KINGSTON, Ont. – Brandon Frattaroli of Pierrefonds, Que., scored twice, including the winning tally as McGill skated to a 5-3 victory over the RMC Paladins in OUA men's hockey at Constantine Arena, Saturday.

The Redbirds improved their regular season mark to 11-4-3, one point behind second-place Ontario Tech (12-4-2) and five behind division-leading UQTR (15-3-0). With only eight games remaining before the new OUA post-season format begins, the top two squads in each of the two divisions will earn a first-round playoff bye, while the next four teams will battle in a first-round best-of-three series.
 
It was the third win in four season meetings with RMC for McGill, which improved to 76-10-4 lifetime in a series that dates all the way back to 1892. 

McGill jumped into a 4-0 lead before the 14th minute of the opening period and it appeared that they were poised for a blow-out. But the Paladins have made a habit of late rallies and they waited until the final stanza before a spirited three-goal spree was halted by a long-distance empty-net goal from McGill defenceman Scott Walford.
 
After co-captain Jordan-Ty Fournier of Dorval, Que., and sophomore Eric Uba of Kitchener, Ont., had given the Redbirds a quick 2-0 lead, at 6:36 and 7:13, Frattaroli added his ninth and 10th goals of the season, just 115 seconds apart at 11:57 and 13:52, to give his troops a four-goal cushion.
 
Replying for the Paladins in the final frame were forwards Devin Leduc, Wil Murray and Austin Saint.
 
RMC, which had a 35-34 edge in shots, went 1-for-3 on the power-play, while McGill was 0-for-2.

Goaltender Alexis Shank, a sophomore from Laval, Que., made 32 saves for the victory, improving his record to 6-4. Freshman Michael Davis of St. Albert, Alta., registered 29 saves for the Paladins as his record tumbled to 1-8.

With a dozen goals in 18 games, Uba now ranks third among OUA goal scorers and is tied for eighth in the nation. Not far behind is Frattaroli, with 10 goals in 18 contests, which ranks seventh among OUA leaders. It is the first time since 2019-20 that the Redbirds have had two players reaching double-digits in goals.
 
As for Walford, the Habs draft pick from Coquitlam, B.C., upped his season tally to 3-16-19 in 18 games, which is one point shy of the OUA lead for rearguards and ranks third in the nation. Walford will miss the next three McGill games, however, as he will be suiting up for a U SPORTS national all-star squad at the upcoming FISU World University Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., Jan. 12-22. He is slated to miss McGill's upcoming contests against Carleton (Jan. 13), UQTR (Jan. 18) and UQTR (Jan. 21).
 
McGill (11-4-3) will now prepare for the Carleton Ravens (8-6-3) in the annual Winter Carnival Game, with a sellout crowd anticipated, on Friday, Jan. 13. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. and about 200 tickets remain available online. Of the previous 18 Carnival Games played at McConnell Arena dating back to 2003, 16 of them have been sellouts. RMC (5-12-1) plays Ontario Tech (12-4-2) on the same night.
 
REDBIRDS RAP: With only 180 penalty minutes in 18 games, McGill is the second-least penalized team of the 34 schools in U SPORTS hockey. The Redbirds have only 10 PIMs more than Brock, which has played one less game.
 
SCORING SUMMARY
 
OUA STANDINGS & STATS
 
OUA SCOREBOARD
 

SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
@EarlZukerman (twitter)