OTTAWA -- Rookie Keanu Yamamoto scored twice, including the game-winner, as McGill, the top-seed in the OUA, scored four unanswered goals to defeat fourth-seeded Ottawa 4-1 to even their best-of-three men's hockey semifinal series at one apiece, Friday, at the uOttawa Minto Sports Complex.

The Redmen, who dropped Wednesday's series opener 3-2, outshot their guests 34-25 but held a slim 2-1 advantage until the dying minutes when two empty-net goals sealed the victory. A decisive third game will be played on Sunday (Feb. 25) at 7 p.m. at McConnell Arena.

"We had a 60-minute effort," said McGill head coach Kelly Nobes. "We had very good games from everybody. Guys played to their strengths tonight and it was a real good, well-deserved win in an emotional game. It was a full crowd here in Ottawa and we grinded hard for the 60 minutes."

The Gee-Gees took the lead just 2:47 into the contest on a shot by Michael Poirier.

But Yamamoto, a 5-foot-7, 166-pound forward from Spokane, Wash., tallied in each of the next two periods to put the Redmen ahead for good. He beat the goalie high glove-side to even things up at 5:43 of the second period, then intercepted a pass in the high slot and pushed in his own rebound at 3:31 of the third.

"Keanu actually had two really good (playoff) games," praised Nobes. "He was good on Wednesday (in the 3-2 loss) and he was even better tonight. He's a game-breaker type player -- that's how he was described coming out of junior and that's what he delivered tonight. He was outstanding out there and really clutch on both his opportunities."

With the Gee-Gees pressing in the final minutes, defenceman Dominic Talbot-Tassi of Mascouche, Que., gave McGill some breathing room at 18:22 when an ambitious and well-placed shot taken from behind his own goal travelled the length of the 200-foot rink to reach the back of the empty net. Christophe Lalonde of Mirabel, Que., then put the game to rest on another empty-netter with 45 seconds remaining.

Both sides went 0-for-3 with the man-advantage.

Goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound economics senior from St. Joseph du Lac, Que., turned away 24 of 25 shots for the victory.

"He had a real good response tonight," said Nobes, referring to Wednesday's loss. "He played a solid game and gave us a chance to win."

Graham Hunt stopped 30 of 32 for Ottawa in a losing cause.

McGill improved their lifetime record against the Gee-Gees to 103-82-10 in 195 meetings since the series started in 1968.

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