Men's Hockey 1/8/2011 6:00:00 PM

Wright in the nick of time; veteran pots OT winner as Redmen nip and tuck Gee-Gees

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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."

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. Gee-gees netminder Harrison May stopped 34 pucks in a losing cause and dropped to 5-2.

"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."

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.

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.

SOURCE:

Earl Zukerman

McGill Athletics & Recreation

(514-398-7012)

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.