Three years ago, current Carleton Ravens men’s hockey co-captain Ryan Berard had a goal and an assist in their playoff opener against the Queen’s Gaels at the Ice House.
The game was a double-overtime thriller, and the Ravens weren’t so lucky, as they couldn’t push it out for a win.
This year’s playoff opener at the Ice House was far from double overtime, as the Ravens handed the Gaels a 10-2 loss Feb. 13 at home.
“We have to keep things simple tonight, we must have been doing something right all year so we just stick to that,” Berard said prior to the game.
Simple was evident, as Carleton controlled the full 60 minutes with offensive contribution from all four lines.
“That’s something that we’re very fortunate to have this season . . . it says a lot when points aren’t always coming from [lines] one and two,” co-captain Joey Manley said.
Besides the regular goal-scorers such as Manley, [Mitch] Porowski, and [Jeff] Hayes, third and fourth line players such as [Linden] Bahm and [Mike] Lomas contributed offensively.
In addition to Carleton’s offensive surge, they managed to steer clear from the penalty box with one minor penalty throughout the duration of the game.
“When you get up eight goals on a team you have to remain mature, you have to remain disciplined and it means a lot to see guys carry that respect throughout the game,” Manley said.
Despite not having Jordan Deagle, Joe Pleckaitis, and Shane Bakker in their lineup, the Ravens were able to fulfill the roles of the three players on the injured reserve.
“I was happy with how guys like [Connor] Barrett and [Tyler] Taylor played tonight, they cycled the puck well, they were physical, and were on the ice for a couple goals too,” head coach Marty Johnston said.
It’s seldom that you witness a 10-2 game in Canadian Interuniversity Sport hockey. It is even rarer to see one in the playoffs. The Queen’s Gaels have been a team that have contested each of their opponents all year and proven their tenacity throughout the regular season.
“We expect them to come out Friday night with a lot of energy at home. I know that [Riley] Whitlock is a good goaltender for Queen’s and that he’ll come up strong for them Friday night,” Johnston said.
The Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team returns to action Feb. 15 in Kingston, Ont. versus the Gaels for game two of the three-game series.
