TORONTO — In one of the most enthralling games in program history, the Rams men's hockey team came all the way back from an early 3-0 deficit to beat the Western Mustangs 5-4 in double overtime, advancing to the OUA quarter-finals. 

As with all thrilling comeback stories, the Rams' day did not start well. With 20 seconds gone in the first period, Western's Shane Bulitka got his team on the board when a fluttering puck skipped over the pads of Rams goaltender Garrett Forrest. Two minutes later, the Mustangs built on their lead thanks to Riley MacRae, who pushed one past Forrest after a wild scramble in front of the Rams' net. Before the frame came to a close, the Mustangs extended their lead to 3-0 when Jake Gravelle sniped a one-timer past a diving Forrest. Still, the Rams kept at it, with their home-ice advantage giving them extra comfort as they found their footing.

"That's why you fight tooth and nail all season to have home-ice advantage," Rams head coach Johnny Duco said. "I think as the game went on, we started to see our legs get going."

After regrouping in the locker room between periods, the Rams got on the board when Hayden McCool took a Jesse Barwell pass and fired it through Western netminder Dylan Myskiw. Both teams spent time short-handed in the middle frame, but the score remained 3-1 at the end of the period.

In the first half of the third period, the Rams pushed and pushed but weren't able to break through Western's steady and determined defensive systems. With six and a half minutes remaining in the period, Jacob Kamps brought the Rams within one, tipping a Joe Rupoli shot to fool Myskiw. Right on cue, the Mustangs responded, with MacRae capitalizing on an offensive zone giveaway to give his team the 4-2 lead.
 

WATCH: pic.twitter.com/19vl7w8Wk2

— Rams Men's Hockey (@ramsmhockey) March 17, 2022

But, the Rams kept at it, playing hard in the game's final minutes and, miraculously, managed to tie the game courtesy of David Miller and Ryan Wells, who each scored and progressively gave the blue and gold more and more momentum. 

"Nobody ever got down," Duco said of the team's perseverance and continuity. "We had to have a little luck in our corner to have two goals with the goalie pulled to come back."

In the overtime period, the Rams dominated, bombarding the Mustangs with shots from all angles and keeping the puck in their end the entire time. Though the Rams didn't end the game in the frame, they were on top of every loose puck and, in the words of their goaltender, had the edge in the energy department. 

"I honestly think that our cardio was just better than theirs," Forrest said after the game. "We just outworked them as the game progressed."

In the second overtime period, Elijah Roberts sent a trickling shot through traffic, barely beating Myskiw and sending the crowd at the Mattamy Athletic Centre into utter hysteria. In Roberts' words, putting pucks to the net helped their team win, especially after nearly 90 minutes of play.
 

The OT winner from @ElijahRoberts98 ??#weRrams #RAMSvsWES pic.twitter.com/PAXh8R12vB

— Rams Men's Hockey (@ramsmhockey) March 17, 2022

"After one overtime, we kinda knew these things end just by getting a puck to the net," Roberts said with a wide smile. "I just threw it in there, didn't know what it hit on, but I saw it go in and the rest is history."

The Rams are back in action at home on Saturday at 2 p.m., when they'll play the winner of tomorrow's matchup between the Toronto Varsity Blues and Waterloo Warriors in their quest for the Queen's Cup.