OTTAWA -- Rookie Eric Uba of Kitchener, Ont., tallied twice and added an assist as the McGill University men's hockey team skated to a 3-1 road triumph over Ottawa, Sunday. The game was played at TD Place Arena, home venue of the Ottawa 67s, with no fans due to coronavirus restrictions.

The victory provided a much-needed shot in the arm for the struggling young Redbirds, who improved to 3-8 and perhaps serve as the vaccine needed for a berth in the OUA playoffs, slated to begin on March 16. The Gee-Gees, who share the division lead with UQTR, dropped to 6-4-1.

"We were buzzing right from the opening faceoff," head coach David Urquhart said. "The guys were determined and there was great energy in the room. They really pulled together. The last game (a penalty-filled 7-4 loss to Concordia) was a real motivating factor and the guys really pulled together after that. It was a lot about determination and will tonight. Even when there were some strong moments from Ottawa, we kept pushing back... It was a full 60-minute effort and that's the recipe that we can take going forward. That's how you win games."

The teams were scoreless after the opening period and McGill led 1-0 after two, as Uba set up linemate Brandon Frattaroli of Pierrefonds, Que., at 14:36.

In the final stanza, Uba scored what proved to be the game-winner, at 10:20 to give the Redbirds some breathing room. Forward Keanu Yamamoto and defenceman Mitchell Prowse drew assists on the play.

Five minutes later, Ottawa narrowed the deficit on a goal by Charles-Antoine Roy, his sixth of the season. But Uba replied again, adding an empty netter, assisted by Frattaroli, to ice the contest. 

Uba, a 21-year-old management freshman, was recruited out of the OHL's Guelph Storm, where he played for head coach George Burnett, a McGill grad (BEd '86) who was the University's first hockey All-Canadian back in 1982-83. Uba now has a team-leading seven goals in 11 games, two shy of the league lead in that department.

"He showed up on the scoreboard for all three goals tonight but the part that our coaching staff really liked was his physicality in the first period and he carried that through the whole game," said Urquhart of his six-foot, 200-pound forward. "He's a physical force, a big, strong guy. It's something that often gets overlooked because of his scoring prowess but his physicality can be very impactful in our games."

McGill outshot the Gee-Gees in each period and ended up with a 35-28 edge. Redbirds rookie goaltender Alexis Shank of Laval, Que., turned aside 27 of 28 shots and improved his record to 3-6 in league play. Ottawa rookie Anand Oberoi of nearby Kanata, Ont., saved 32 of 34 and took the loss, dropping to 2-1.

McGill was 0-for-1 on the power-play and successfully erased all three shorthanded scenarios.

The win snapped McGill's four game losing streak to Ottawa and this was the last regular season meeting between the longtime foes who first met in 1968. Six of the last seven meetings between these closely-matched clubs have featured an empty-net marker in the dying minutes. McGill is now 107-90-10 lifetime against Ottawa, with a 52-45-3 record at the Gee-Gees home rink and a 3-1-0 advantage in neutral sites.

With only seven contests remaining in a truncated 18-game schedule, the Redbirds still have an outside chance to catch fourth-place Carleton (4-2-2). McGill sits four points back and have two games remaining with the Ravens, who also hold three games in hand.

McGill has four confrontations left with division-leading UQTR (6-2-1), beginning on Wednesday in Trois-Rivieres. The matchup will be streamed on OUA-TV for free at 7 p.m.

The top three teams in each of the four OUA divisions automatically qualify, along with the next two teams -- all based on highest winning percentage -- in the Eastern Conference, which is composed of the Mid East and Far East divisions. McGill, which sits last in the five-team Far East division, needs to finish ahead of RMC (1-10-2) from the Mid East.

REDBIRDS RAP: McGill dressed only five defencemen for the game, including a solid performance from Adam Pilotte, a senior from Chateauguay, Que., who was suiting up for his first OUA game  this year, after seeing duty in the preseason.


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SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
TEL: 514-398-7012
EMAIL: earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca