TORONTO — In a rough and tumble tilt on home ice, the Rams men's hockey team lost 5-2 to the Brock Badgers on Wednesday, ending their pursuit of the OUA's Queen's Cup and throwing their season into jeopardy. Though they were intimately familiar with the Badgers and their style of play, a tight defensive circle limited their offensive output, forcing them to make the most of the few chances they got.Â
Right off the hop, both teams played with a physical and explosive energy that made the first period a quick, exciting affair. Though both teams hit the post with shots in the game's first ten minutes, it was Brock who got on the board first, with third-year winger Jared Marino providing the early firepower. After a Brock penalty sent the Rams to the power play, Elijah Roberts fired a shot from the point that beat Badgers netminder Mario Peccia to tie things at 1-1.
"A lot of our older guys seemed to have really heavy legs," Rams head coach Johnny Duco remarked of the team's relatively slow start to the game. "I think for us, it's hit the reset button here."
With eight minutes gone in the second period, Brock's Jacob Roach tipped a bouncing puck past Rams goaltender Garrett Forrest for his first goal of the playoffs. Less than a minute later, Domenico Commisso answered with a tip of his own, this time an impressive showcase of hand-eye coordination on a shot from Jeremiah Addison. Before the period came to a close, Zachary Taylor gave the Badgers a 3-2 lead, deflating the crowd at the Mattamy Athletic Centre as the Rams headed to the locker room for the intermission.Â
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"We gotta find a way to be faster, be better, and be more involved in the game," Duco said. Â
In the third period, Brock doubled their lead when Roach sent a puck flying towards Forrest, who barely whiffed on saving it between his sliding pads. As always, the unrelenting Rams fought to the end, but weren't able to climb back into the game, especially when Taylor potted an empty net goal to thwart any chance the Rams had of coming back. In Duco's words, the Rams made more mistakes than their opponents, forcing them to play a nearly perfect game to compensate. As a result, they were frequently chasing the puck and, in many ways, didn't have the urgency that propelled them to their last two victories.Â
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"Usually the team that wins makes the fewest mistakes," Duco observed. "I think that was true tonight."
On Saturday at 7 p.m., the Rams will face off against the McGill Redbirds for third place in the OUA playoffs. A win would send them to the U SPORTS National Championships in Wolfville, N.S., while a loss would end their season. Tickets will be available here.
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