TORONTO — After paying tribute to a whopping 17 graduating players on their annual Senior Night, the Rams men's hockey team lost a close one in their final regular season game, falling short 3-2 to the York Lions, who secured a playoff spot with the victory. Though the season's final chapter was rather mundane compared to the rest of the exciting campaign, it nevertheless reinforced the team's need for tune-ups ahead of the OUA playoffs. 

One of the seniors honoured pre-game, the incomparably jovial Cavin Leth, got the Rams on the board with his first goal of the year six minutes into the contest, besting York goaltender Cole Ceci. Though Hayden McCool and Michael Cramarossa had fruitful chances near the end of the frame, the Lions got on the board thanks to a fortunate tip off the stick of Brock McLeod, who was York's lone goal scorer in the Rams' 9-1 win Wednesday.

"Kudos to York, they played hard and fought hard," Rams head coach Johnny Duco said. "They emptied the tank and gave everything they had to find a way to win."

After the first intermission, first-year forward Cole Resnick scored his first-career OUA goal to give the Rams the 2-1 lead, a marker that punctuated a physical 20 minutes. By the end of the frame, the Rams had outshot their crosstown opponents 31-19, but had the edge by just a single goal.
 

WATCH: pic.twitter.com/1nO10Gu1Gh

— Rams Men's Hockey (@ramsmhockey) March 12, 2022

With 14 minutes remaining in regulation, the Lions fired back when Owen Gilhula found the back of the net, tying the game for a second time. Just as the game looked as it was headed towards overtime, York's Lucas Breault took a centring pass from Brendan Browne as he was streaking towards the net, beating a sprawling Garrett Forrest, who lowered his head to the ice in dejection.

Going forward, the Rams expect their squad to be more alert, agile, and detail-oriented, especially if a lengthy playoff run is in their future. In the words of their head coach, they simply have to be sharper. 

"We gotta be sharper," Duco said in summary. "We had chances and we didn't capitalize."
 

Thank you fans for a great regular season... see you on Wednesday.#weRrams pic.twitter.com/4sGf9jjAGD

— Rams Men's Hockey (@ramsmhockey) March 12, 2022

At the season's official end, the Rams own an 11-4-0 record and clinched the top spot in the OUA West division. The Rams kick off their quest for the Queen's Cup on Wednesday at 6 p.m at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Their first-round opponent has yet to be determined.