The Carleton Ravens men's hockey team continue to keep pace in the OUA East playoff race, earning a split of their weekend series with Ontario Tech and Queen's.
The Ravens started the weekend well on Friday night, trading goals with the fifth-place Ridgebacks. With Robbie Rutledge scoring two goals and two assists. Rutledge's second of the night, at 11:55 into the third, looked like it may be the winner until Ishan Mittoo scored with just under three minutes to play, forcing overtime and giving Ontario Tech a critical point.
In the extra frame, Carleton wasted little time securing the extra point with scoring leader Nick McCarry racing through the neutral zone and ripping a shot past Becket Langkow for the victory. McCarry's career-high fourteenth of the year was his third game winner, including his second straight overtime game winner.
The Ravens looked to have carried their momentum into Saturday, jumping out to a 1-0 lead just 38 seconds in. Alex Johnston finished off a beautiful passing play with Nick McCarry and Felix Bedard for his eighth of the year. The lead would last most of the period before Colin Holmes scored his second of the year with 2:11 to play in the frame, sending things to the break tied.
Majid Kaddoura walked into a wrister in the slot early in the second to renew Carleton's lead, but Ante Zlomislic scored twice in just over three minutes to send the Gaels into the third up 3-2.
Holmes and Zlomislic struck quickly in the third, scoring twice just 70 seconds apart to blow the contest open before Samuel Marburg added his fourth of the year in the final five minutes to make it 6-2.
Picking up their second straight 6-2 loss to the Gaels, the Ravens will now look to bounce back when they head out on the road Friday to face the top-seeded UQTR Patriotes.
The Pats will no doubt be looking for revenge after the Ravens handed them a loss at the Advanced Capital Ice House the last time these two teams met. Carleton returns home on Sunday to face the fourth-seed McGill Redbirds, who are in a battle with the second and fifth-place teams, all separated by just four points.
The Ravens remain one point behind the Gaels in the OUA East standings, but the Gaels have one game in hand. Carleton has five games left, including a pair of matchups with McGill, a game at second-seed Concordia and another trip to Nipissing.
