Rams stay hot, down hungry Badgers at home

By Hayden Godfrey

After an offensive explosion Thursday in Guelph, the Ryerson Rams men’s hockey team picked up yet another victory on Nov. 23, edging out the Brock Badgers 2-1 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

Handily outshooting their opponents, the Rams improved to 10-3-2 on the season.

Though they were narrowly outskated in the first period, the Rams kept things close, despite a rather uninspired power-play near the middle of the frame.

After 20 minutes, both teams had numerous chances, but sound defensive systems ultimately prevailed.

It was much of the same in the first half of the second period, as both teams were held scoreless by the other’s bluelines. The Rams soon broke through when forward Mathew Santos—a receipt of an excellent pass from team captain Matt Mistele—potted his ninth goal of the season.

“You could sense that there wasn’t much ice out there,” said Rams head coach Johnny Duco. “We’re definitely feeling good, but like anything, there’s always areas to improve, and we’ll watch some video and see how we can get better.”

The Badgers quickly answered though, tying things up less than a minute later when forward Adam Berg beat Garrett Forrest to put his team on the board.

But the tie wouldn’t last for long, as the Rams soon reclaimed the lead thanks to forward Hayden McCool, who wired a laser beam past Badgers goaltender Mario Cavaliere.

McCool, whose goal would end up being the game-winner, said the team is feeling as confident as ever at this point in the season.

“We’ve been a bit puck-lucky sometimes, but you gotta work for that luck,” said McCool. “We have to play tough, but also mix that skill in there.”

In the third, an illegal hit to the head by Brock’s Ayden MacDonald opened the door for the Rams to add on some insurance. Though they weren’t able to convert on the power-play, the Rams were able to keep the Badgers at bay throughout the remainder of the period.

“We know they’ll be hungry,” Duco said of playing against Brock in future matchups. “We know that we can play even better and we’re just scratching the surface.”

UP NEXT: In a rare scheduling coincidence, the Rams will once again host the Brock Badgers for a second straight game on Nov. 28 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.