Sticks slammed while players cursed in frustration on the Queen’s bench after the final buzzer at the Memorial Centre on Saturday. A 3-1 loss to the eighth-place Ryerson Rams means the Gaels are back at .500.
The Rams were simply the better team that night, said Gaels head coach Brett Gibson.
“They had a sense of urgency and a drive that we couldn’t match,” Gibson said.
After the Gaels’ first regulation loss in five OUA meetings, Gibson didn’t hesitate to pin-point areas of deficiency in their game on Saturday.
“Leadership — there was none of it,” he said. “This time of year, there’s no excuse.”
Fifth-year starting netminder Riley Whitlock was replaced by backup David Aime, who shut the door on 14 shots. The Gaels only mustered nine in the third period, unable to erase the two-goal deficit.
“We went over systems [in practice] and then the minute we face adversity, guys want to run audible and run their own plays,” Gibson said. “That’s why we lost.”
The lone Gaels tally was a second period power play marker from second-year forward Tyler Moore. Re-aligned on the top line with captain Corey Bureau and third-year forward Kelly Jackson, Moore’s goal is his fourth in three games.
The penalty kill faltered for the Gaels in the second period. The Rams buried at 3:54 on the power play, and at 7:05, seconds after a power play ended.
“We knew they had a good power play going in, and we gave them a couple opportunities,” Moore said. “It’s been clicking for us, but a couple bounces here and there and that’s the way it goes. It’s a game of inches.”
The Gaels face the second-place Carleton Ravens tonight at the Memorial Centre. The Ravens beat Queen’s 4-2 on Nov. 24.
“A lot of good teams in this division,” Moore said. “Carleton’s one of them, and so are we.”
Tags
brett gibson, Men's hockey, OUA, Tyler Moore
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