RECAP: Men’s hockey picks up two wins to start the new year, Lapenna logs first shutout as a Gee-Gee

Photo: Greg Kolz
Photo: Greg Kolz
Box Score

Team Stats

January 8, 2024

On Thursday night, the Gee-Gees men's hockey team headed across the river for a meeting with their crosstown rivals. After earning a 4-1 win over the Ravens, the Gee-Gees were back on the ice to host the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Sunday afternoon. 

Sunday's game went the distance as the Gee-Gees took a 1-0 win in a shootout.

Gee-Gees head coach Patrick Grandmaître knew it was going to be a battle.

"[Ontario Tech's] identity is that they never beat themselves, they really make you earn it," Grandmaître said.

Both teams came into the game with energy, and despite plenty of opportunities on both ends of the ice, the game was scoreless throughout regulation.

Despite five chances on the powerplay, Ottawa was unable to score with the man advantage.

On the other hand, the Gee-Gees penalty kill proved to be a key asset as they shed six penalty minutes during regulation.

The penalty kill unit also shone in overtime, preventing Ontario Tech from ending the game despite having the edge.

"It came through really big today, four on threes are tough to kill and it's an overall team effort," Grandmaître said. "Our goalie looked really good today, as in every game, but I thought our team defence looked pretty good and we didn't give up any big chances."

The clock wound down to signal the end of the 10-minute overtime period. The scoreboard showed 0-0, meaning a shootout was necessary.

Gee-Gees' goaltender, Franky Lapenna was flawless, stopping the Ontario Tech attempts.

Luka Verreault was first to shoot for Ottawa, locking in the first goal of the evening. It was Matthew Desgagnes who fired the shootout winner, sending the puck right into the top right corner of the mesh to secure the team's seventh consecutive win of the season.

Lapenna stopped 26 shots, earning his first shutout in the Garnet and Grey. 

The Gee-Gees improve to 14-5, tying for first place in the OUA East. The team is back at Minto Sports Complex on Jan. 11 to take on Concordia at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at https://teams.geegees.ca/tickets.