(PHOTO OF ALEX PICARD HOOPER BY ANDREW DOBROWOLSKYJ)

 

 

MONTREAL - Alex Picard-Hooper of Boucherville, Que., scored five points, including a pair of goals, as the No.2-ranked McGill Redmen skated to a 7-4 conquest over Ottawa in OUA hockey at McConnell Arena, Saturday.

 

The win improved McGill's division-leading record to 16-0-2 heading into a three-week break for exams. The fourth-place Gee-Gees dropped to 9-6-2.

 

The teams were knotted at 2-2 after one period and McGill led 4-3 after two before breaking the game open in the final frame.

 

Picard-Hooper, who registered a 13-4-1 record in faceoffs during the contest, set up forward Francis Verreault-Paul for the game's first goal at 3:49 of the opening stanza. He then scored to even the count at 2-2 midway through the period and also assisted on Andrew Wright's second-period marker which put the Redmen ahead 4-2. He netted what proved to be the game-winner just 82 seconds into the final frame, then added his third helper on the game's final goal, scored by Verreault-Paul on the power play with less than five minutes remaining.

 

"Pic had a very productive weekend statistically and continued his consistent play," said Redmen head coach Kelly Nobes. "His passing skills and tactical ability make him an elite player in the league. He makes everyone around him better."

 

Picard-Hooper's offensive onslaught catapulted him ahead of two Gee-Gees into second place among CIS scoring leaders with a 6-32-38 record in 18 games. He ranks third among McGill's all-time assist leaders with 133 in 115 career contests overall and is chasing the single-season school record of 52 set by George Burnett in 1982-83.

 

Rounding out the scoring for the Redmen was veteran Simon Marcotte-Légaré of Longueuil, Que., and freshman Nicolas Biniek of Montreal, who potted his first career goal in CIS action and kept the puck as a souvenir.

 

Gee-Gees marksmen included forward Julien Demers (his 11th) of Ottawa, plus three defencemen -- Matthieu Methot of Ottawa, Gabriel Houde of Pontiac, Que., and Austin Krahenbil of Melville, Sask.

 

McGill had a 39-30 edge in shots as Redmen goaltender Hubert Morin of St. George de Beauce, Que., improved his record to 11-1. Ottawa goalie Harrison May, a freshman from Vancouver, B.C., suffered his first setback of the season and fell to 5-1.

 

The Redmen are off until after the Christmas break, when they will bus to the Maritimes for back-to-back games in Antigonish, N.S., against St.FX (Dec. 28-29), followed by a matchup against No.3-ranked UNB on Dec. 30. The Gee-Gees are off until Jan. 3, when they will play an exhibition game against Lake Superior State in Rockland, Ont.

 

REDMEN RAP: Former Redmen captain and head coach Martin Raymond called after the game looking for a final score... Raymond is in his first NHL season with Tampa Bay as an assistant coach to McGill grad Guy Boucher... Picard-Hooper needs 12 assists to pass Raymond (144) before setting his sights on the school record of 171 assists by David Burgess...  Andrew Wright has a 10-15-25 record in 17 games, already matching his regular-season goal, assist and point totals from all of last year when he played 27 games... Francis Verreault-Paul, who leads the nation in goals (26) and points (39) in 16 games, has already surpassed the goal-scoring leader in the country last season (UNB's Hunter Tremblay had 25) and is now chasing the OUA regular-season record for most goals. The mark is shared by McGill's Tim Iannone, and Laurentian's Denis Castonguay, both of whom scored 35 in 25 games during the 1987-88 campaign. The CIS record is 40, set that same season, by St.FX's Dave Purcell and matched in 1988-89 by Saskatchewan's Ken Morrison. It will be a challenging task for Verreault-Paul as he has already missed two games and is expected to miss at least three more contests next month while playing for Canada at the World University Games.

 

 

SOURCE:

Earl Zukerman

McGill Athletics & Recreation

514-398-7012

 

 

SCORING SUMMARY

Ottawa 4 at McGill 7

(Saturday, December 4, 2010 - McConnell Arena)

1st Period-

1, McGill, Francis Verreault-Paul 25 (A. Picard-Hooper, A. Wright), 3:49.

2, Ottawa, Julien Demers 2 (L. Blain), 6:18.

3, Ottawa, Matthieu Methot 11 (D. Jalbert, K. Ireland), 8:13 (PP).

4, McGill, Alex Picard-Hooper 5 (A. Wright, G. Doucet), 11:43.

 

Penalties-

Genest Mcg (tripping), 6:52;

Biniek Mcg (hooking), 8:47;

Hayes Ott (spearing double minor), 12:27;

Doucet Mcg (slashing), 17:03.

 

2nd Period-

5, McGill, Nicolas Biniek 1 (M. Langelier-Parent, B. Levesque), 3:29.

6, McGill, Andrew Wright 10 (M.A. Dorion, A. Picard-Hooper), 15:48.

7, Ottawa, Gabriel Houde 1 (K. Ireland, L. Blain), 16:50.

 

Penalties-

Demers Ott (roughing), 4:26;

Dorion Mcg (holding), 6:31;

Verreault-Paul Mcg (inter. on goaltender), 13:04.

 

3rd Period-

8, McGill, Alex Picard-Hooper 6 (M.A. Dorion), 1:22.

9, McGill, Simon Marcotte-Legare 4 (B. Morse, G. Doucet), 4:39.

10, Ottawa, Austin Krahenbil 2 (L. Blain, M. Methot), 7:46.

11, McGill, Francis Verreault-Paul 26 (A. Picard-Hooper, M.A. Dorion), 15:09 (PP).

 

Penalties-

Ashton Ott (hooking), 11:58;

Sandhu Ott (interference), 14:43;

Boisvert Mcg (holding), 16:49.

 

GOALS BY PERIOD:
Ottawa 2-1-1 -- 4
McGill 2-2-3 -- 7

Shots on Goal-
Ottawa 12-12-6 -- 30.
McGill 9-16-14 -- 39.

Power Play Opportunities-
Ottawa 1 / 6;
McGill 1 / 5.

Penalties-
Ottawa 5 / 10;
McGill 6 / 12.

 

Goalies-
Ottawa, Harrison May (L, 5-1, 39 shots-32 saves; 60:00).
McGill, Hubert Morin (W, 11-1, 30 shots-26 saves; 60:00).

Att-291

Referee- Nicolas Leduc.

Start: 7:04 PM
End: 9:10 PM
Length: 2:06

 

MOLSON CUP THREE STARS

1. MCG - 9 Alexandre Picard-Hooper
2. MCG - 19 Andrew Wright
3. OTT - 90 Luc Blain