The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees men’s hockey team is University Cup champions for the first time in program history.
The Gee-Gees beat the Concordia Stingers 3-2 at the Arena at TD Place Sunday evening to win the U Sports Men’s Hockey Championship.
Luka Verreault, Vincent Labelle and Bradley Chenier scored for the Gee-Gees, while Franky Lapenna made 31 saves in the championship game.
It was the first time the Gee-Gees played in the U Sports championship game, and the first time since 2017 that the host team played in the gold medal game of the University Cup.
The Gee-Gees embraced their underdog role, with the team and their fans setting their sight on history. The Gee-Gees entered the championship tournament as the eighth seed and the host of the tournament.
Fans and university alumni are in the city, happy to see the team battle with the best at TD Place, but no one could have expected what they’ve accomplished.
The tournament started with a tall task, as the team faced off against the number one seed and two-time defending champions, the University of New Brunswick Reds, who have only lost twice in the past two years.
Marc-Antoine Seguin scored his second goal of the game in overtime to give the Gee-Gees a 3-2 win in the quarterfinals, in what could be one of the biggest upsets in U Sports men’s hockey history.
In the semifinals on Saturday, uOttawa faced off against fellow OUA squad, the TMU Bold. With 42 seconds left in a 3-3 tie, first-year player Mitch Martin scored his second of the game to punch their ticket to the gold medal game.
With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Josh Pringle
