Hard-working Gee-Gees unburdened by high expectations in 2018-19

Walk into the Minto Sports Complex as the warm-ups wind down this season and you're sure to be hit by the jolly lyrics of Canadian folk rock band, Great Big Sea:

"And I say way-hey-hey, it's just an ordinary day

And it's all your state of mind

At the end of the day,

You've just got to say... it's all right."

The easy-going attitude of the song perfectly encapsulates the 2018-19 edition of the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees men's hockey team. While the team gets serious once the puck drops, don't expect them to get bogged down or distracted by higher expectations and national rankings.

Ottawa heads into the new year looking to build off recent seasons that saw them make the playoffs in year one, then push the McGill Redmen in round two the following year. Before the Gee-Gees even had the chance to make their first strides of the regular season, they found themselves listed ninth on U SPORTS' national rankings. Inactive in the first week of OUA play, they remain in ninth spot heading into the season opener against Carleton on Thursday.

Head Coach Patrick Grandmaître described it as a surprise to see his program ranked so high so early in the campaign. "I'm always a bit self-critical of myself and my team. In my personal opinion, I don't think we are there yet but the potential is there," he said. "But we'll take a compliment when it comes. Still lots of work to do."

The Gee-Gees embarked on a smaller preseason schedule compared to recent seasons. A trip to Toronto in mid-September featured a 4-3 overtime loss to Ryerson Rams and a 5-3 win over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. Ryerson sits in the no. 8 national rankings.

Ottawa then hosted perennial contender St. Francis Xavier X-Men in a highly anticipated match-up. The Gee-Gees narrowly competed through two periods with a 2-2 tie, but StFX pulled away late and skated to a 5-2 win.

Exhibition play wrapped up in Canton, NY, on October 6 with a convincing 3-1 win over the St. Lawrence Saints. Ottawa was able to stymie the Saints through 58 minutes of play, and were a stellar 11-11 on the penalty kill.

"I'm happy with the way it ended [at St. Lawrence], with our best all-around effort," Grandmaître said. "Preseason is for that, working out some kinks and trying different things, and we incorporated a few new things. It was good to see our team go through these new aspects of our special teams. Looking forward to playing some regular season hockey here."

Special teams were of significant focus for the Ottawa coaching staff throughout preseason play and training camp. Through games against Toronto, StFX, and St. Lawrence, the Gee-Gees' penalty kill was successful 88-percent (22/25) of the time. While a strong penalty kill is an important component of any contender, the Gee-Gees' will need to focus on discipline and staying out of the box altogether once the regular season gets underway.

Captain Eric Locke, heading into his final campaign with the team, drew some positives from preseason play, but also saw several opportunities to improve. "The third period, we've been outscored in almost every game," Locke said. "That was one of our positives last year, being a third period team." 

"We need to get in the right mindset and play full-60's. For example, [against StFX] we're tied 2-2, then we're losing 5-2. There's no points on the line, but during the season there will be, and they'll be points that we need."

Ottawa's season opens right where it began a year ago, down the Canal at Carleton. This will mark the first meeting between the two clubs since Ottawa eliminated their rivals in round one of the 2018 OUA playoffs.

A trio of key off-season additions are set to make an impact with the Gee-Gees this year. Gatineau-native Yvan Mongo and fifth-year vet Jean-François Plante have already found chemistry with Locke in preseason play. Plante is only a year removed from scoring 28 goals in 30 games with the Université de Moncton Aigle Bleu. Look for him to continue that torrid pace while donning the Garnet and Grey. Alongside fellow offensive engines Kevin Domingue and Cody Drover, opposing teams will face challenging match-ups in every contest against the Gee-Gees.

Down the middle, rookie pivot Kyle Ward adds additional depth to a team that will be capable of rolling four lines late into games. The entire backend returns for Ottawa this season, led by OUA All-Stars Médric Mercier and Jacob Sweeney. In net, look for Anthony Brodeur and Graham Hunt to continue to share the workload this season.

Ottawa opens regular season play on Thursday, October 11 at 7 p.m. at the Carleton Ice House. Tune in live on OUA.tv or follow along on Twitter at @GeeGeesMHKY. Ottawa's home opener is set for Sunday, October 14 at 3 p.m. against McGill. Get your tickets here before they're gone: http://uottawa.universitytickets.com/user_pages/event.asp?id=1000&cid=58

—Cameron Penney