PREVIEW: Men’s hockey looking ahead to OUA playoffs after splitting final weekend of regular season

Photo: Greg Kolz
Photo: Greg Kolz
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March 14, 2022

The University of Ottawa men's hockey team heads into the first round of the OUA playoffs after splitting their final weekend of regular season play. They closed out their regular season with a 3-1 win over the McGill Redbirds in Montreal before heading home and losing to the UQTR Patriotes.

The Gee-Gees were led on Friday night by Max Grondin who opened the scoring in the first and was a physical force all over the ice. Anand Oberoi made 21 saves on 22 shots en route to his fifth win on the season.

There was no time to rest for the Gee-Gees who returned home to close out their season. The Patriotes walked away victors after a tight game, finishing 3-2. Second period goals by Cody Van Lierop and Bradley Chenier were not enough to earn the Gee-Gees the win. They finish the season 9-8-1.

Since the program's reinstatement in 2016, they are yet to post a losing season.  

They will play the Nipissing Lakers, who finished as the fourth seed in the OUA East, in a single-elimination game. It is the first time these two schools have met in the playoffs since the reformation of the men's hockey program in 2016. The puck drops on Wednesday, March 16, from North Bay Memorial Gardens. 

The last time these two teams met was in Nov. 2019, the Gee-Gees losing 4-3 in a shootout in North Bay. You have to go back to 2011-12 to find the last time these two teams met in the OUA playoffs. The Gee-Gees swept the Nipissing Lakers that year, scoring a combined eight goals over the two games while only conceding three.

Nipissing finished the season 10-8-0 in the OUA East, only behind the Queen's Gaels. They were led in goals this season by veteran Gael Lubwele who scored nine times, including three goals in his last three games. He finished tied on points with Jacob Hickey, both with 12.

The Lakers are a notoriously hard team to beat at home. They finished with a 7-3 record at North Bay Memorial Gardens, scoring close to four goals per game. Their powerplay is also significantly improved when playing at home, converting on over 23 percent of all opportunities.

"We will have to watch some tape on them, obviously we haven't seen them all year and it will be a tough match-up," said Gee-Gees head coach, Patrick Grandmaître. "They play well at home and are traditionally a physical team. We will take the next couple of days to prepare and go for a big win on the road."

The game will be webcast live on OUA.tv, with live updates being provided by @GeeGeesMHKY on Twitter and Instagram.

ALUMNI IN ATTENDANCE

Prior to Saturday's game, the Gee-Gees held their annual alumni game. The alumni watched the game against the Patriotes and were in attendance for the seniors ceremony of graduating student-athletes Yvan Mongo, Cody Van Lierop, Nicolas Mattinen and Branden Makara.