UOIT defeats Laurentian 1-0 in Overtime
The UOIT Ridgebacks have momentum on their side for the 2015-2016 Ontario University Athletics men’s hockey playoffs.
The Laurentian Voyageurs were in town to face the UOIT Ridgebacks in Oshawa, ON.
The Ridgebacks appeared to be bullied by the big, and strong, Voyageurs, and it did not take long for the Ontario University Athletics referees to notice. Laurentian was penalized four times in the game, including a 10-minute misconduct penalty in the first period.
UOIT Head Coach Curtis Hodgins attended the post-game press conference to share his thoughts. UOIT is not normally a physical team, Hodgins said. Hodgins revealed that UOIT’s most physical players were in the stands with the fans, and the press.
Friday’s game was a true mental, and physical, test for both OUA hockey clubs. With playoffs approaching, both teams were given the chance to review their pros and cons.
The final shot count was 29-27 for UOIT. Both the Ridgebacks and Voyageurs appeared to struggle offensively for much of the game. It was a low-shooting, and low-scoring, hockey game.
Hodgins shared his thesis on the fierce hockey game.
“You know, we had some good chances,” Hodgins said. “It could have been a two, or three, to nothing game early. It was just one of those games. You got to tip your hat to Laurentian. They played us real hard defensively, and didn’t give us a whole lot of chances.
Hodgins had some harsh words about the power play unit.
“Our power play, it didn’t generate much because we couldn’t even get out of our own end with it,” said Hodgins. “So, we got to clean that up, but all in all, it was one of those games…”
Ridgebacks Forward Ben Blasko scored the game-winning goal, and the game’s only goal, 23 seconds into Overtime to give UOIT the 1-0 victory.
“It was a good game for us,” said Blasko. “We have a lot to improve on, a lot to build on. We had some good things that we can build on from tonight, and hopefully we can bring it tomorrow night, and the playoffs next week.”
After this win, UOIT advances to fourth in the OUA Eastern Conference standings. If the Ridgebacks can finish the season in this spot, they will earn the right to the home ice advantage.
Game-winning hero Ben Blasko thinks having home ice advantage is huge.
“Home ice is a big thing going into the playoffs cause its only a three-game series,” said Blasko. “We would like to have two here.”
Despite having a better “away” record, coach Hodgins wants home ice.
“We’re fighting for home ice still here,” said Hodgins. “We have a shot to get home ice tomorrow and that’s what were playing for, and were going without best line-up.”
UOIT goaltender Brendan O’Neill stopped 27 shots to earn his first career OUA shutout.
After learning O’Neill is currently third in the league for “most saves,” he addressed the media in the post-game press conference. He says being third in the league for “Most Saves” increases his confidence.
“I don’t look at stats,” O’Neill said. “I care about winning to be honest, but you know, you pointing that out, obviously it gives you a lot of confidence. The team is playing well in front of me…”
Brendan O’Neill is expected to start in tomorrow’s game against the Nipissing Lakers.
