OSHAWA, Ont. -- Defenceman Nathanael Halbert of Richmond Hill, Ont., scored with 66 seconds remaining to cap a late two-goal rally as seventh-ranked McGill edged Ontario Tech University 2-1 in men's hockey at the Campus Ice Centre, Sunday.

It was the third consecutive win for McGill, which sits fourth in the OUA East with a 12-6-1 record. They now have a six-point cushion over the fifth-place Ridgebacks (8-10-3) with nine games left on the schedule. The result also extended their win streak over OTU to eight since a 5-2 setback on Oct, 8. 2016.  McGill's lifetime series record is now 16-2-0 against the Ridgebacks, who joined the league as UOIT in 2008
 
The home side outshot McGill 30-27, including a 17-7 advantage in the opening period.
 
Ridgeback's forward Josh Maguire scored at 11:43 of the first period, intercepting an errant pass in the high slot and cruising in untouched to give his team a 1-0 advantage. They maintained that lead until the final 10 minutes of the contest.
 
McGill's two late goals came from the blue line, which has accounted for 23 per cent of the team's goals (14/61) this season. For both, it was their first marker of the season.

Michael Campoli an economics freshman from Pte. Claire, Que., tied the score at 1-1 with a power-play marker at 9:45 of the final period. Forwards Michael Cramarossa and Keanu Yamamoto both earned helpers on the play.

Then Halbert potted the game-winner at 18:54, converting passes from Cramarossa and defenceman Nikolas Brouillard.

It was only the third appearance in league play for Halbert, a co-captain and economics senior who missed the entire first semester after being injured in a preseason game. He finally returned to the lineup in a 3-0 win at Carleton on Jan. 4.
 
"Halbert is a huge piece of our hockey club, not only on the ice as one of our top defenders and penalty killers, but also for his contributions off the ice," said McGill head coach Liam Heelis. " His poise, composure and character are critical components that you don't necessarily get to see in his on-ice play. Having him back in the lineup in the second half has been an extremely positive influence on our group."
 
McGill went 1-for-6 on the power-play and was flawless on all three penalty kills. The team has now killed off 17 in a row and continue to rank second in the league with a PK efficiency of 90.8 per cent, just behind Ottawa (91.7)

Netminder Emanuel Vella, a 6-foot-4 freshman from Toronto who was making his first start since Nov. 29, saved 29 of 30 shots to collect the win, improving his record to 2-3.
 
"I thought Vella played a great game for us, he gave our guys a chance to win and was solid in net," said Heelis. "The team did a tremendous job with their sticks and sacrificed their bodies to block shots."

One of those key blocks was made with less than five minutes remaining -- by newly-added rearguard Dalton Gally -- while McGill was trailing 1-0 and killing off a penalty.
 
Ridgeback's goaltender Leif Hertz kicked aside 25 of 27 shots and was saddled with the loss as his record fell to 4-5.

Both teams return to the ice on Friday, Jan 17. Ontario Tech (8-10-3) travels to Queen's (8-11-1) for a 7:30 p.m. matchup, while McGill (12-6-1) will host third-place Ottawa (14-5-2) in a 7 p.m. puck drop at McConnell Arena.

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