The men’s hockey team had a special game Jan. 10: the Warriors faced the out-of-division McGill Redmen. One of Waterloo’s furthest opponents, alongside Lakehead and Université de Québec à Trois Rivières, McGill traveled over six hours for this single game. However, unlike Lakehead or Algoma, McGill only brought along its men’s team.
Going into the game, the Redmen were top of the East Division, with a .812 win percentage and a six-game win streak. Waterloo, meanwhile, sat third in the West Division below Windsor and Western with a just-above-average win percentage of .588. The Warriors themselves, however, were greatly above average, going strong with a seven-game win streak. Following the brilliant 5-4 win over Laurier a week prior, the team had strong confidence as they skated onto the ice.
The two teams hardly play each other, due to the previously mentioned distance, but they do hold respect for one another. The first period was thick with tension due to the aggressiveness both teams were exhibiting. Out of the 11 penalties of the game, eight occurred in the first period — four to Waterloo and four to McGill. At 19:25, Warrior Kain Allicock was penalized for interference on the goaltender. At 19:32, McGill was penalized with a serious 10-minute penalty for misconduct. Then, some 15 seconds later, Waterloo was penalized again when Brett Mackie was called for slashing.
Seconds into the subsequent power play, and right before the end of the period, Redman Cedric McNicoll got past goalie Mike Morrison through the five-hole, ending the period in a frustrating 1-0 for McGill.
The second period held no goals for either team, but the battle raged on regardless. In the first period, McGill outshot Waterloo 12-5, but in the second period the Warriors nearly tied shots on net at 10-11.
In the third and final period, Waterloo kicked it up a notch. A comeback by previously downed captain Joe Underwood due to a ricocheted puck rejuvenated the team. At 8:39, Warrior Mike Moffat was able to tie the game. The Warriors were able to double the Redmen’s shots on net 18-9 by the end of regulation play.
With less than five minutes left, Chris Chappel, assisted by Colin Behenna and Matt Kennedy, scored the game winning goal. Coach Brian Bourque said, “Our emotional determination and passion were better in the third. We did make a line change as well and they happened to score the winner … I thought our third period, as a team, was just more physical — we battled harder, and I just thought we played an overall better period as a group.”
The men’s hockey team will have an away game next week in Oshawa against UOIT.
