Final Results
Jan 05, 07 - 19:00

Redmen 5 - Ottawa 2
Game Report by Earl Zukerman

OTTAWA – Right winger Marko Kovacevic scored a goal and added two assists as McGill shook off the rust from a 33-day layoff for exams and holidays to post a hard-earned 4-2 victory at Ottawa in men’s university hockey, Friday.

Four sophomores scored for the fifth-ranked Redmen, who won for the sixth time in seven road games this season. With the victory, McGill improved to 9-4-3 (including an overtime loss) and moved nine points ahead of Ottawa (5-11-1) and into a first-place tie with idle UQTR (9-5-1).

Kovacevic, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound native of Belgrade, Serbia, gave the Redmen a 1-0 first period lead, then added a pair of helpers in the middle period, when the Redmen exploded for three goals in a span of four minutes, eight seconds.

Sam Bloom of Toronto, Daniel Pharand (his first career goal) from Gatineau, Que., and Guillaume Demers, a centre from Baie Comeau, Que., all tallied for McGill.

McGill outshot the Gee-Gees 31-24 as surprise starter Jean-Michel Filiatrault, a sophomore from Laval, Que., made 22 saves and improved his record to 3-1-1.

The Redmen play at Clarkson College in Potsdam, N.Y., Saturday at 7 p.m. The Golden Knights, ranked ninth in the NCAA, feature a lineup with nine NHL draft picks. McGill is 2-6-1 lifetime against Clarkson and haven’t beaten them in over six decades, dating back to a 10-2 McGill rout in the 1941-42 campaign.

REDMEN RAP: McGill has a lifetime winning record at Ottawa (38-35-3), while the Gee-Gees hold a lifetime winning record at McGill’s McConnell Arena (33-31-7)... Marko Kovacevic wore jersey No. 14 in the game against Ottawa as his usual No. 28 and the rest of his equipment was lost in transit to his native Serbia, where he spent the Christmas holidays… The airline has indicated that it has located the missing equipment bag but it did not make it back to McGill prior to the team’s departure… An elated Daniel Pharand kept the puck as a souvenire after scoring his first career goal in CIS play... Redmen players Steven Pearce (leg) and Sam Bloom (upper body) were shaken up in the second and third periods, respectively, and returned to the bench but did not play.

McGill 4, at Ottawa 2

SCORING SUMMARY

FIRST PERIOD:
1. McGill - Marko Kovacevik 2 (K. Morin, S. Bloom), 4:28

Penalties:
Ottawa - Hérard (Roughing), 2:20
Ottawa - Barrett (Elbowing), 8:34
McGill - Urquhart (Interference), 10:34
Ottawa - Hérard (Interference), 14:18
Ottawa - Desjardins (Check to head minor, misconduct), 16:24
McGill - Shewchuk (Slashing), 17:19

SECOND PERIOD:
2. McGill - Sam Bloom 7 (E. L’Italien, M. Kovacevik), 9:53 (PP)
3. McGill - Daniel Pharand 1 (Lambert, Arsenault), 13:38
4. McGill - Guillaume Demers 6 (E. L’Italien, M. Kovacevik), 14:01 (PP)

Penalties:
Ottawa - Barrett (Tripping), 1:20
Ottawa - Triantafilos (Hooking), 4:24
Ottawa - Smith (Interference), 9:30
Ottawa - Duncan (Interference), 13:42
McGill - Shewchuk (Interference), 17:33

THIRD PERIOD:
5. Ottawa - Sean Grady 1 (J. Smith, P. Bilodeau), 3:56
6. Ottawa - Co$rey MacDonald 3 (C. Priolo, P.A. LeBlanc), 15:12

Penalties:
McGill - Martin (Interference), 4:38
Ottawa - Smith (Unsportsmanlike & Roughing), 6:53
McGill - L’Italien (Unsportsmanlike & Roughing), 6:53
McGill - Gazdic (Roughing), 7:57
Ottawa - Vernelli (Interference), 8:02
Ottawa - Hérard (Unsportsmanlike & Roughing), 20:00
McGill - Shewchuk (Slashing), 20:00
McGill - L’Italien (Unsportsmanlike & Roughing), 20:00

GOALTENDERS:

McGill: Jean-Michel Filiatrault (W, 3-1-1; 2 GA, 22 saves, 60:00)

Ottawa: Martin Bricault (L, 4-6-1; 4 GA, 27 saves)

GOALS BY PERIOD
TEAM 1 2 3 -- Total
McGill 1 3 0 -- 4
Ottawa 0 0 2 -- 2

SHOTS BY PERIOD
TEAM 1 2 3 -- Total
McGill: 11 13 7 -- 31
Ottawa: 5 8 11 -- 24

POWER PLAY (Goals / Chances):
McGill: 2/9
Ottawa: 0/5

PENALTIES (No. / Minutes):
McGill: 10/20
Ottawa: 14/36

REFEREE: Coleman

ATTENDANCE: 500

MOLSON CUP THREE STARS:
1. Marko Kovacevic, McGill
2. Louis-Simon Allaire, McGill
3. Sam Bloom, McGill

McGILL LINEUP SCRATCHES:
------------------------------------------
G: *Jake Jarvis
G: Mathieu Poitras (dressed but DNP)
D: Yan Turcotte (injd)
D: Erik Stilling
F: *Len Verrilli
F: Teddy Kyres (injd)
F: Charles Gauthier (injd)
F: *Jeremy Burgess

*freshman