Carleton Ravens players celebrate a goal against the Gee-Gees at the Colonel By Classic on Nov. 30, 2024 at TD Place Arena in Ottawa. Carleton won the Rivalry Series matchup 5-4 in overtime thanks to a winner from Gio Morneau (8). [Photo by Owen Spillios-Hunter]

There are few higher-intensity moments in Canadian university hockey than overtime at the Colonel By Classic between the Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team and the rival uOttawa Gee-Gees. But no moment is bigger than when Ravens forward Gio Morneau buried the overtime winner on Nov. 30 at TD Place Arena.

“He’s such a skillful player and, like you saw in that goal, you don’t know what he can do because it’s like, wow, that came out of nowhere,” said Ravens head coach Mark Cavallin.

Morneau stepped on the ice in the dying minutes of overtime and found himself with the puck off a pass from forward Peter Amanatidis.

“I’ll just take it and see if I can do this,” Morneau said post-game. “So, I built my speed up, went around the first guy, went around the second guy, went back and found the back of the net.”

Ravens forward Gio Morneau (8) fires the game-winning goal toward the Gee-Gees net on Nov. 30, 2024 at TD Place Arena in Ottawa. Morneau’s second tally of the game was his biggest, giving Carleton the 5-4 overtime win. [Photo by Owen Spillios-Hunter]
But before any goals were scored, the story of the Colonel By Classic was being written by netminders Ravens’ Steven Bacovsky and Gee Gees’ Franky Lapenna, who kept a clean sheet through the first 20 physical minutes. 

 

In the first period alone, uOttawa and Carleton combined for seven penalties, two game misconducts and 30 penalty minutes.

A Ravens player and a Gee-Gees player crash into the end boards at the Colonel By Classic on Nov. 30, 2024 at TD Place Arena in Ottawa. The physical Rivalry Series matchup yielded a combined 16 penalties and 64 penalty minutes. [Photo by Owen Spillios-Hunter]
But Carleton couldn’t keep their opponents off the board for long, as Gee-Gees forward Brad Chenier broke the stalemate two minutes into the second period on the power play.

 

Carleton’s response was swift. On a power play less than two minutes later, Ravens forward Madoka Suzuki drove down the boards into the Gee-Gees’ zone. Suzuki sent a backhand pass off the back boards to the front of the uOttawa goal where a streaking Oliver Castleman tapped the puck past the unsuspecting Lapenna, tying the game.

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Over halfway through the second frame, the Ravens’ Alex Johnston redirected a pass from Nick McCarry past Lapenna to give Carleton their first lead of the night.

But the Gee-Gees responded less than a minute later with an unassisted tally from forward Andrew Belchamber, and then again four minutes later on the power play from blueliner Brendon Clavelle. Just over five minutes after gaining the lead, the Ravens found themselves trailing again.

Morneau’s first goal of the game and seventh of November evened the score for the Ravens with just 30 seconds before the second intermission.

Four minutes into the final frame, Ravens forward Reese Belton’s snipe from the slot regained the lead for Carleton, which they held onto through most of the third.

The Gee-Gees were booked for two minor penalties with just over a minute to go, almost certainly sealing the game with a Ravens 5-on-3 power play and a one-goal lead with a minute to go. A faceoff in the uOttawa zone meant Carleton had an optimal chance to net an insurance goal.

That was the idea, at least. Gee-Gees blueliner Jacob Leguerrier gained possession off the faceoff and cleared the puck into Carleton’s zone. Although both Ravens defenders had an extra step ahead of the chasing Belchamber, Bacovsky left his crease to play the puck just to be sure. His seemingly simple play turned into a baffling mistake.

“Bob, our goalie — we call him Bob — but our goalie kind of felt like it was time for a momentum change,” Cavallin chuckled post-game.

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Belchamber ended up winning the foot race against the two Ravens defenders and Bacovsky, and managed to tie the game with 56 seconds to go, forcing overtime.

The Ravens take a faceoff in the Gee-Gees’ end at the Colonel By Classic on Nov. 30, 2024 at TD Place Arena in Ottawa. The Ravens have now won five of seven editions of the Rivalry Series game with their most recent victory this season. [Photo by Owen Spillios-Hunter]
Minutes passed in overtime as both teams exchanged chances to no avail. Tensions at TD Place Arena were at an all-time high when Morneau stepped onto the ice, but even Cavallin admitted he was caught off guard by what the high-flying forward did next.

“I’m still in shock,” Cavallin said. “I think everyone is. The coaching staff, we just looked at each other and went, ‘Did that really happen?’”

Morneau soaked in the moment after scoring the game winner by igniting a raucous crowd with a spirited celebration.

“It was definitely one of the better feelings I’ve felt in my life probably, that was an awesome goal,” Morneau said. “Doing it at the Colonel By as an overtime winner in front of friends and family and the Ravens fans was pretty unreal.”

With their win streak extended to seven games after the Colonel By Classic weekend, the Ravens have finally broken above .500 with a 9-8 record, thrusting them back into playoff contention.

“Our guys are very confident in playing our system and our way,” said Ravens captain Blake Allan. “I think we’ve done a real good job of building an identity for our team. We’re really taking advantage of it.”

The Ravens are heading into a well-deserved break with a seven-game winning streak and the Colonel By Classic flag. The rivals will meet again at uOttawa in their first game back from the holiday break on Jan. 9, 2025. 

Having redeemed an abysmal 2-8 record since their most recent loss on Nov. 8 to the Queen’s Gaels, Morneau felt his team has proven they’re a worthy contender this year. 

“I just think we’ve demonstrated these last seven games that we’re no joke,” Morneau said. “We’re a legit contender and I don’t see why we cannot compete for the [championship] this year.”

Featured photo by Owen Spillios-Hunter/the Charlatan

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