The Gaels Men’s Hockey team got off to a hot start in their first preseason game, hopefully setting the tone for the season.
On Sept. 7, the Gaels defeated their historic rivals, the RMC Paladins, 5-2, in the Lou Jeffries Memorial Game in Gananoque, ON.
After falling behind 0-1 in the first period against the Paladins, the Gaels rallied back, securing their 19th straight win against the Paladins.
Derek Hamilton, ArtSci ’27, was the first Gael to get on the scoreboard, scoring just before the end of the first period on a Gaels powerplay.
Hamilton, who played winger all last season, is in for a big year. In an interview with The Journal earlier this year, Head Coach Brett Gibson stated Hamilton would be switching back to his primary position of centreman for this season.
“I’m excited for a guy like Derek Hamilton, who I’m going to move. He played wing in his first year, was an OUA rookie all-star, and he wasn’t even in his position. So, I’m actually moving him back to centre, he will get some of the ice that [Dalton] Duhart had in the middle,” Gibson said.
The powerplay domination continued for the Gaels into the second period, with Holden Katzalay, ArtSci ’25, scoring the Gaels’ second goal and giving them their first lead of the game.
Not long after, Logan Lesage, Comm ’26, potted a beauty of his own, going bar down on a partial breakaway after the Paladins elected to switch goalies. Last season, Lesage was only able to play in two games. Watch for him to make a big-time impact when the regular season comes around.
After killing off a four-on-three penalty kill, the Gaels got back on the board with Lucas Peric, ArtSci ’26, scoring a goal of his own. Peric, who’s been steadily improving over the past couple of seasons with the Gaels, is a highly talented skater who’s excellent at controlling the pace of play from the blue line, as well as manning the powerplay effectively.
Before time expired in the game, Nolan Hutcheson, ArtSci ’25, potted an empty net goal, ending the game with a 5-2 Gaels win.
Goaltender, Christian Purboo, ArtSci ’25, recorded a near-perfect game for the Gaels. Last season, Purboo recorded a .930 save percentage and was a large contributor to the Gaels’ successes. Should the Gaels look to retain their momentum going into this season, he’ll need to stay on his dominant path.
The Gaels’ next game will be in Windsor on Sept. 14 against the Lancers and will be the first of five exhibition games taking place throughout the month.
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