The Carleton men’s varsity hockey team started the New Year off with a bang Jan. 8, beating the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 4-2 in a truly nail-biting game.
The Ravens came out hard in the first period, firing shot after shot at Ottawa goalie Riley Whitlock.
The entire arena was on the edge of their seats, waiting to see which team would get the first go-ahead goal.
However, after 20 minutes of play, neither team had managed to bury the puck.
Raven fans were cheering at the top of their lungs as the team hit the ice for the second period.
Players on both sides were obviously frustrated, as both teams took a penalty in the first minute of the second period.
It was a Raven penalty that led to the first Ottawa goal, scored by Lucas Bini halfway through the second.
The Gee-Gees wasted no time in getting an assurance goal, when Matthieu Methot shot one past Raven goalie Alexander Archibald a few minutes later.
The Ravens finally answered back when centre Mike Byrd snuck in a wrap-around goal in the final minutes of the period.
Down a goal going into the third, the Ravens managed to keep the puck in the Ottawa zone for the first part of the period.
They were rewarded with a rebound goal scored by centre Joey Manley, bringing the game to an even 2-2 score.
But the Ravens weren’t ready to settle for a tie.
They stepped up the pressure in the offensive zone, leading to many great chances, stopped by Whitlock.
The Ravens finally got the go-ahead goal half way through the third when Manley got the puck past Whitlock yet again, for his second of the night.
With less than a minute to go, Ravens’ centre Ryan Medel was given a penalty, and with Whitlock being pulled from the Ottawa net, the Gee-Gees had a 2-man advantage.
The Ravens played smart defence, though, and Byrd managed to get the puck past all six Gee-Gees to score a final assurance empty-netter.
The Ravens’ constant pressure and resilience secured the 4-2 win over the Gee-Gees, showing that this team is ready to bring it in the New Year.
The Ravens’ next game is on the road Jan. 16 against McGill University.