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CIS men's hockey Sunday roundup: Penalty-filled affair sees Gee-Gees emerge victorious
Photo credit Richard Whittaker
OTTAWA - In their first home game in over a month, the uOttawa
Men’s hockey team reminded their home fans why they should be
excited for the remainder of the 2012 season as they emerged
victorious from a penalty-filled affair against the University of
Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday afternoon.
Great offensive zone penetration and cycle play by the Gee-Gees
squad in the early going resulted in a frustrated Toronto team
taking numerous penalties which the Garnet & Grey would take
advantage of. Perfect execution of a 5-on-3 by the Gee-Gees saw
defenseman Patrick Burns (Ottawa, Ont.) finish off a great passing
play by the power play unit.
Maintaining their pressure, the Gee-Gees would score only one
minute later with another power play tally from Kyle Ireland
(Rosetown, Sask.), giving the Gee-Gees a two-goal lead heading in
to the second period.
The bad blood between the two teams was evident in the second
period, which saw many scrums and penalties called on both teams.
This time though, it was the Varsity Blues who made the most of the
situation as Toronto defenseman Tim Halloran was able to capitalize
on a rush for the Varsity Blues.
“When we took some bad penalties we started to make some bad
decisions, with and without the puck,” explained Gee-Gees
head coach Réal Paiement. “But, it was important that
we got those first two goals.”
A controversial disallowed goal for the Varsity Blues caused much
conversation and deliberation, but in the end, the visiting Toronto
team was able to dictate the tempo and pace of the second
period.
The third and final instalment of the afternoon saw much of the
same type of action, with plenty of chippy altercations that
resulted in the teams exchanging power play opportunities once
again.
The Varsity Blues applied relentless pressure for the last half of
the third period, but a power play wrist shot off the post was the
closest the Toronto team would come to drawing even with the
Gee-Gees.
In total, there were 30 infractions and 99 minutes of penalties
called during the game, something coach Paiement reflected on after
the game: “It’s hard when there are that many penalties
in the game. It’s tough for everyone to find their rhythm,
and you find yourself with a lot of tired units out there, whether
it be power play of penalty kill.”
The Gee-Gees will look to carry the momentum from their win on
Sunday afternoon on the road with them as they travel to UQTR on
January 13 at 7:00 p.m.
Source:
Ottawa Sports Info
