Queen's Men's Hockey launched their OUA playoff run on the road in Montreal, opening a best-of-three first-round series against the McGill Redbirds in a high-stakes postseason matchup.

The Gaels came out flying in the opening frame, striking first just 7:12 into the game. Kolton Cousins (Arts & Sciences) opened the scoring with a slick redirection off a cross-ice feed from captain Jack Duff (Biology), who returned to the lineup after missing a few games with an injury, with Michael Renwick (Arts & Sciences) also picking up an assist. McGill responded minutes later to tie the game at one, but Queen's quickly regained the lead on the man advantage as Aidan Castle (Arts & Sciences) buried a rebound from Derek Hamilton (Arts & Sciences), giving the Gaels a 2–1 edge heading deeper into the first period.

Momentum stayed with Queen's through the second period. Sebbie Johnson (Arts & Sciences) scored a beautiful five-hole wrist shot from a feed by Nolan Hutcheson (Health Studies), pushing the lead to 3–1. Moments later, Ethan Larmand redirected a perfect pass from Lucas Peric (Economics) and Ante Zlomislic (Applied Science) to make it 4–1. The Redbirds added a late goal to cut the lead to 4–2, but Queen's remained in control heading into the third.

In the final frame, Aidan Castle scored his second of the night from the left slot, assisted by Lucas Peric (Economics) and Colin Holmes (Arts & Sciences), making it 5-2. Nolan Hutcheson added an empty-net goal to seal the 6–2 victory. Eleven different Gaels appeared on the scoresheet, while Tanner Wickware (Graduate Studies) made 47 saves to keep Queen's in command throughout the game.

Queen's Men's Hockey returns home to the Memorial Centre this Friday with a chance to clinch the series. A win would complete the sweep, while a loss would extend the series to a deciding game. Puck drops at 7:30 PM—come out and support your Gaels as they push closer to the next round! Tickets are available at gogaelsgo.com/tickets.