RECAP: Men’s hockey loses to Stingers, season on the line against McGill

The Gee-Gees men's hockey team were unsuccessful in their first attempt to solidify their spot in the playoffs, falling to the Concordia Stingers 4-1 Friday evening in Montreal. 

Anthony Poulin gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead in the second period on a goal setup by Daniel Hardie and Adam Sandstrom. The Stingers would score four unanswered goals in the third, three of which came from Maxim Trépanier.

The Stingers held a 39-35 advantage in shots, with Christian Sbaraglia steering aside 35 of them.

Following their crucial home ice victory against the Queen's Gaels last weekend, the playoff situation was relatively straightforward for Ottawa; a postseason berth would be secured with a win in either of their final two games. Queen's losing in regulation in any of their last three games would also do the trick for the Gese-Gees.

None of these have transpired thus far, with the Gaels taking the Carr-Harris Cup against RMC in overtime and then beating Ontario Tech 3-0. Their final matchup of the season takes place in Montreal on Friday, Feb. 10 against Concordia.

As for Ottawa, they'll have the chance to wrap things up Thursday evening against McGill. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. at McConnell Arena.

The Gee-Gees have had decent success against the Redbirds this season, winning 6-1 in November and then falling in a tightly contested overtime affair in December.

Based on results elsewhere, the OUA East playoff picture is beginning to take shape.

UQTR and Concordia occupy the first two spots and will make good use of a first-round bye. Ontario Tech, McGill and Carleton are in third through fifth, while Ottawa and Queen's are battling for the final spot. The Gee-Gees hold the tiebreaker over the Gaels by virtue of winning two of their three regular season meetings. 

Should Ottawa qualify, their first-round opponent would be Ontario Tech, McGill or Carleton. All three teams are currently tied at 29 points, with the Redbirds holding a game in hand.

The opening round of the OUA playoffs is slated to begin Thursday, Feb. 16, with do-or-die game threes taking place Sunday, Feb. 19. 

Thursday evening's tilt in Montreal is available to watch for free on OUA.tv. McGill also streams through their Yare TV channel for a $7.99 fee. Friday's game between Concordia and Queen's, which might decide Ottawa's playoff fate, is also available on OUA.tv.