Wright in the nick of time; veteran pots OT winner as Redmen nip and tuck Gee-Gees
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OTTAWA - Andrew Wright, a third-year forward from Toronto, scored at 2:45 of sudden-death overtime as No. 3-ranked McGill salvaged a 3-2 conquest over the Ottawa Gee-Gees in men's hockey at the uOttawa Sports Complex, Saturday.
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McGill, the only CIS team which has yet to lose in regulation time, improved to 17-0-2 in OUA play with nine games remaining before post-season play.
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The Redmen had jumped into a 2-0 lead on goals by team captain Evan Vossen of Swift Current, Sask., at 11:43 of the opening period and Francis Verreault-Paul, who tallied his nation-leading 27th at 4:56 of the second period. Alex Picard-Hooper, a native of Boucherville, Que., who leads the nation with 34 assists, set up both goals.
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But the Gee-Gees rallied to lend some credence to the old Don Cherry adage that a two-goal lead is the toughest one to hold onto.
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Chris Smerek scored his first of the season at 8:57 of the middle period and Ottawa captain Matthieu Methot knotted the score at 2-2 less than eight minutes later.
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"We didn't play our best but you have to give Ottawa some credit," said McGill head coach Kelly Nobes. "They came to play and gave us a good test. We started out well, then had a lull but were able to turn it up a notch. We found a way to win, despite a bunch of injuries that we're dealing with."
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A confident-looking Hubert Morin of St. Georges de Beauce, Que., put in a solid outing in the McGill net and was credited with 24 saves, improving to 12-1 on the season.Ìý Gee-gees netminder Harrison May stopped 34 pucks in a losing cause and dropped to 5-2.
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"It was perhaps Hubert's best outing of the season," said Nobes. "He came up with a few big saves at key times. I could tell he was on his game in the first period when he calmly handled the puck off a faceoff in our zone while we were two-men short. Instead of smothering the puck, he took his time and waited for an opening before firing it down the ice."
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That play killed off almost 30 seconds of the Ottawa power-play and set the stage for McGill's top-notch penalty-killing unit, which successfully snuffed out all five Gee-Gees PP chances.
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The OUA East division-leading Redmen play at Concordia (9-7-0) on Sunday afternoon (3 pm) in what will be the first confrontation of the season between the cross-town rivals.
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SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
McGill Athletics & Recreation
(514-398-7012)
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SCORING SUMMARY
McGill 3 at Ottawa 2 (OT)
(Saturday, January 8, 2011 - Sports Complex Arena)
1st Period-
1, McGill, Evan
Vossen 12 (Ryan McKiernan, Nicolas Biniek), 11:43
(PP).
Penalties-
Dupont Mcg (slashing), 8:31;
Krahenbil Ott (elbowing), 10:10;
Longpre-Poirier Mcg (elbowing), 18:12;
Vossen Mcg (hooking), 18:58.
2nd Period-
2, McGill, Francis
Verreault-Paul 27 (Alex Picard-Hooper, Ben Morse),
4:56.
3, Ottawa, Chris Smerek 1 (David Foucher),
8:57.
4, Ottawa, Mathieu Methot 12 (Dominic Jalbert, Luc
Blain), 16:41.
Penalties-
Bini Ott (cross checking), 6:04;
Morse Mcg (holding), 9:18;
Burns Ott (holding), 13:19.
3rd Period-
(None)
Penalties-
McKiernan Mcg (elbowing), 4:55;
Methot Ott (cross checking), 9:04;
Methot Ott (holding), 13:52.
OVERTIME (5 mins, 4-on-4)
5, McGill,
Andrew Wright 11 (Alex Picard-Hooper, Guillaume
Doucet), 2:45.
Penalties
(None)
SCORING BY PERIOD:
McGill 1-1-0-1 -- 3
Ottawa 0-2-0-0 -- 2
Shots on Goal-
McGill 9-12-14-2 -- 37.
Ottawa 8-12-6-0 -- 26.
Power Play Opportunities-
McGill 1 / 5;
Ottawa 0 / 5.
Penalties (No/Mins)-
McGill 5 / 10;
Ottawa 5 / 10.
Goalies-
McGill, Hubert
Morin (W, 12-1-0, 26 shots-24 saves; 62:45).
Ottawa, Harrison May (L, 5-2, 37 shots-34 saves;
62;45).
Attendance-500
Referee-Scott Loney.
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Start: 7:06 PM
End: 9:21
Length:2:15
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THREE STARS
1. Alex Picard-Hooper, McGill
2. Harrison May, Ottawa
3. Hubert Morin, McGill