LAVAL, Que – Brandon Frattaroli of Pierrefonds, Que., registered a hat-trick as the seventh-ranked McGill Redbirds toppled No.9 UQTR 5-2 to open the second semester in OUA men's hockey at Place Bell, Sunday.
 
The result improved McGill's record to 11-6-0 and moved the Redbirds past Ottawa (10-6-1) into sole possession of fourth place in the OUA East. UQTR sits two points back, in sixth place with a 10-8-0 record. When the dust settles after the 28-game regular schedule is completed, the top six in the nine-team division will qualify for post-season play.

McGill looked especially sharp, considering that they have only had five practices since returning from a five-week break for exams and holidays. UQTR seemed to have no answer for the Redbirds' quick feet and aggressive forecheck to start the game and McGill, which had a 28-23 edge in shots, scored the first four goals.

"That's the style that we need to play in the second half of the season to have success," said McGill head coach David Urquhart. "Right now, our focus is on that process. Being on the defensive side of the puck and applying pressure to the other team with a good forecheck. Those are things that are hard to do and it's not always exciting but its the type of hockey that wins down the stretch."

The Redbirds led 2-0 after the opening period – on goals by Zach Gallant and Maxime Pellerin – and upped that advantage to 4-1 after two.

Frattaroli put McGill ahead 3-0 at 2:28 of the second period, then gave the Redbirds a four-goal cushion over UQTR at the 16-minute mark. A two-goal rally by the Pats – from Anthony Turcotte and William Dumoulin – erased the possibility of natural hat-trick, even though Frattaroli did score three in a row for the home team. The six-foot-11, 199-pound centre put the game out of reach after connecting for the third time at 15:10 of the final frame.  His performance was the first three-goal effort by a McGill player this season and the first since a natural hat-trick by Eric Uba in Game 2 of the OUA East final on Mar. 1, 2024. 

A 24-year-old industrial relations senior, Frattaroli now has a pair of "tour de chapeaus" over his four seasons at McGill. His first was a natural hat against Ontario Tech on Nov. 26, 2022.  He now ranks second among OUA goal leaders and seventh in points with a 13-7-20 record in 17 games.

"Frats plays hard at both ends of the rink," Urquhart noted. "He defends hard, finishes his checks, and creates space for himself. He's a guy that can score against big teams and at important times in a game. He had a slow start to the season but we know that it was just a matter of time before he would get it going."

Goaltender Alexis Shank, who was playing in his hometown, started for the Redbirds and saved 21 of 23 shots for the win.

"Shank was outstanding tonight," said Urquhart. "Coming off a long layoff, we didn't see any rust. He was big, square (to the shooter), competing and confident. That's what you want to see in your goalie."

Charles-Antoine Lavallee started for the Patriotes and took the loss. He was beaten four times on 21 shots before being replaced by William Grimard for the final period. Grimard stopped six of seven shots. 

Only four penalties were called in the game, with three of them going to the home side. The Redbirds went 0-for-1 on the power-play but erased all three shorthanded situations.

This marked McGill's third consecutive and 100th lifetime victory over their provincial archrivals since a heartbreaking 5-4 loss to the Pats in a national semifinal last March. UQTR leads the lifetime series with a 178-100-17 record in head-to-head competition since they first met in 1969, including a 123-63-16 mark in regular season play. But over the last 20 years, McGill has a 62-52-3 advantage.

The longtime foes will cross paths again on Tuesday (Jan. 7), also at the Place Bell community rink and then again on Jan. 17 in Trois-Rivières.

REDBIRDS RAP: Mathieu Gagnon collected three assists, all on Frattaroli's goals and upped his regular season totals to 6-12-18 in 17 contests. He is now one of seven Redbirds who are averaging over a point per game... Seniors Drew Bennett and Alex Plamondon finally returned to the lineup after missing a significant portion of the season with injuries.  Bennett, who hails from Mount Pearl, Nfld., missed 11 games as a result of an injury suffered in a game at Concordia on Oct. 23... Plamondon, from Drummondville, Que.,  suited up for the first time in 13 months, and had off-season surgery last summer.

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SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
McGill Athletics and Recreation
(514) 398- 7012
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
www.mcgillathletics.ca