PREVIEW: Gee-Gees host OUA West foes in weekend double-dip
The Gee-Gees men’s hockey team looks to continue their perfect start to the season when they welcome the Western Mustangs and the Guelph Gryphons to the Minto Sports Complex this weekend.
The Gee-Gees men's hockey team looks to continue their perfect start to the season when they welcome the Western Mustangs and the Guelph Gryphons to the Minto Sports Complex this weekend.
The Gee-Gees take on the Mustangs on Friday night at 7:30 p.m., while puck drops on Saturday against the Gryphons at 7:00 p.m.
Ottawa picked up right where they left off to open their 2019-20 campaign. The reigning regular season champions defeated McGill, Laurier and Waterloo on the road, earning the number three spot in the U SPORTS national rankings in the process.
Fifth-year goaltender Domenic Graham is garnering the headlines thanks to his terrific play between the pipes for the Gee-Gees. A transfer from Nipissing University, Graham has started all three games, boasting a 1.67 goals against average and a .948 save percentage. By turning aside 64 of the 67 shots he faced last weekend, Graham was named the Gee-Gees Male Athlete of the Week.
Fourth-year forward Brendan Jacome has also enjoyed a nice start to the season. The senior from Caledon, Ont., leads Ottawa with two goals and six points through the three games. The line of Jacome, Cody Drover and Kevin Domingue that terrorized opposing defences last season has combined for 14 points thus far.
Ottawa has faced the Mustangs twice since the program was re-established in 2016, with each team winning once. Guelph have yet to visit the Minto Sports Complex since 2016. The Gryphons and Gee-Gees squared off last season, with Ottawa winning 3-1.
The Mustangs are off to the exact opposite start as their foes from the University of Ottawa. Western is the only team in the OUA who have yet to pick up a point this season, having lost back-to-back games to the UQTR Patriotes.
Leading the charge for the Mustangs is netminder Luke Peressini. The fourth-year earned an OUA West Second Team All-Star nod after posting a .925 save percentage last year.
Meanwhile, the Gryphons are entering 2019-20 with high expectations, having qualified for the U SPORTS National Championship last season. Shawn Camp, a former Gee-Gees assistant coach in the early 1990's, is behind the bench for Guelph for his 13th season.
With five goals already this campaign, Mikkel Aagaard figures to be a cornerstone of the Guelph program. The Dane brings over 100 games of professional hockey experience to the Gryphons, having spent time in both the American Hockey League and ECHL. Aagaard also captained Denmark at the 2015 World Junior Hockey Championship.
For in-game updates on Gee-Gees men's hockey games, follow @GeeGeesMHKY on Twitter. Tickets for all home games are available for purchase at tickets.geegees.ca and games will be streamed on oua.tv.