Home Warriors: Ravens rout Waterloo

Mitch Goldenberg

The Carleton University Ravens men’s hockey team crushed the University of Waterloo Warriors 6-2 Saturday night at the Ice House to cap off a strong weekend at home.

 

Ryan Berard (Niagara Falls, Ont.) scored two goals and captain Brandon MacLean (Burlington, Ont.) registered four assists as the Ravens handed the Warriors their first loss of the season.

“We feel very comfortable playing at the Ice House since the crowd gives us a boost,” said Berard. “After beating two good teams in Guelph and Waterloo on consecutive nights, we showed what our potential could be.”

 

With seven regulars out of the lineup, the Ravens dressed only 15 skaters and called upon MacLean’s little brother, Ryan MacLean, and rookie Nick Duhn to fill the void.

The kids were alright, as the Ravens chipped away at the Warriors, plugged the shooting lanes and outskated their opponents to wear down the dynamic offense that had lit the lamp 19 times in their first three games.

“I felt pretty good out there, I was a little nervous at first but I just stuck with the simple plays,” said the younger MacLean.

Ryan Dube (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) played great in goal when he needed to, and a strong defensive effort strangled the nation’s leading offence to just two goals on 28 shots.

“I’m really proud of the guys, especially with what we battled through with the guys out of the lineup,” said Ravens head coach Marty Johnston. “We showed a lot of character and I think we came closer as a team.”

After outplaying the Warriors through most of the first period, the Ravens got two goals in the final 90 seconds to jump to a 2-0 lead.

The Warriors narrowed the gap to 2-1 less than a minute into the second and threatened to tie the game on the power play after MacLean took a high sticking penalty. The Ravens penalty kill was spectacular however, and a great effort from Connor Barrett (Ottawa) led to a shorthanded goal to restore the two goal lead.

Ravens forward Jeff Hayes takes flight after creating a scoring opportunity during Saturday’s game vs Waterloo. Photo Credit: Murray McComb

 

The Ravens then scored twice on the power play, lifting them out of an early season 1-24 slump.

“That was an area we targeted in practice this past week,” said Berard. “We know that we can’t go far if our powerplay can’t produce.”

 

Matt Stanisz capped off a brilliant weekend on the Ravens blue line by scoring his first as a Raven and Andrew Self popped in his first of the year as well.

 

Tensions flared in the third, but strong defence and sturdy goaltending let the Ravens take the convincing 6-2 win to improve their record to 2-2 on the year.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve hit our stride after just two good games,” said Johnston. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but we’re happy with the results this weekend.”

 

The Ravens will look to extend their winning streak to three games when they visit cross-town rivals, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees on Oct. 21. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.

Ravens: 2-4-0=6
Warriors: 0-2-0=2

Scoring:
Ravens: Berard (2), Barrett, Bahm, Self, Stanisz
Warriors: Chartier, Schappert

Shots:
Ravens: 14-14-3=31
Warriors:7-11-10=28

Saves:
Ravens: Ryan Dube-26
Warriors: Justin Leclerc-22, Keaton Hartigan-3

Power play:
Ravens: 2/6
Warriors: 1/5

Ravens rout Guelph to grab first win of season

by Eric Balnar

The Carleton University Ravens men’s hockey team found the win column for the first time this season with a convincing 6-0 win over the University of Guelph Gryphons at the Ice House Friday night.

It was crucial victory for the ravens, who dropped their first two contests on the road last weekend.

“Feels good. I think we really wanted it tonight. The guys before the game were really pumped up,” said starting goalie Matthew Dopud.

The Ravens came out flying in the first period, out-hitting, out-checking and out-shooting their opponent. They fired 17 shots at Guelph goalie Cody St. Jacques and beat him twice. Meanwhile, the Gryphons only mustered three shots at the Ravens’ goal.

Carleton wasted little time getting on the score sheet. Jeff Hayes wired home a shot to open the scoring halfway through the opening frame.

Hayes spent time on the top line with Ravens captain Brandon MacLean and shifty winger Ryan Berard. He won over 80% of the face offs at centre.

“They’re two really good players,” said Hayes. “I learned a lot from them last year and I have to work hard to make sure I do my part.”

The attack spread beyond the top line.

With three minutes to go in the period, Andrew Self tossed a puck in front of the Guelph goal for Joey Manley to jam home. 2-0 Ravens after one.

Carleton continued their relentless pressure in the second. Ryan Berard scooped up a loose puck while shorthanded and sniped home the team’s third goal of the game with a little over five minutes to go in the frame.

In the third period, tempers flared as the Ravens took flight. The period featured big hits and a number of penalties. This included a cheap shot from Gryphon forward Kris Belan.

“It’s frustrating when you’re losing like that. I think they just lost their emotion and took it out on us a bit,” says Hayes.

But the Ravens weathered the storm, capitalized, and sealed the victory with three goals in the final 20 minutes.

They scored their first power play goal of the season when Berard notched his second of the night on a two-man advantage. Joe Pleckaitis (Ottawa) made it 5-0 just minutes later before Linden Bahm (Kinburn, Ont.) fought for a loose puck while short-handed and scored the team’s final goal on a backhander with a minute to go.

“In this game special teams means a lot,” said Hayes. “You have to score on power plays and kill of penalties if you want to win.”

Carleton netminder Matthew Dopud (Pointe-Claire, Que.) stopped 25 shots to earn his first shutout of the season.

“I saw the puck well today. The defense opened up the lanes so I could see everything,” said Dopud. “I just focused on my game and kept my eye on the puck.”

The Ravens return to action on Oct. 15 when the University of Waterloo Warriors come to town. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.

Ravens: 2-1-3=6
Gryphons: 0-0-0=0

Scoring
Ravens: 
Berard (2), Hayes, Manley, Pleckaitis, Bahm

Shots
Ravens: 17-15-8=40
Gryphons : 3+12+10=25

Saves
Ravens – Matthew Dopud: 3-12-11=25
Gryphons – Cody St. Jacques: 15-14-5=34

Power play
Ravens: 1/11
Gryphons: 0/12