on the road against Queen’s University on Jan. 10 and against Concordia on Jan. 11.
Feature image from file.
