RECAP: #6 Gee-Gees end weekend with a win after back-to-back overtime battles

The Gee-Gees men's hockey team were faced with an exciting weekend, heading into overtime on both Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

In Montreal, Ottawa suffered a 4-3 in a loss to McGill on Friday night. With little time to turn things around, Ottawa was back on the ice to host York the following afternoon. The Gee-Gees bounced back, taking the game 3-2.

Gee-Gees associate coach, Justin Stevens, praised the team for their ability to get back on the ice following the loss.

"The attitude was great coming into the rink, we liked our legs tonight even coming off a back-to-back," Stevens said. "It's a big two points for us. The energy was outstanding."

The Redbirds started the scoring, logging a powerplay goal early in the first period. Max Grondin responded with a goal of his own, and shortly after, David Lafrance found the mesh to claim a 2-1 lead for the Gee-Gees.

4:56' into the second, McGill tied thing up, but less than a minute later, Luka Verreault reclaimed the lead for the Gee-Gees.

McGill fought back, forcing overtime, and ultimately finding the game winner.

The Gee-Gees were back at home to host the Lions the following afternoon, playing a much stronger game than they did the previous night.

Outshooting the Lions 41-23, the Gee-Gees spent a lot of time in the Lions' zone.

A scoreless first period was plagued by penalties on both ends. York found the first goal early in the second period, but Verreault was quick to respond, sending the puck to the top right corner of the net to tie things up.

Johnny Howie was next, giving the Gee-Gees a 2-1 lead.

York forced overtime with a single goal in the third, but despite a man advantage to start it off, they were unable to get past Gee-Gees goaltender, Franky Lapenna.

"Lapenna has been outstanding all year, he wants to play every game," Stevens said. "He takes care of his body, and there was no doubt he was playing a good game tonight."

It was Tommy Bouchard snagged the game winner, giving the Gee-Gees a hard-fought victory on home ice.

"We had a pretty decent game, but we put ourselves in a tough position because we didn't capitalize on all our opportunities," Bouchard said. "It feels good to help the team win, especially in overtime."

"I hope our momentum carries into next weekend and we can get more points, especially while the standing are so tight."

Ottawa will play their final home game on Jan. 26 when they host Lakehead. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. and tickets are available at https://teams.geegees.ca/tickets.