On Feb. 3, the Redbirds hockey team (20–5–2) triumphed over the Carleton Ravens (10–11–5) in a 6-2 victory at McConnell Arena. The arena was filled with excitement as the McGill Fight Band created a lively atmosphere supporting the Redbirds and their firm grasp on first place in the OUA East.

The first period opened with sharp passing and skating from the Redbirds. In the third minute of play, Redbirds’ forward Mathieu Gagnon scored the first goal of the game, assisted by Zach Gallant and right winger Charles-Antoine Dumont. However, the lead was short-lived. The Ravens scored a tap-in only 14 seconds later after poor coverage around the McGill crease. A Carleton player pushed McGill goalie Alexis Shank after he saved a shot on goal from the Ravens. Minutes later, tensions rose between the Redbirds and Ravens in front of Carleton’s net, with players on both sides getting in each other’s faces. 

Carleton took the lead in seven minutes into the first after securing a rebound off a shot that hit the crossbar. The Redbirds managed several shots on goal in the ensuing minutes, while Carleton kept up the aggression. 

McGill continued to pressure the Carleton defence heading into the last minutes of the period. Gallant picked up his second point of the night, scoring a goal with two minutes left in the first.  Carleton picked up two penalties in the last two minutes of the period for high sticking and hooking, giving the Redbirds a five-on-three advantage, which McGill forward Eric Uba capitalized on. He scored the third goal of the period, assisted by centre William Rouleau and defenceman Scott Walford, leaving the Redbirds with a 3-2 lead. 

The second period saw no further goals for either team. However, the hostile atmosphere only strengthened.  Both teams got two penalties apiece. McGill left winger Stephane Huard took a slashing penalty just over eight minutes into the period and was quickly followed up by a penalty on the Ravens—this time for roughing after the whistle. 

Two minutes into the third period, following a commotion around McGill’s net, the Redbirds defence had to clear the puck off the goal-line to prevent Carleton from equalizing the game. Although Carleton started the period strong, McGill scored five minutes in to gain a 4-2 lead after the Ravens goalie failed to cover the puck in the crease. Throughout the period, both teams shot aggressive slap shots that the goalies thwarted. After the Redbirds took a timeout, Dumont secured a breakaway and dished it to Gallant, who scored a beautiful goal that brought the crowd to their feet. In a last-ditch effort to even the score, Carleton pulled their goalie with four minutes remaining. Redbirds defenceman Maxime Blanchard scored the final goal of the game on an empty net with just three minutes remaining. 

As the Redbirds head into their final game of the season against Carleton on Feb. 10, head coach David Urquhart explained what the next few weeks will hold. 

“Our main focus is to win that next game because we’ll get [a] bye in the first round [of playoffs],” Urquhart told The Tribune. “In terms of preparation for the playoffs, it’s [what] we’ve been preparing down the stretch […] it’s a style of play that’s more focused on defensive game that allows us to have offensive creativity.”

Moment of the game: With seven minutes left in the third period, the Redbirds got a two-on-one breakaway, leading to a top-shelf goal scored by centre Zach Gallant and assisted by right-wing Charles-Antoine Dumont.

Quotable: “[This win] means a lot, because we’re still fighting for the first spot in the playoffs […] every game is really important [….] We’re not taking anything for granted. And we’ve had a lot of success in the past couple of games, but we’re trying not to sit on our laurels. We’re just trying to treat every game like it’s a playoff game.”

– William Rouleau, on what this result means for the team
Stat corner: Two hockey sticks were broken during the flow of the game, one of which by a Carleton player after attempting a slapshot.