MONTREAL -- Rookie Daniel Milne of Unionville, Ont., scored twice, including a shorthanded tally, and the high-flying McGill offence potted three power-play markers as the No.3-ranked Redmen skated to a 5-2 victory over Guelph in men's hockey at McConnell Arena, Friday.

McGill, which led 2-1 after the first period and 5-2 after two, outshot the defending CIS bronze medalists and OUA Queen's Cup champs by a 42-28 margin. It was McGill's fourth straight win over the Gryphons and improved their lifetime record to 29-13-5 against Guelph.

The game started on a bizarre note, with McGill backup netminder Joe Fleschler receiving an obscure penalty at the 11-second mark for not having his headgear on properly while sitting at the end of the bench, minding his own business, behind the protective glass.

It was a sign of things to come as McGill centre Liam Heelis was also nailed for a similar helmet infraction when his chinstrap came loose midway through the second period. By the end of the soiree, the game featured 16 power-plays and 54 minutes in penalties, including 36 PIMs to the Gryphons. McGill was 3-for-10 with the extra man, while Guelph was 1-for-6. The Redmen own the top power-play in the CIS with a success rate of 31.1 per cent.

Milne opened the scoring at 2:03 while the Fleschler penalty was being served. It was the team's third shorthanded marker of the season. A product of the OHL's Owen Sound Attack, the speedy left-winger also capped the scoring with McGill's fifth marker at 17:50 of the middle stanza. Milne, one of three former OHL players on the Redmen roster, now has 25 points, including 13 goals in 23 games.

Lost in all the madness was a record-tying goal by Samuel Labrecque, which made it 2-0 on the power-play at 9:04 of the the first period. It equaled the McGill single-season record for most goals by a defenceman, set 34 years ago by Gilles Hudon, who had 15 goals and 38 points in 24 games during the 1981-82 season.

Labrecque, who also collected an assist, now leads the CIS scoring race with a lofty 15-24-39 record in 23 contests. With five games left to play, Labrecque is three points shy of the team's single-season points record for rearguards, held by Alain Cusson, who had 42 in 26 games during the 1988-89 campaign.

After Labrecque made it 2-0, Guelph storned back to even the score at 2-2 on goals by Dylan Gilbert at 11:32 of the first period and Cody Thompson at 9:58 of the second.

But McGill then unleashed their secret weapon when rookie Christophe Lalonde of St. Eustache, Que., scored what proved to be the game-winner at 15:01, It was his third goal and fifth point in five games since he was added to the roster over the Christmas break. His goal ignited a three-goal explosion in a span of two minutes and 49 seconds, with the others coming from Liam Heelis at 16:00 and Milne at 17:50.

The final stanza was scoreless.

Collecting the victory in the McGill net was Jacob Gervais-Chouinard of Sherbrooke, Que., who turned aside 26 of 28 shots faced and improved his sparking record to 17-3 on the season and 42-10 lifetime in OUA play. The third-year economics major is currently ranked sixth and eighth among CIS netminders, respectively, with a goals-against average of 2.31 and a save percentage of .922.

Andrew D'Agostini took the loss for Guelph and conceded five goals on 42 shots as his record tumbled to 10-8.

McGill, which sits tied with UQTR atop the OUA East with identical 19-3-1 records, will host Western, from London, Ont., on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Mustangs who were idle on Friday, lead the OUA West with a 14-8-0 record.

REDMEN RAP: The injury bug has really hit the Redmen, who have nine players scratched with various ailments, including senior David Rose, the team's top-scoring forward... It was a perfect opportunity to get a look at rookie newcomer Jerome Verrier, who joined the team in early January and finally received medical clearance to play after suffering a serious leg injury in the Detroit Red Wings rookie camp last September. He wore No. 21 and had a regular shift in his CIS debut, taking two penalties. "I liked what I saw of Jerome tonight," said McGill head coach Kelly Nobes of  the 21-year-old physical education freshman, who starred for Quebec and Drummondville in the QMJHL from 2011 to 2015, where he tallied 191 points, including 92 goals in 242 regular season games. "He hadn't played all season, came back from a pretty serious injury and played with a lot of grit. It was a really mature game for a young guy and he contributed to the win tonight."

LINK TO COMPLETE BOXSCORE

LINK TO CIS SCORING LEADERS

LINK TO CIS STANDINGS

SCORING SUMMARY
Guelph 2 at McGill 5
(Friday, January 22, 2016 - McConnell Arena)

GOALS BY PERIOD:
Guelph 1-1-0 -- 2
McGill 2-3-0 -- 5

1st Period-
1, McGill, Daniel Milne 12 (Barnard), 2:03 (SH).
2, McGill, Samuel Labrecque 15 (Talbot-Tassi, Heelis), 9:04 (PP).
3, Guelph, Dylan Gilbert 10 (Nichol, Robertson), 11:32 (PP).

Penalties-Fleschler Mcg (illegal equipment), 0:11; Soligo Gph (interference), 5:58; Neuber Gph (roughing), 7:57; Verrier Mcg (interference), 10:12; Appio Gph (high sticking), 12:57; Amestoy Gph (slashing), 17:52; Nichol Gph (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 19:57; Lalonde Mcg (cross checking), 19:57.

2nd Period-
4, Guelph, Cody Thompson 7 (Stevens, Robertson), 9:58.
5, McGill, Christophe Lalonde 3 (Talbot-Tassi, Labrecque), 15:01 (PP).
6, McGill, Liam Heelis 10 (Pompei), 16:00 (PP).
7, McGill, Daniel Milne 13 (Boutet, Lalonde), 17:50.

Penalties-Verrier Mcg (boarding), 2:25; Soligo Gph (holding), 7:06; Lepine Gph (roughing), 10:02; Bonneau Mcg (roughing), 10:02; Simmonds Gph (hooking, checking to the head, 10-minute misconduct), 12:24; Heelis Mcg (illegal equipment), 12:54; Stevens Gph (slashing), 14:04.

3rd Period-
(No Scoring).

Penalties-Lambert-Lemay Mcg (slashing), 4:41; Heelis Mcg (goaltender interference), 9:06; Heelis Mcg (goaltender interference), 11:40; Nichol Gph (hooking), 11:51; Soligo Gph (hooking), 18:35; Kohler Gph (cross checking), 19:25.

Shots on Goal-
Guelph 7-12-9 -- 28.
McGill 13-16-13-42.

Power Play Opportunities-
Guelph 1 / 6;
McGill 3 / 10.

Goalies-
Guelph, Andrew D'Agostini (L, 10-8-0, 42 shots-37 saves; 60:00).
McGill, Jacob Gervais-Chouinard (W, 17-3-0, 28 shots-26 saves; 60:00).

Attendance: 228
Start: 7:02 PM
End: 9:22 PM
Length: 2:20

Referees-Alexandre Cote, Samuel Bernier.
Linesmen-Maxime Mongeon, Nicolas Boivin.

MOLSON CUP THREE STARS
1. MCG - 11 Daniel Milne
2. MCG - 10 Liam Heelis
3. MCG - 12 Christophe Lalonde


SOURCE:
 
Earl Zukerman
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McGill University
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