MHKY | Voyageurs Rally For Overtime Win
January 12, 2020
The Laurentian Voyageurs men's hockey team played their second match against the RMC Paladins this Sunday afternoon. After taking the first of the two games last night with a score of 5-3, the Voyageurs were in position for a four-point weekend.
The Voyageurs and Paladins were both quick to score in the first period with a Paladins goal twelve minutes in Voyageurs goal three minutes after. Christopher Paquette was able to shelf a backhand on Savard. Paquette scored two goals in Saturday's game.
The Voyageurs defenceman turned forward Zach Wilkie would score his third goal of the season after being fed a handsome opportunity outfront of Van schubert by Gignac for a one-timer heading top corner on the Paladin goaltender. Gignac would get his seventeenth point on the season and Apperson would get his fifth.
The Paladins would answer back quickly. Mitchell Larabie restored their lead 1:24 later after an attempted clearing took a weird bounce off a stantion, creating a turnover which the Paladins capitalized on, giving them a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes. The Paladins struck again 14 seconds into the second period, as Ben Pruneau took a centering pass from the corner and fired the puck past Savard for his first of the season.
Down by two the Voyageurs looked towards their newly repositioned defenceman for yet another one-timer top shelf, but this time on the powerplay. Seconds into the powerplay Wilkie was fed by his linemate Gignac and Peck.
Ben Morris would be accredited the goal that would equalize both teams on the scoreboard after another long shot from the Voyageurs forwards would find itself behind Van schubert. Paul-Antoine Deslauriers and Xaiver Couture would get the assists. The teams went into the second intermission tied at 3.
After another Paladins goal the Voyageurs' Derek Varrin would score yet again on Van schubert. After scoring two goals yesterday on the Paladins, Varrin would send a puck on net for a last ditch opportunity that would find the skate of an RMC defender and eventually the back of the net for the equalizer with seven minutes left. At this point, both teams woud retreat into a defensive shell, not taking many chances as both sides were desperate to guarantee one point.
The Voyageurs and Paladins would need extra time to find a resolution but not much. 48 seconds into the extra fram, Wilkie took a hooking penalty and the Paladins looked to punish the Voyageurs. Instead, after a couple of big saves by Savard, David Elford would get a shorthanded break and slide the puck through the legs of Van schubert for the overtime win. Savard finished the game with 27 saves, the Voyageurs' powerplay was 1/2 and the penalty kill was a perfect 2/2 in addition to the shorthanded game winner.
The Voyageurs took both games against RMC and improve to 5-14-2. They are now 5 points behind Nipissing and Queen's, who are tied for 7th in the division and hold down the final two playoff spots. The Voyageurs will be off next weekend and return to action January 24th and 25th in Oshawa for a two game series against the Ridgebacks. The Ridgebacks currently sit in 5th place, 7 points ahead of the Voyageurs. The Voyageurs have just 7 games left on the season, of which only 2 are at home.
Sam Brooks