TORONTO — After extending their winning streak to six games last weekend, the Ryerson Rams are set to hit the road to wrap up the 2019 portion of the campaign against the Waterloo Warriors and the Laurier Golden Hawks this week.
A difficult start to the 2019-20 season has been overshadowed by the Rams' success of late: the team is in the midst of a six-game undefeated streak, two wins of which have come against nationally-ranked opponents. The six win streak is the longest in the team's nine seasons.
Most recently the Rams earned back-to-back wins on home ice, cruising to a 3-0 victory over Laurier last Thursday before overcoming a two-goal deficit to defeat the No. 8 York Lions in overtime on Saturday.
After another impeccable weekend, Ryerson's
Erika Crouse (Kirkland Lake, Ont.) now ranks second in the OUA in goals (8) and points (14). On the back end, goaltender
Rachel Seeley (Ottawa, Ont.) is the only goalie in the league with a 1.00 win percentage on the year after making 55 of 57 stops in two wins this past weekend.
With momentum on their side, the Rams are hitting the road this week to wrap up their first-semester campaign with a pair of games in Waterloo.
The team is first set to take on the Waterloo Warriors on Thursday night at the Columbia Ice Fields. The Warriors are coming off a huge 5-0 win over the No. 3 Toronto Varsity Blues last Saturday and will look to continue their streak of excellence when the red-hot Rams come to town. The game is of particular importance in the standings as well; Ryerson and Waterloo both share a 7-4-1-0 record on the year and are currently tied for third place in the league. Waterloo forward Taytum Clairmont ranks first in the OUA in points (18) and goals (9), and will likely match up well against the reigning U SPORTS Rookie of the Year in Crouse. The Warriors are also among the league's top special teams squad, so it will be crucial that the Rams stay out of the penalty box during their Thursday night visit to Waterloo.
Saturday's matchup against Laurier will provide Ryerson with an opportunity to sweep their season series. When these two teams met last Thursday, the Rams notched three goals in the opening period and did not score in the remaining two; Laurier will likely expect their opponents to play hard in the opening frame, so it will be crucial that the Rams stay consistent and play a full 60 minutes of hockey. The matchup may not be as easy this time around, but the Rams are hoping to grab another three points before heading back home for the semester break.
Thursday's game against Waterloo will begin at 7:00 p.m., while the Laurier matchup is set to start at 2:07 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Both games will be broadcasted on OUA.tv.
