Discipline, great goaltending lead the Gees to victory in road trip double header
The University of Ottawa men’s hockey team extended their win streak to three games with back-to-back victories against Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier on Nov. 11 and 12, respectively.
Goaltending was key to the unbeaten weekend. First-year goaltenders Anthony Brodeur and Graham Hunt combined to save 58 out of 59 shots.
The Gee-Gees started off the weekend series with a hard-fought 2–1 win against the Waterloo Warriors on Nov. 11, with first-year forward Marc Beckstead netting the game-winner for Ottawa.
Going into their Saturday game, this time against the Laurier Golden Hawks, the Gees put in an excellent effort to finish the weekend on a high note.
The U of O squad opened the scoring early on. Right wing Kevin Domingue converted on a great two-on-one pass just four minutes into the game.
Less than a minute later, the Gees increased their lead to two when right wing Connor Sills fired a shot from the point that found its way to the back of the net.
Anthony Brodeur stood tall early on to give some confidence to his squad.
The Gees were the recipients of the first man advantage of the game. Laurier struggled to kill the penalty, but their goalie did a good job bailing them out to keep the game at 2–0.
However, as soon as the penalty was over, the Gees were able to capitalize on poor defense in front, with the goal coming off a one-timer by Brendan Jacome. Just twelve minutes into the game, the Gees lead the Golden Hawks 3–0.
The Olympic-sized ice at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex definitely suited the Gees, who were able to use their speed to penetrate through Laurier’s defense. The offensive attack continued with one minute left in the period. The Gees got a player alone in front, but failed to capitalize on the chance.
The second period started with the Gees heading to the power play. While they moved the puck well and generated a few opportunities, they couldn’t finish.
Laurier seemed to have a little extra jump after the successful penalty kill.
The home team’s goalie held down the fort with eight minutes to go, as the Gees were buzzing around the net. Offsetting minor penalties were called with less than eight minutes to go in the frame, as a little bad blood was in play.
Tensions boiled over with four minutes left in the period. Gee-Gees defenseman Michael Poirier did well to draw an infraction to get his team the man advantage, though nothing would come of it.
The Golden Hawks were awarded a couple of power plays at the end of the second and early in the third, but Brodeur stood tall again.
The Gee-Gees headed to the power play again midway through the third, but were foiled by some solid play from Laurier goaltender Colin Furlong.
But Furlong’s success was short lived, since the Gees scored right after the power play’s end to stretch the lead to 4–0.
The Golden Hawks showed their frustration with one minute left, which resulted in a number of penalties. The Gees would finish the game with a five on three advantage, as the last seconds ran off the clock.
A four-point weekend was huge for the University of Ottawa, since their win streak was stretched to three games. Graham Hunt and Anthony Brodeur backstopped for the U of O all weekend and were integral to their success.
The re-established franchise now sits in eighth place in the eastern conference of the OUA, with a 4–6–1 record and nine points.
After a slow start to the season, the team will be looking to continue their momentum at home this weekend.
The next home game for the Gee-Gees will take place on Friday, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Minto Sports Complex against the Brock Badgers.
