The York University Lions men's hockey team hosted the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Friday night in their 2024-25 home opener at Canlan Ice Sports. The Lions were looking for their first win of the season, having lost their first two tilts of the campaign.
The first period saw fast and aggressive play from both teams. The Ridgebacks controlled the puck early, but York netminder Carter Serhyenko stood pat and thwarted eighteen of Ontario Tech's shots on the period. The Lions contolled the middle portion of the opening period, and it soon paid off on the scoreboard.
York took a 1-0 lead on a goal off the stick of Lucas Theriault. Nearly twelve minutes into the game, Theriault took a pass from Owen Gilhula and squeaked the puck past William Desmarais to give thE Lions the lead.
Nearly seven minutes later, Brock McLeod added York's second tally of the game. McLeod took the puck down the wing and dragged it around a sliding Ridgeback defender before firing it home. The goal gave York a 2-0 lead after one period.
Ontario Tech began to battle back in the second frame. Seven minutes into the period, Ridgeback forward Andrew Suriyuth hauled in the puck off a pass from James White and shot it past Serhyenko's pad, making the score 2-1.
White and Suriyuth would swap roles in Ontario Tech's next goal six minutes later. Suriyuth, along with Cullen McLean, would execute a three-way passing play that ended in a tally from White. The goal tied the game 2-2 through two periods.
York regained the lead six minutes into the third period. With a two-on-one advantage, Chase Sandhu took the puck up ice and dished it to McLeod, who scored his second of the night to give the Lions a 3-2 lead.
However, The Ridgebacks took advantage of a power play to tie the game. With eight minutes left, Antoine Desrochers delivered the puck to Alex Drover, who's point shot found its way through traffic and past Serhyenko to tie the game 3-3.
The game remained tightly contested in the waning minutes of the third period. The Ridgebacks were given another power play, but could not take advantage. The Lions had one more chance to win it in the final seconds of regulation, but Cole Beamin's shot missed the net, sending the game to overtime.
In the overtime period, both teams fought valiantly to score the game-winning goal. Ultimately, the Ridgebacks came out victorious on a goal from Desrochers, who finished off a 2-on-1, with fifty-eight seconds left. The 4-3 loss dropped the Lions to 0-2-1 on the season.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Lions return to the ice on Sunday, October 13, for a pre-Thanksgiving clash with the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Puck drop is scheduled for 2:15 pm.
