Ridgebacks record first ever shutout victory

Twenty-four hours after being shutout in their second consecutive game, the UOIT Ridgebacks men’s hockey team flipped their fortunes with a 4-0 victory over the York University Lions.

UOIT starting goaltender Matt Mateja made 40 stops, 16 of which were in the third period, to record the Ridgebacks (5-18-3) first ever shutout victory for the men’s hockey program. York, who entered the game on a six-game winning streak, fall to 13-10-3 on the season and are now out of contention for the OUA Mid-West division title.

Dustin Turner got things going in the first period as he blasted a one-time past York goaltender Devin Ramasawmy, to put the Ridgebacks ahead 1-0. Turner’s goal on the power play ended a 0-27 drought for the Ridgeback’s with the man-advantage. Ramasawmy had been unbeatable lately and was named last week’s CIS Athlete of the Week, making 99 stops in wins over McGill and Guelph.

Marlin Muylaert’s squad seemed to be much more energized coming out of the gate compared to the night before, as the Ridgebacks recorded a total of 16 shots in the first period.

Much to the fans delight, the second period was much the same for UOIT as they logged 18 shots on net, creating scoring chances by out-skating the Lions and winning the battles in the corners. At the 16:55 mark of the period, Turner and the Ridgebacks' power play struck again as he buried a loose rebound to put UOIT up by a score of 2-0. Turner is now tied for second in team scoring with eight on the season.

Leading the team in scoring is Jordan Freeland who, early in the third period, streaked down the right wing and blew a snap shot into the back of the net, giving the Ridgebacks a 3-0 advantage.

With the York goalie pulled, Justin Allen, who also picked up an assist on Freeland’s goal, found the back of the net locking up the Ridgebacks fifth win of the year.

The UOIT coaching staff relied on the depth on their bench, with several key players out of the lineup due to suspensions and injuries for Saturday night’s game. Derrick Bagshaw received a game misconduct for hitting from behind just three minutes into the game.

In his 22nd appearance of the season, Mateja locked up the Ridgebacks first-ever shutout in team history. The Mississauga native had great rebound control and made several key stops in the game to preserve the memorable victory for the Ridgebacks.

After going 1-37 on the power play over the course of their six-game losing streak entering the night, the Ridgebacks snapped out of their funk going 3-for-8 with the man advantage. With Mateja stopping everything York threw at him, the Lions were 0-for-7. Final shots were 40-37 in favour of York.

The Ridgebacks and Lions will meet up again on Friday night at the Campus Ice Centre for the Ridgebacks final home game of their inaugural OUA season. The regular season series between York and UOIT is spilt at one win apiece.