After hosting the Waterloo Warrios and University of Toronto Varsity Blues in a pair of contests this past week at Canlan Ice Sports Arena, the York Lions were able to get off on the right foot with a thrilling shootout victory over the Warriors. But their weekend would eventually end on a sour note as the Blues walked away from the rink with a 4-2 win.
York’s loss to U of T marks their first of the season after winning five straight to start. During their five-game winning streak, the Lions pulled out three games in extra time, with two going all the way to a shootout.
In the Lions’ win over the Warriors on October 24, a scrappy Warriors team jumped out to the early lead with a powerplay marker. Seconds after the Lions’ Jordan Forfar went to the box for tripping, Waterloo’s Justin Larson netted his third of the season to go ahead 1-0.
York took to the ice without their leading scorer and captain Jesse Messier against the Warriors, which Head Coach Jim Wells believes was a contributing factor to his team’s slow start.
“I think what happened is that we were a little cautious playing without our captain,” says Wells. “I think once they realized they could play with Waterloo, they kicked it into high gear.”
It didn’t take long for York to get their feet back under them, as a quick goal just four minutes later would knot the score up at one. Defenceman John de Gray fired a shot towards the net with the final seconds of a Lions’ powerplay expiring. Eventually the puck would end up with Michael Santini, who jammed the puck away to tie the game at one.
The second period saw a very undisciplined Warrior team commit three penalties, including a four-minute powerplay towards the end of frame after Waterloo’s Luke Lynes was charged with a double minor for high sticking. Despite all the powerplay chances York had, they could not find a way to put a puck in the back of the net, often making just one to many passes before watching the puck fly back towards their end of the rink.
“They’ve got a pretty good goalie, and I think we are overthinking it and trying to be too pretty,” says Wells, “I just want our guys to be more direct, get pucks to the net and slap in a few rebounds.”
Waterloo managed to still outshoot the Lions in the second period even though they spent a fair chunk on the penalty kill. Luckily for York, netminder Andrew Perugini came up big with a couple of timely stops to keep the score at a deadlock heading into the final period.
A quick-paced York team took to the ice for the third, with Waterloo having to kill off most of Lynes double minor to begin the period. The Lions looked far more comfortable on the powerplay to start the period, but a de Gray blast off the post would be as close as they could get. York finished the game scoreless on the man advantage despite having 14 minutes of powerplay time.
Thankfully the Lions would find a way to score without an opponent in box, as a goal by Tyler McGee just over five minutes into the third vaulted his team ahead 2-1 with just 15 minutes left in the game.
Following the rhythm of the action, Waterloo came storming back with heavy offensive pressure that put the Lions back on their heels. The Warriors relentless attack was stopped cold by Perugini for most of the night, but a goal by defenceman Ryan Hanes at the 10:56 mark in the third period would once again tie the game up with minimal time remaining.
With both teams peppering the other goalie with shots all game, neither team was able to end the game before a shootout was needed. After a failed Waterloo attempt on their first shot, York forward Forfar calmly glided down the ice, finishing off a sweet move by snapping the puck off the bar and in to give York a one-goal advantage. Waterloo would ring the bar on their next attempt as well, but this time the puck would stay, eventually leading to a 3-2 victory for the Lions.
After the game, Wells praised his players for their performance.
“Today was a real gutsy performance,” Wells says. “We had some key players out and a lot of players rose to the occasion. They did a great job, and I am pretty proud of them right now.”
In their second contest against U of T, the Lions would have their captain back in the fold but struggled all night with minor mistakes that ended up costing them the game.
Messier was the best player on the ice for York, setting an example for the rest of the team by sacrificing his body on the penalty kill while also scoring the team’s only two goals.
After both teams scored within two minutes of each other mid-way through the first, a hard-hitting affair ensued with solid defence on both ends of the ice. The Blues pulled ahead in the second as Jeff Brown capitalized on a Lions’ penalty, scoring his second of the night halfway through the game, putting his team up 3-1.
Messier would try and set the tone for the Lions in the third period scoring just 12 seconds in, but a late goal by the Blues would hold off their opponents for the 4-2 victory.
The Lions for the most part played a solid game, but momentary lapses in judgement led to chances that the Blues buried. While a player or coach never wants to lose a game, Wells thinks the loss could be just what his team needs to refocus.
“I don’t think losing is ever fun nor is it ever fun to restart again,” Wells explains. “At the same time, I think we are in a place where we will definitely have the players’ attention. After coming out the room after speaking to them, I know they want to work hard and they want to stay tops in the OUA.”
York is now tied with the Lakehead Thunderwolves for the Ontario University Athletics lead with 10 points and a 5-1 record.
The Lions look to bounce back with a big win over the Ryerson Rams on Halloween night before playing their next three contests on the road.
Ryan McCabe
Sports and Health Editor
