By Jack Wannan
The Ryerson Rams men’s hockey team held on late against the Laurentian Voyageurs on Nov. 1 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre for a 2-1 win.
A power-play goal in the first period from forward Matt Mistele put the Rams in front early on as he put a close shot through the five-hole of Laurentian’s goalie.
After assisting Mistele for the Rams’ first goal, Holden Cook got one of his own. The fifth-year forward beat the odds of a 2-on-1 run to score a dangle-heavy goal in the seventh minute of the second period.
“[We] got two goals and slipped up a little bit, but we gotta keep sticking to the game plan and we’ll be fine,” said Cook.
Both teams presented a very physical style of hockey, with the teams racking up five penalties overall.
Voyageurs defenceman Jayme Forslund saw himself in the box the most, serving two penalties in one period alone.
Laurentian got on the board halfway through the third period after second-year defender Zach Wilkie sniped the puck past Rams goaltender Garrett Forrest.
The first period was close, with both teams leaving the period tied in shots-on-net. By the end of the game, Ryerson nearly doubled Laurentian’s shot count of 20 shots, as they finished the game with 39 shots on goal.
“It’s not our best 60 [minutes], but we played really well defensively and the guys are really buying into what we’re trying to do here and sticking to the process,” said Rams assistant coach Kori Cheverie.
Forrest got the win in his sixth start of the season at net. He had just eight starts in the previous season.
“I could tell this season [the coaching staff is] more confident in me coming in and getting it done,” said Forrest, reflecting on his consistent starts.
Friday’s game extended the losing streak for Laurentian to five in a row, including a shootout loss against the Nipissing Lakers on Oct. 18.
For the Rams, the win puts their franchise-record against the Voyageurs to 5-0. Their last meeting with Laurentian dates back to November 2016.
The game was Ryerson’s first of three games this season against an Ontario University Athletics eastern conference team.
UP NEXT: Ryerson will take on the Royal Military College Paladins tomorrow night to close out the weekend. RMC is currently the lowest-ranked eastern team, with a 2-6 record. Puck drops at 7:15 p.m.
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