WOLFVILLE, N.S. — In the bronze medal game of the 2022 U Cup, the Rams men's hockey team fell 3-2 in overtime to the St. Francis Xavier X-Men at Acadia's Edward H. McCain Arena, capping off a historic and thrillingly entertaining season that saw the team travel to their first-ever national championship. After all was said and done, the Rams finished fourth in the country among the 56 member universities of U SPORTS, and were officially the second-best team in the 19-team Ontario University Athletics (OUA). 

In their third game over the last 48 hours, the Rams showed signs of fatigue early, drawing two penalties within the game's first five minutes and seeming a bit behind in the opening frame. Still, they were able to play a competitive and energetic period, scattering chances and keeping the X-Men at a respectable distance. With seven minutes remaining in the frame, Jeremiah Addison—who, as luck would have it, played for St. Francis Xavier before joining the Rams—wired a shot past X-Men goaltender Joseph Raaymakers. Before the period came to a close, St. FX's Brendon Clavelle evened the score with his first of the postseason, sending the teams to the locker room knotted at 1-1.
 

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"We came out, we competed hard, and I thought we were the better team," Rams head coach Johnny Duco said in his short but impactful post-game press conference.

The second period began with a five-minute power play for the Rams, an opportunity which they ultimately did not convert into a goal. It didn't take them long to rebound, however, as Kevin Gursoy expertly tipped an Elijah Roberts shot past Raaymakers midway through the frame to give his team a one-goal lead anew. The remainder of the period was dominated by a slew of dangerous and unprovoked penalties taken by the X-Men, including a punch to the side of Zachary Shankar's head and a risky check on a defenseless Patrick Fellows, both of whom would luckily remain in the game. 
 

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"I think we showed that we can play with anybody," Duco added, referencing the Atlantic University Sport's (AUS) typical dominance of the national tournament.  

In the third period, St. FX tied the game once again when Connor Bruggen-Cate grabbed his own rebound and beat Rams netminder Garrett Forrest on a broken play. Though the Rams had several attempts to take the lead in the third period, Raaymakers and the X-Men shut the door in their own zone, sending the game to overtime. 

With less than a minute gone in the overtime period, X-Men forward Zack Trott beat Forrest and secured the bronze medal for his team, sending them into an excited frenzy. 

At the end of the day, the Rams pushed a group of powerhouses to their absolute limits and made a statement on the national stage. With their veteran core departing for the next stages of their lives and a dedicated handful of rookies eager to move the program forward, the team's brass was incredibly proud of their effort throughout the season. 

"We're really excited about the future and building around this terrific core we've had," Duco concluded. "You don't get groups like this every year. I'm really proud of them."