Box Score Click the PLAY button on the image above to see game highlights!
It's fair to say the Ryerson Rams have successfully erased the memories of their two losses to Waterloo this season.
The Rams scored twice in the third period and defenceman Brandon Devlin added a goal and an assist as Ryerson beat the Warriors 4-2 in game one of the OUA West division quarterfinal on Wednesday night in Waterloo.
Marcus Hinds, Jamie Lewis, and Lucas Froese also scored for the sixth-seed Rams, who now need a home victory over the third-seed Warriors on Friday to advance to the second round of the playoffs and end Waterloo's season. Troy Passingham turned aside 38 shots in the victory.
Mike Moffat (Waterloo) and Brett Mackie (Whitby) scored for the Warriors, who had trouble generating offense all night. Mike Morrison (Hamilton) made 28 saves in a losing cause.
The Warriors actually opened the scoring with a Moffat power play marker, but the Rams responded just 44 seconds later when Hinds tipped home a point shot to square the score at 1-1. Ryerson took the lead before the end of the period, when Froese lifted home a rebound to make it 2-1 Rams after 20 minutes.
Mackie scored the only goal of the second, as his shorthanded 2-on-1 feed for Riley Sonnenburg (Cambridge) hit a Ryerson defender and squeaked by Passingham. With the game knotted at 2-2 after 2 periods, the decision was there for the taking – and it was the visitors who seized control.
First, Devlin's seeing-eye point shot found twine behind a screened Morrison to make it 3-2 Ryerson. Then, moments later, Lewis converted a nice cross-ice pass from Kyle Blaney to double the Rams advantage to 4-2. That was plenty of goal support for Passingham, who closed the door the rest of the way.
With their backs up against the wall, the Warriors will now travel to Toronto to face the Rams in game 2 on Friday night at 7:30pm. If the Warriors pull out a victory, game three will go Sunday night back in Waterloo at 7pm.
