NORTH BAY, Ont. — A chilly Saturday afternoon in North Bay couldn't suppress the winning ways of the Ryerson Rams as the team took a 2-1 win over the Nipissing Lakers on Nipissing Field.

The win over the Lakers sees the No. 6 Rams improve to a 7-1-2 record on the year. 

The first half of the match saw the Rams dominate on the offensive end of the field, creating numerous chances and keeping Nipissing goalie Andrew Johnstone (Barrie, Ont.) on his toes. Kyle Isaiah Laborde-Ayres (Scarborough, Ont.) nearly broke the draw in the 25th minute, firing a close-range shot that was blocked by a Lakers defender. 

The game remained scoreless until the 45th minute, when Laborde-Ayres capitalized on a point-blank shot opportunity to open up the scoring for Ryerson. His injury-time goal was the first of his OUA career.

The Rams wasted no time attacking in the second half. Captain Abdallah El-Chanti (Toronto, Ont.) fired a shot from the top of the 18-yard box in the 49th minute, but a deflection from a Nipissing defender saw the ball fly over the head of Johnstone. El-Chanti's fifth goal of the season gave the Rams a 2-1 lead with 41 minutes remaining in the game. 

The Lakers broke through in the 58th minute, capitalizing on Rams goalkeeper Ali Ghazanfari's (Stouffville, Ont.) challenge. Nipissing's Jack Collins (Ottawa, Ont.) got behind Ghazanfari for an easy tap-in to put his team on the board and cut down the Rams' lead to 1. 

Ryerson rookie Luca Di Marco (Aurora, Ont.) had a top-notch opportunity in the 67th minute, opting to shoot short-side on Johnstone from just a few feet out. But, the Lakers goalkeeper made a phenomenal diving save to keep the score as-is. 

Neither team could find the back of the net in the remainder of the game as the Rams eventually took a 2-1 win over the Lakers. Ryerson outshot Nipissing 8-2 through 90 minutes. 

The team will be back in action Saturday against the Laurentian Voyageurs. Kick-off is set for 2:15 p.m. in Sudbury.