TORONTO - The Ryerson men's hockey team snapped Toronto's 14-game winning streak on Thursday night, securing a 4-3 overtime win thanks to Zachary Shankar's (Prescott, Ont.) heroics.

Entering Thursday with their last loss all the way back in October, coincidentally at the hands of Ryerson, Toronto seemed unbeatable. However, after holding previous OUA leading-scorer David Thomson point-less, it was the Rams' depth that stole the show.

With two skillful breakaway goals, including the overtime winner, defenceman Zach Shankar had himself an amazing night. Jesse Barwell (Oakville, Ont.), and Marcus Hinds (Toronto) also chipped in with goals of their own. 

Three minutes after puck drop, Garrett Forrest (Ashburn, Va.) stood tall on a rush and kept things scoreless. Things would remain knotted at 0-0 until the very last minute of play, when Barwell rang one in off the crossbar with thirty seconds left in the opening frame.

The Rams entered the intermission not only with a 1-0 lead, but a hefty 13-5 shot advantage thanks to extended possession in Toronto's zone. 

The second looked promising for the Rams as Matt Nosella (Etobicoke, Ont.) shut down a solo rush with a smart stick check early on. However, the Varsity Blues went on to notch two quick markers two minutes apart from each other. Their 2-1 lead was soon snuffed out by Shankar's first coast-to-coast effort. The defenceman used his speed to go in alone before tucking it past Alex Bishop. 

In typical fashion with these high-octane squads, things continued to swing back and forth. Toronto's Ross Krieger put one by Forrest before Hinds snapped another one in for the Rams, making it 3-3 through forty.

Both teams checked tightly in the third, and Forrest came up clutch with his pads as he had all game. Neither team could light the lamp for the rest of regulation, and this one went to overtime.

Plenty of Rams got chances in 3-on-3 action. Mathew Santos (Toronto) fanned on a semi-open net attempt, and Barwell hit the post on a rush. Garrett Forrest, moments before Shankar's winner, stopped a Toronto breakaway and made it look easy. 

Finally, with just about a minute and a half left in the extra frame, Shankar showed off his speed yet again, beating two Varsity Blues to the puck and sliding it backhand into the open cage. 

"Shankar's been unbelievable, I think he's three for three on breakaways this year," said head coach Johnny Duco. Shankar has four goals so far on the season. "He's playing at the top of his game and we're really impressed with the way his game is rounding into shape."

Shankar, along with the rest of the Rams, embraced the challenge of playing the Varsity Blues. "We knew coming in they (Toronto) had a big win streak going, top-5 team in the country." Toronto is nationally ranked third in the country, while Ryerson is ninth. As for his heroics, Shankar grinned, but downplayed them. "Whenever I can I'll jump up and hope to make a play."

Ryerson concludes their New Year road trip on Saturday, heading back to Waterloo to take on Laurier at 7:07 p.m. The Rams are undefeated in 2020, and carry over a four-game win streak dating back to November 2019. Saturday's game can be streamed at OUA.TV.