Ridgebacks pull out OT win
UOIT’s Jesse Stoughton celebrates his OT winner that carried his club to a 5-4 victory over Concordia.
The UOIT Ridgebacks mens hockey team needed to go the extra mile to pull out a 5-4 victory over Concordia over the weekend.
Playing at home on Saturday, Jan. 16, Jesse Stoughton returned from a first period injury to score the game-winning goal 1:44 into overtime. Stoughton’s goal came after he split the two Concordia defenders and roofed the puck past goaltender Robin Billingham, securing UOIT’s 12th win on the season – tying the all-time program record set back in the 2010-11 season.
The Ridgebacks had to start from behind in the game, with Concordia scoring the first goal only 30 seconds into the game. A little more than a minute later, they scored again on a shorthanded penalty shot.
UOIT was able to bounce back, with two goals shortly after from Loren Ulett and Ryan Doucette, although Concordia would score a third, bringing a one-goal lead into the end of the first period.
Alex Derlis would tie up the game for UOIT in the second period, scoring that frame’s only marker.
The third period would see UOIT take the lead after a cross-ice pass from the point from Cameron Yuill to Jake Logan resulted into the Ridgebacks’ fourth goal. However, with only two minutes left, Concordia tied up the game.
Stoughton, who had been speared in the first, scored the game winner not long after overtime started, marking the 40th of his career, and his sixth game winner.
UOIT’s Brendan O’Neill made 33 saves for his 12th win of the season.
After the UOIT win, the Ridgebacks sit in fourth in the OUA’s eastern conference. The lead over Queen’s University grew after the Kingston school lost its game to Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières over the weekend.
The Ridgebacks will hit the road for games against the Nipissing Lakers on Friday, Jan. 22 and the Laurentian Voyageurs the following day.