WATERLOO, Ont. - Laurier's opposition proved to be the beasts of the east this weekend as the Golden Hawks fell for a second straight night 4-1 in a hard-fought game against a highly-skilled #3 UQTR Patriotes squad. 

Similar to Friday night, Laurier found themselves on the powerplay early in the first period. Good things turned sour when Anthony Munroe-Boucher won a foot race to the puck and scored the opening goal for the Patriotes. 

UQTR struck again with just under four minutes left in the first. Connor Frenette found Simon Lefrance all alone back door for the 2-0 marker. 

Laurier took advantage of their second powerplay of the night in the dying minutes of the first period. Patrick Brown delivered a nice pass from the outside of the rink to Sam Rhodes, who walked in and ripped a shot for his seventh goal of the season. 

M?? P1 - Sam Rhodes fires one home on the power play to make it a one-goal game!@LaurierHockey | 1@PatriotesUQTR | 2#SoarAbove | #WLUvsUQTR pic.twitter.com/oXHUmNtwOJ

— Laurier Golden Hawks (@WLUAthletics) November 19, 2023

The Golden Hawks returned to the dressing room after a period trailing 2-1. Shots in the first were relatively even, the UQTR outshot Laurier 15-13.

UQTR was awarded a powerplay in the opening minutes of the second, but the Laurier penalty kill stood strong in a quiet period.

Both goalies were perfect in the middle frame. Alexis Gravel stopped seven shots for the Patriotes, while OUA All-Star Christian Propp stopped 20 UQTR shots for the Golden Hawks. 

M?? P2 - Christian Propp, are you kidding me!?@LaurierHockey | 1@PatriotesUQTR | 2#SoarAbove | #WLUvsUQTR pic.twitter.com/qDGATAwG4F

— Laurier Golden Hawks (@WLUAthletics) November 19, 2023

Halfway through the third period, UQTR's potent powerplay was able to break through Propp. Vincent Milot-Ouellet picked up a loose puck in the slot and fired a shot over the shoulder of Laurier's netminder to double the Patriotes' lead.

UQTR sealed their 4-1 victory with an empty net goal in the last minute of the game. 

"The boys played hard," said Laurier goaltending coach Dave Dolecki after the game. "[UQTR] is a good team and our effort held us in there and made it a close game."

Moving forward, the Golden Hawks "just have to get back to work on Monday and solidify our systems and get back to playing our type of game, and hopefully, a couple of bounces start to come our way," he added.

Plus + Christian Propp

You knew it was coming. Propp is the third-busiest goalie in the OUA, leads the OUA in saves, and boasts a 0.925 save percentage. He stopped 46 of 49. The sheer number of saves that he made is a lot to process but becomes harder after factoring in the quality of saves that he made. 

"He always gives us a chance to win," said Dolecki. "He's a big leader on our team and always gives us the chance to pull something out when he's in net."

Minus - On the outside looking in.

The Golden Hawks have dropped their last five games and seven of their last eight. They have been competitive, but the bounces do not seem to favour the purple and gold. They currently sit in eighth place, four points out of the final playoff spot, with a record of 3-9-2. 

Up Next:

Laurier only has four games remaining before the exam break. On Saturday, they host the Nipissing Lakers and then the #5 Brock Badgers. The following week, they visit Ontario Tech and #10 Concordia as the fall term wraps up. 

The Golden Hawks hosted the Lakers in late October, falling 3-1. Laurier looks to take revenge at the SunLife Financial Arena on Friday. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now! 

If you can't be at the game, follow the action on X (formerly Twitter) at @WLUAthletics or live on OUA.tv