PREVIEW: OUA juggernauts collide as first place Gee-Gees host second place Ravens

18 games down, 10 to go. With a record of 15-1-2, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees men's hockey team has had few bumps in the road over the course of the 2018-19 campaign. 

Despite tearing through the OUA this season, Ottawa has stumbled when face-to-face with their cross-town rivals at Carleton.

The top two programs in the OUA will meet for the fourth and final time this regular season with the Gee-Gees hosting the Ravens at the Minto Sports Complex on Friday night at 7:30.

Heading into the contest, Assistant Coach Brent Sullivan said his team is feeling confident following a pair of victories against Quebec-based rivals McGill and UQTR.

"Obviously this is a pretty big test. Put aside the emotion and the history, and it's the two best teams in the East," Sullivan said.

"There's a lot of excitement for this game. We're playing well and they're playing well too, should be fun."

In three games this season, the Gee-Gees only hold a head-to-head record of 1-1-1.

The two teams first tangled in Ottawa's season opener, with the Gee-Gees storming back from trailing 2-0 on the road to scoop a 3-2 shootout victory on October 11. Since then, Ottawa has struggled against their National Capital rival.

A sure victory at the Colonel By Classic on November 16 slipped through their fingers, with a two-goal lead evaporating in the final five minutes of regulation. Carleton eventually prevailed in a shootout 4-3 to complete the comeback.

A week later on November 23, Ottawa was shutout for the first and only time this season in a 3-0 loss to the Ravens at Carleton.

Sullivan attributed the recent struggles to high emotions in game, which escalates further compared to games against other opponents.

"The highs are high and the lows are low," he said. "When there's momentum swings it makes it that much bigger in a game." 

"With Colonel By being such a high, and having to play them again the next week, it took a toll on us probably," he added.

"We think they're a good team with defensive depth and [Carleton goaltender François] Brassard is playing some of the best hockey of his career. It makes for a hard test, it won't be a cakewalk."

Gee-Gees fans at the game will want to keep an eye out anytime flashy scorer Kevin Domingue steps on the ice, according to Sullivan.

Domingue recently established a new modern program record for most career goals when he tallied his 47th against McGill earlier this month.

"It's pretty special to see a player like [Domingue] grow with the program and become arguably one of the best goal scorers in Canada," Sullivan said. "He's a guy that will always have a target on him, but at the same time obviously [linemates] Brendan Jacome is having a career year and Cody Drover is always dangerous."

"If people want to key in on one line, that's great, because we think we have four lines that can play."

Beyond goal scoring, Ottawa is the best defensive team in the OUA, relinquishing a league-low 39 goals over 18 games. Only the UNB Reds (37 goals against in 20 games) has given up fewer goals across Canada this year.

While a starting goaltender has yet to be named, head coach Patrick Grandmaître and his staff can't go wrong with either choice of Anthony Brodeur and Graham Hunt.

Brodeur is playing the best hockey of his University career and is fresh off a shutout performance in McGill last week. Hunt was a steady presence in goal against UQTR and is currently boast the second best goals-against average in the OUA at 1.99.

Ahead of puck drop at 7:30 on Friday, visit tickets.geegees.ca to purchase your tickets in advance.

If you're unable to make it to the game, stream it online on OUA.tv or follow along on Twitter at @GeeGeesMHKY for game updates throughout the night.

— Cameron Penney