MONTREAL – Defenceman Dominic Talbot-Tassi broke the school's ironman record but it was another rearguard who spoiled the party as McGill officially opened their 144th campaign with a 3-2 loss to visiting Ottawa in OUA men's university hockey, Thursday, at McConnell Arena.

Senior Michael Poirier of Moncton, N.B., was one of two Gee-Gees rearguards to find the net and was credited with the game-winner near the midway mark of the second period. It dropped McGill's lifetime record versus Ottawa to 105-85-10 in 200 meetings overall.
 
Talbot-Tassi, a fifth-year senior from Mascouche, Que., who has not missed a regular-season game in his four-plus seasons, suited up for his 114th consecutive OUA contest, surpassing the school's record in conference play, set by forward Guillaume Doucet (2007-2011). Talbot-Tassi did miss two non-conference contests in 2016-17 and thus has currently played in 123 consecutive overall, 34 shy of the team's "overall" record streak, which includes non-conference and playoff games. That record, which Talbot-Tassi is on pace to surpass in the playoffs, is 157 consecutive games held by Yves Beaucage, a former McGill captain and assistant coach, who skated from 1980 to 1984.

Ottawa, which led the OUA East last year with a 22-2-4 record, had a 44-30 margin in shots, including an 18-9 edge in the first period but McGill opened the scoring before Ottawa rallied for three straight goals. The teams were knotted at 1-1 after the first period but the Gee-Gees added a pair in the second and McGill narrowed the gap with one in the final stanza, when Nova Scotian Ryan Penny responded shorthanded to make it 3-2 with 4:34 remaining. It was Penny's first regular season goal in OUA play and he was presented the puck as a souvenir.

Veteran forward Antoine Dufort-Plante put McGill ahead 1-0 when he slammed home a Keanu Yamamoto rebound at 7:24 of the first period.

McGill then frittered away a 5-on-3 power-play opportunity when Ottawa's Jacob Sweeney and Antoine Pouliot were penalized at 8:25 and 9:15, for kneeing and slashing infractions, respectively. McGill ended up 0-for-4 with the man-advantage but erased all six Gee-Gees PP opportunities.

Forward Connor Sills of Thunder Bay Ont., responded for the visitors at 13:56 to even the score. at 1-1. However, two unanswered Ottawa goals in the second stanza proved to be the difference. Matthew Dunlop, the second Gee-Gees blueliner to score, struck just 70 seconds into the period and the aforementioned Poirier widened the gap to 3-1 at 7:33. 

McGill netminder Louis-Philip Guindon of St. Joseph du Lac, Que., saved 41 of 44 shots and took the loss. Domenic Graham, a six-foot transfer from Nipissing University, made 28 saves on 30 shots to collect the win in his first career start for Ottawa after registering an 18-35-0 record in four seasons with the Lakers.
 
McGill (0-1-0) visits the Ed Meagher Arena on Saturday (Oct. 5) to play Concordia at 7:30 p.m. The Stingers (0-0) will open their season on Friday night against visiting Carleton (1-0). 

Ottawa (1-0) travels south of the border to face Penn State in an exhibition game on Oct. 6.

McGILL MURMURS: The result marked the second consecutive OUA conference opener dropped by McGill after having a four-year win streak halted in 2018... Among the faces in the crowd was former McGill bench boss Martin Raymond and assistant coach Dan Jacob. Both also played for McGill and went on to pro hockey coaching careers. Jacob is currently an assistant coach with the AHL's Laval Rocket. Raymond, who coached in the NHL with Tampa and Ottawa, has offered to help out interim head coach Liam Heelis and the McGill program in an advisory capacity as it recovers from the unexpected passing of long-time coach Kelly Nobes, who died on Sept. 4 at age 45. A memorial service is scheduled to be held on Tuesday (Oct. 8) from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., on campus at the Sir Arthur Currie gymnasium.

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