WATERLOO, Ont. - The Laurier Golden Hawks extended their four-game win streak to five on Senior Night in a 4-2 win over the #10 Queens Gaels.
The graduating class set the tone early. Expecting-graduate Conor Ali put home his sixth goal of the season to open the scoring just 24 seconds into the game. The goal was assisted by fellow senior Nick Giunta and third-year Patrick Brown.
"I blacked out a bit, to be honest, I just got it off quick enough and I turned to G [Guinta] and blacked out a bit," said Ali. "It felt really good to get that goal on Senior Night. I don't know if I've ever felt like that. The boys were fired up."
The Gaels began to pressure the Golden Hawks midway through the period. Nolan Hutcheson eventually evened the score at 12:02 on a nice setup by Jonathan Yantsis.
Laurier had an opportunity to retake the lead on the powerplay early in the second period but were unable to find a way past Christian Purboo.
The Golden Hawks penalty kill would see the ice for the first and only time of the game late in the second period as Evan Benwell picked up 2 minutes for slashing at 1:46 remaining in the frame.
Just before the Benwell penalty kill expired in the third period, Sam Rhodes poked the puck off of a Queens defender before speeding in on Purboo and sliding the puck into the back of the net to give the Golden Hawks a 2-1 lead.
Patrick Brown scored a beautiful goal to extend the Golden Hawks' lead at 11:27 in the third. Nick Guinta picked up his second assist of the night and Isaac Sooklal was awarded the secondary.
Just minutes later, the Gaels pulled themselves back within one as Jacob Paquette scored his third goal of the season.
Conor Ali scored his second of the night on the empty net with 27 seconds remaining in the game to secure a 4-2 win for the Golden Hawks.
Graduating goaltender Christian Propp made 35 saves on 37 shots in the second half of a back-to-back stand.
"It felt awesome to get this win. It's the first time that my grandmother has gotten out to see me play in a while so it's always nice to get the win in front of her and the rest of the family," said Propp, "from a team perspective though, I think this win shows the passion of everyone in the dressing room."
"We're feeling good, we are taking every game as if it's a playoff game and we're still trying to move up in the standings. Tonight was a good step forward," said forward Patrick Brown.
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PLAYOFF RACE
The Golden Hawks currently sit in fifth place and have enough points to ensure they drop no lower than sixth.
A win over Windsor in the final game of the regular season could have Laurier finishing in fourth, but Laurier will likely have to wait until Saturday, February 10Â to know their final position. As a reminder, the top five teams in the division advance directly to the playoffs, while the sixth and seventh place teams will face off in a single elimination play-in game on Sunday, February 11.
PLUS/MINUS
Plus + The Seniors
The seniors played hard in their final regular season game on home ice. Mitchell Casey was unable to dress due to a lower-body injury, but each senior who was able to play looked great.
Ali potted two goals, while Nick Giunta picked up two assists. Christian Propp was stellar, as per usual. Though not able to find their way onto the score sheet, Declan Graham, Evan Dowd and Sullivan Sparkes were critical in other areas of the game.
"I'm having some mixed emotions. It's a little bittersweet but everyone was pretty excited for the game. After getting the win over a tough opponent we get to celebrate the night a little more," said Biochem major Declan Graham.
"It's nice to get them a win and celebrate them tonight because the seniors have meant a lot to this program and have contributed lots to it," said Brown.
"The grads have been role models since we've stepped in. We're a family here, they made us feel very welcome. It's very easy to step into this lineup when you know that they have your back," said first-year Isaac Sooklal.
"It's been a special four years here. I have loved my time at Laurier and wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Each year, we had a good group of guys. Sad to see it go but we're hoping for a deep playoff run so we can keep playing," reflected Nick Giunta.
UP NEXT
The Golden Hawks travel to Windsor on Friday, February 9, where they are set to play the Lancers in their final regular season game of the year. The puck drops at 7 p.m. Follow @WLUAthletics for live updates and catch all the action on OUA.tv.
