This article first appeared on RyersonRams.ca on Feb. 20, 2014.
Link: http://www.ryersonrams.ca/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=22300&ATCLID=209412974
TORONTO — It looked as though there was going to be a second overtime on Thursday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre at the Gardens.
But with under 10 seconds remaining in the first overtime period, Michael Fine (Toronto), won a face-off back to the point. DefencemanPeter Hermenegildo (Thornhill, Ont.) shot it and it went off rookie Domenic Alberga (Maple, Ont.) in front and into the back of the net to give the Ryerson Rams a 4-3 victory over the Brock Badgers in game one of the OUA West quarter-final best-of-three series.
“It was a great win by Finer, he really battled in the face off circle,” Alberga said.
“I knew that I had to get in there before the other winger got in there and got the puck to Peter so once I did that I just put my head down and went to the net and luckily it went off me.”
Ryerson started the game by scoring halfway through the first period off a beautiful deke around a Brock defenceman by Jamie Wise(Stouffville, Ont.) who then went to his back hand and roofed the puck past Brock starting goaltender, Real Cormier.
The score would remain 1-0 until the one minute of the second period when Fine would deflect a shot from the point by Brian Birkhoff(Richmond Hill, Ont.) to push the lead to two.
Brock would answer back 38 seconds later as their top scorer in the regular season Matt Abercrombie would put one through the legs ofTroy Passingham (Mississauga, Ont.) for his first goal of the post-season.
Alberga would score his first goal of the game after the 10-minute mark of the period on the powerplay and Ryerson would retake a two goal lead.
From there it turned into the Jordan Gignac show as he scored two unanswered goals including tying the game with seven minutes remaining in the third period.
“I thought we played well, I thought we did the right things early in the game to get the lead. Give Brock full credit for battling back, that was anybody’s game tonight,” Graham Wise, Ryerson’s head coach, said after the game.
Passingham picked up the victory by making 43 saves while Cormier made 42 saves in the loss.
Wise also shuttled his lines on Thursday night, breaking up the top line of Jamie Wise, Alberga and Fine and putting Alberga with Dustin Alcock (Hamilton, Ont.) and Daniel Lombardi (Richmond Hill, Ont.).
“We thought maybe that if we kept him (Alberga) with Wise and Fine that we’re going to get a team that’s going to key on that line and try and shut that line down so if you spread it out a little bit it’s probably a little bit tougher for them to defend against,” Graham said.
With the win Ryerson takes a 1-0 series lead over Brock with game two taking place in St. Catherine’s Friday night. Game time at Seymour-Hannah Centre is set for 7:15 p.m.