The Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team will be searching for a big win on Saturday night.
The 13-5-0 Ravens will take on the 17-2-1 McGill Redmen in a battle of Ontario University Athletics (OUA) east powerhouses.
The Ravens currently have 26 points in the standings, and trail the first-place Redmen by nine points.
In their only match-up of the season so far, the Redmen spoiled the Ravens’ home opener with a 5-4 victory.
Although coming out strong with two goals in the opening frame, the Ravens were unable to hold onto their lead, and ultimately were unable to complete a comeback.
The Ravens have been assessed 448 penalty minutes, second most in the Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS), through 18 games.
Meanwhile, the Redmen possess the second best power play in the CIS, and have converted on 31.5 per cent of their opportunities this season.
McGill has been lead offensively by a duo of defencemen, Samuel Labrecque, and Dominic Talbot-Tassi.
Labrecque currently leads the CIS in scoring with 35 points, while Talbot-Tassi is tied for second in scoring with 32 points.
Other players that Carleton must contain include forwards Mathieu Pompei and David Rose.
Pompei has scored 28 points this season, including a 3-point night against Carleton, while Rose has been held pointless only three times this season, and has registered multiple points in 11 games.
Brett Welychka will lead the offensive charge for the Ravens. The rookie is tied with Talbot-Tassi for second place on the CIS scoring list with 32 points.
Heading into this game, Welychka is riding a five-game point streak and has scored 12 points along the way.
Other players to watch on the Ravens side include goalie Francis Dupuis and defenceman Jeremie Fraser.
Dupuis has posted stellar numbers in his eleven starts this season. The fourth year goaltender currently boasts a 0.922 save percentage as well as a 2.04 goals against average.
Although Dupuis did not start against McGill earlier this season, he did fall to them in a 6-2 loss one year ago.
In his CIS debut against the Redmen earlier this year, Fraser showed off his playmaking abilities with three assists.
Fraser has since scored 16 points in 14 games this season, but has also earned 107 penalty minutes. To have success against the Redmen, the Ravens will need him on the ice, and not in the penalty box.
The Ravens host the McGill Redmen on Jan. 16 at the Ice House. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
The women’s team will face the McGill Martlets on Jan. 16.
Carleton is currently in the fifth and last place of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) with three wins and one loss. McGill is in third place with seven wins, three losses, and one overtime loss.
In the first game the two teams met on Nov. 15. Carleton upset the Martlets, squeezing out a 1-0 upset. The Ravens were heavily outshot 35-14, relying heavily on number one goaltender Katelyn Steele to keep them in the game.
When these two teams met for the second time on Nov. 18 the Martlets won 2-0, also outshooting the Ravens 44-12.
Keys to victory for the Ravens will be another standout game by Steele. With a struggling offence only managing to score 13 goals in 11 games leading to a 1.09 goals per game average, it will take some more outstanding play by their top player to secure another victory.
If the Ravens can manage to limit the shots against by the Martlets to under 30, it will put less pressure on Steele to come away with another shutout. If they create some offence while Steele keeps playing her game, with one goal, the Ravens could secure their second upset of the season and pull themselves into the remaining RSEQ playoff spot.
