Redmen 5 - St. Thomas (@ Maurice Richard Arena) 3
Non-conference Game

Game Report by Earl Zukerman

MONTREAL – McGill exploded for four first-period goals en route to a 5-3 win over the St. Thomas University Tommies in men’s preseason hockey at the Maurice Richard Arena, Sunday.

Simon Marcotte of Longueuil, Que., Evan Vossen of Swift Current, Sask., and Alexandre Picard-Hooper, a freshman from Boucherville, Que., each scored once and set up another as the Redmen avenged Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Tommies. Benoit Arsenault notched the game-winner in the first period and Eric L’Italien added the insurance goal with 1:28 remaining.

The Redmen, who outshot St. Thomas 30-28, led 4-2 after the first period and 4-3 after two.

Jason Rinzler, Justin Roy (shorthanded) and Devan Praught replied for the Tommies, who went 0-for-4 on the powerplay, and fell to 1-3 in preseason play.

The Redmen penalty-killing unit looked in mid season form as they snuffed out a two-man disadvantage for two full minutes while ahead 4-2 early in the middle stanza.

McGill went 2-for-4 on the powerplay, with Vossen making it 2-0 in the ninth minute of play and Arsenault giving the Redmen a 4-2 lead late in the opening period.

Both teams took advantage of the exhibition nature of the game, dressed extra players and used two goaltenders.

Hubert Morin, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound freshman out of St. Lawrence College a Jr. AAA team, near Quebec City, got the start between the pipes for McGill and was credited with the victory. He saved 15 of 17 shots before being replaced midway through the second period by freshman Danny Mireault, who came from Joliette of the Quebec Jr. AAA league. Mireault allowed one goal on 11 shots.

The Tommies started senior Matt Davis in nets and he played the first two periods, He was beaten four times on 18 shots and took the loss. Freshman Ben Macfarlane of Woodstock, N.B., played the final frame and kicked aside 11 of 12 shots.

The Redmen, 1-1-0 in preseason play, will begin a four-game road-trip, beginning next weekend with games at Laurier and Waterloo. They will confront a couple of NCAA teams the following week, with games at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., (Oct. 4) and the University of Vermont in Burlington (Oct. 5). The regular season opens on Oct. 10 with the Concordia Stingers visiting McConnell Arena.

REDMEN RAP: With 10 players lost from last year’s Queen’s Cup championship team, head coach Martin Raymond dressed 12 freshmen over the two games with St. Thomas and had four veterans in the stands for both contests. Among the recruits is right-shooting defenceman Marc-Andre Dorion, who attended the NHL’s Dallas Stars rookie camp a few weeks ago. Dorion, a 5-foot-11, 188-pound native of St. Hubert, Que., was a first-team all-star in the QMJHL last year, where he scored 16 goals and 59 points in 62 games with Baie Comeau.

SCORING SUMMARY
(preseason game @ Maurice Richard Arena, Montreal)

McGill 5, St. Thomas 3

FIRST PERIOD

1. McG: Alex Picard-Hooper (Sam Bloom), 3:43
2. McG: Evan Vossen (Ben Morse, Simon Marcotte), 9:02 (PP)
3. STU: Jason Rinzler (Max Chamberland, Jason Cassidy), 10:55
4. McG: Simon Marcotte (Len Verrilli, Evan Vossen), 14:15
5. STU: Justin Roy (Bryan Main), 17:59 (SH)
6. McG: Benoit Arsenault (Vincent Lambert, Andrew Wright), 18:57 (PP)

PENALTIES:

STU: S. Judson (HOLD), 8:17
STU: K. Wynn (ROUGH), 17:02

SECOND PERIOD
7. STU: Devan Praught (Keith Wynn, Corey Branfield), 17:07

PENALTIES:
McG: Y. Turcotte (ROUGH), 0:48
McG: S. Marcotte (HOLD), 3:34
McG: Y. Turcotte (HIT FROM BEHIND minor & GM-50), 6:44
McG: Bench; served by A. Wright (TOO MANY MEN), 6:44
STU: M. Foster (CROSSCHECK), 9:04

THIRD PERIOD
8. McG: Eric L’Italien (Sam Bloom, Alex Picard-Hooper), 18:32

PENALTIES:
McG: B. Arsenault (HIGHSTICK), 1:43
STU: J. Cassidy (HOOK), 7:28
McG: Ken Morin (ROUGH), 18:58
STU: J. Cassidy (ROUGH), 18:58

GOALS BY PERIOD:
STU: 2-1-0 -- 3
McG: 4-0-1 -- 5

SHOTS BY PERIOD:
STU: 7- 15- 6 -- 28
McG: 11-7-12-- 30

POWER PLAY:
STU: 0-4 (+1 SHG for)
McG: 2-4

PENALTIES (No./Mins):
STU: 5/10
McG: 7/22

GOALTENDERS

STU:
Matt Davis [start, L] (4GA, 14 saves, 40:00)
Ben MacFarlane [ND] (1GA, 11 saves, 20:00)

McG:
Hubert Morin [start, W, 1-0] (2GA, 15 saves, 29:52)
Danny Mireault [ND] (1GA, 10 saves, 30:08)

REFEREE: Dominic Franc

ATTENDANCE: 211

TIME: 2:10

McGILL LINEUP SCRATCHES (dressed 21 players):
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G: Jake Jarvis
D: Erik Stilling
D: *Tobial McHugh
F: Simon Courcelles
F: *Francis Verreault-Paul
F: Guillaume Doucet
F: Marko Kovacevic
F: *Timothy Drager

*freshman

ST. THOMAS LINEUP SCRATCHES (dressed 22 players):
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G: Guillaume Miszcak