After a big 6-3 win over the Queen’s University Gaels on Nov. 2, the Ravens dropped a heartbreaking loss the following night to the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in back-to-back home games.
Although they outshot the RMC Paladins by a wide margin on Nov. 3, the Ravens blew three one-goal leads and ultimately ended up snapping their five-game winning streak with a 5-4 overtime loss to the division’s lowest-ranked team.
Quite the post-Halloween fright for Ravens coach Shaun Van Allen.
“[We played] soft, we wanted the easy way out, we wanted to score but we didn’t want to work for it,” Van Allen said, who was visually dissatisfied after the loss to RMC. “No composure, mental toughness was not there tonight.”
“I’m happy we got three points [this weekend]. I’m not sure, after the way we practiced this week, how we got three points,” he added.
Although the Ravens conceded the first goal of the game to RMC at 10:38 in the first period, they responded 40 seconds later and didn’t trail again until the overtime winner.
However, their inability to score the crucial third-period insurance goal they needed while up 3-2 and 4-3 ended their chances to come away with a victory on home ice.
Carleton came out buzzing against the the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East top-ranked Gaels, with forward Aaron Boyd scoring to seize a 1-0 lead just 52 seconds into the game.
After Queen’s responded to tie the game at 15:17 of the first, Carleton came right back with a goal from Cody Caron exactly one minute later to steal the lead right back.
Jacob Smith added to the Ravens’ tally with his fifth goal of the season to make it 3-1 Carleton, a score which would remain to the end of the period.
Boyd’s goal in the first period was the first of his university career after a seven-game dry spell to begin the season. He added another crucial, early insurance goal in the second period, and his play against the Gaels earned him praise by his coach.
“[The OUA] is a really tough league to score in,” Van Allen said after the Nov. 2 game. “We asked him just to check tonight, and it’s funny, you know? He gets two goals tonight.”
Boyd’s second marker, tallied just 1:11 into the second period, would stand as the eventual winner for Carleton in the 6-3 win. Travis Douglas and Jared Steege also added goals for the Ravens.
“It’s nice to finally get that monkey off my back . . . after that, I can just forget about it and play my game,” Boyd said.
Even with the win against Queen’s, Van Allen said the loss to RMC capped off a “terrible week of practice” and added that there is plenty of work for his team as they get ready for a doubleheader against Laurentian and Nipissing on the road next weekend.
“There are too many ‘I’s’ worried about [on the Ravens] right now and not enough ‘we’s,’” Van Allen said on the loss to RMC. “If you do it like that, you’re not going to go anywhere.”
“If they don’t figure that out, they’re going to have to go buy a new suit.”
Photo by Spencer Colby
