While losing to Ottawa on Friday was something the men’s hockey team will want back, no one can take away Saturday’s win. 

After losing 6-3 against Ottawa, the Gaels bounced back against McGill, winning 4-0. With the win, Queen’s snapped a 31-game losing streak against McGill that dates back to 2004.

With Saturday’s win, Queen’s is now tied with McGill and UQTR (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières) for first place in the OUA Eastern Divison standings.

In the game against Ottawa, both teams got off to good starts with several scoring opportunities mitigated by strong defense.

With six minutes remaining in the first period, Gee-Gees’ forward Kevin Domingue scored to put Ottawa up 1-0. 

The Gee-Gees maintained their scoring momentum into the second period. Just 23 seconds after play resumed, the away side added another goal, taking a 2-0 lead. It seemed as if Ottawa was going to run away with the game until Gaels forward Ryan Bloom scored a shorthanded breakaway goal to make the score 2-1.  

However, Ottawa cut Queen’s momentum short less than a minute later, with a goal from Marc Beckstead to increase the Gee- Gees’ lead by two goals. 

Although they were down, Queen’s didn’t give up. With two minutes into the third period, Cory Genovese scored a scrappy goal in front of the Ottawa net, cutting the lead again to just one. 

Unfortunately for Queen’s, the third period was a back and forth affair, with a total of five goals scored. Genovese’s and Warren Steele’s goals for the Gaels would be cancelled out by Ottawa’s three goals, losing the game 6-3. Even though they outshot their opponents, head coach Brett Gibson hoped that Friday’s loss was “just a bump on the road.”

Fortunately for the coach, it was. Just six minutes into their game against McGill on Sunday, Slater Doggett scored his ninth goal of the season, giving the team a 1-0 lead after one period.

In the second period, the game turned physical. A total of 12 penalties were handed out to both teams during the period, with Queen’s capitalizing on the opportunities. Despite the rough play, Gaels forward Ryan Bloom and defenseman Spencer Abraham both scored on separate power plays to give the Gaels a 3-0 lead going into the third. 

Even though McGill stayed competitive in the final period, they were unable to show for it on the scoreboard. Queen’s was outshot 27-20, but goalie Jacob Brennan was able to maintain the Gaels fourth shutout of the season. Doggett would add the final touches to the game with another powerplay goal, sealing the 4-0 win. 

The team’s next game is against the Laurentian Voyagers at 7:30 p.m. on December 2 at the Kingston Memorial Centre.