RECAP: Men’s hockey drops three of four in first week back

The University of Ottawa men's hockey team resumed the OUA season to a disappointing first weekend. The Gee-Gees sit on 13 points, currently in a tie for the lead of the Far East, but the three losses this week opens the door to the Concordia Stingers who beat the Gee-Gees on Tuesday to pull within one point.

The Garnet and Grey were blown away on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 10-2 by the UQTR Patriotes. In an uncharacteristic display, the Gee-Gees had no answer to the Patriotes. The lone bright spot was the debut of Nicolas Ouellet who scored both of the Gee-Gees goals.

Patrick Grandmaître and his team were eager to right the ship when they hosted the return fixture on Saturday. UQTR opened the scoring through Simon Lafrance at the midpoint of the second. Yvan Mongo's second goal of the season came 12 seconds later, drawing things level again. Jordan Martel would convert on UQTR's lone powerplay opportunity in the third to pull ahead once again. With less than three minutes to play in the game, Charles-Antoine Roy found a loose puck in front that he tapped home for his team-leading fifth goal of the season, sending the game to overtime.

In the extra frame, UQTR would take a tripping penalty to give the Gee-Gees powerplay a chance to end the game. Nicholas Mattinen made no mistake, rifling home a one-timer to win the game, 3-2, in overtime. It was the team's first win in OT this season.

The Garnet and Grey would close out the weekend with a disappointing 3-1 loss. McGill opened the scoring in the second period when Brandon Frattaroli found himself on a breakaway before Redbird leading goal scorer, Eric Uba, extended the McGill lead to 2-0. With under five minutes to go in the game, Charles-Antoine Roy would pull the Gee-Gees within one, bringing his season total to six. Uba would add his second of the game on the empty net in the dying embers. 

Anand Oberoi, who had a standout game on Saturday, stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced. 

On Tuesday, the Gee-Gees lost 5-4 to the Concordia Stingers. The Stingers jumped out to an early lead, fueled by the powerplay which potted two of the Stingers' three first-period goals. The Gee-Gees would rally late, led by two Nicholas Mattinen goals but it wasn't enough to overcome the Stingers' early lead. 

"We have to execute and find our game," said Grandmaître. "We have to simplify things and play a more north-south game."

"It is about resetting and focusing on what we do well and bringing that into our next game."

The Gee-Gees are on the road next weekend, travelling to Montreal to take on Concordia, at 5:00 p.m., before heading to Trois-Rivières for a date with the Patriotes on Sunday, with puck drop at 4:00 p.m.

The Garnet and Grey have played Concordia tight this season, winning their first matchup 4-2 in November and dropping the close 5-4 decision on Feb. 22. Isiah Campbell, Alexander Katerinakis and Tyler Hylland are the primary offensive threats for the Stingers, each averaging more than a point per game.

The Gee-Gees will travel to UQTR for the first time since losing 10-2 and are yet to win at UQTR this season. They are undefeated at home this season. The top team in the OUA Far-East hasn't played since losing 3-2 in overtime to the University of Ottawa. They are led offensively by Simon Lafrance who leads the team in assists (8) and points (13).