Cougar hunting

Matt Caria’s so hot it’s a wonder the ice didn’t melt at Fort William Gardens on Friday night.

The Sault Ste. Marie native, who earlier this week learned he’ll be one of 31 OUA stars trying out for the World University Games team later this month, scored twice and added a pair of assists, helping the Wolves down the visiting Regina Cougars 6-3 in a pre-Christmas exhibition tilt.

Caria, who had seven points last weekend, now has 11 points in three games for a Lakehead Thunderwolves team that has strung together an eight-game winning streak.

“Individually I just want to help the team win. It feels good and I’m going into the camp with definitely a lot of momentum and confidence,” Caria said.

A former pro player, who spent time at the Carolina Hurricane’s camp earlier this fall, Caria’s goals each demonstrated a talent level rarely seen in OUA hockey, though seemingly run-of-the-mill for someone with 29 points in16 OUA games, good for fourth in the league.

The first saw him take possession of the puck in the corner to the left of Regina goalie Adam Ward, race to the front of the net and simply outwait his opponent, tucking it behind Ward seven minutes into the opening period.

His second showed plenty of puck sense, tipping a Kalvin Sagert whistler out of the air – while on the move nonetheless – a minute into the second to put LU up 3-1.

Then there was the give-and-go with Ryan McDonald that showed his playmaking skills deserve mention among the OUA’s best.

“Ryan is a skilled player. He knows once he gets the puck to me I’m going to try to find him. It just worked out well. I put it a little too well, but he had the hand-eye coordination and batted it out of the air, so it was a good goal,” Caria said.

Coach Joel Scherban, who said his star forward was one of the few who didn’t take the third period off, added Caria is playing above what’s expected of him by a very demanding staff.

“He’s playing great,” Scherban said. “I thought he was phenomenal tonight from start to finish ... I thought Matt was there all game and he had a great game.”

Caria’s frustrations earlier in the season translated into reactionary penalties, totally 38 minutes headed into Friday’s game. Though not completely cured – he took a high-sticking penalty against the Cougars after missing a chance in the second – he has shown a vast improvement, Scherban said.

“His composure is much better, he’s handling himself better on the ice. It’s not a secret he’s one of the top players in the league and other teams try to get under his skin. He has to take a lot of abuse, a lot of cheap shots and he’s learning how to do that,” Scherban said. “His play right now is at a high level.”

Kris Hogg, who stretched his point-scoring streak to eight games, Brennan Menard and Victor Anilane also scored for Lakehead.

Lucas Isley, Tyler Penny and Adam McPherson scored the Regina goals, beating Lakehead’s Kyle Moir on 29 of 32 shots.

 The Cougars trailed 2-1 after one and 4-2 after 40 minutes.

Claw marks: Lakehead assistant Mike Busniuk had a chance to catch up with an old teammate after the game. Busniuk and Cougars assistant Drew Callender spent the entire 1977-78 season with the AHL’s Maine Mariners and a fraction of 1978-79 before the parent Philadelphia Flyers shipped Callender off to Vancouver ... Lakehead’s Jordan Smith is in California for follow-up medical treatment on the eye he lost while playing professional. Also on the sidelines were Arron Alphonso (flu), defenceman Pierre-Marc Guilbault (concussion) and Alex Dupuis (healthy scratch). Third-string goalie Josh Mrakic was the back-up, the first time he’s dressed all year ... The Wolves annual teddy bear toss is scheduled for Saturday night’s game. Bring a new stuffed animal to the game and toss it on the ice after LU scores its first goal ... The annual Wolves skate with Santa is slated for Dec. 11 at Port Arthur Arena from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is $2.

First period
Scoring: 1. Lakehead, Caria (Anilane) 7:11. 2. Lakehead, Hogg (McPherson, Sergerie) 12:56. 3. Regina, Isley (Penny) 16:48. Penalties: Thoring REG (hooking) 12:25, DeLaronde REG (boarding) 18:32.

Second period
Scoring: 4. Lakehead, Caria (Sagert, McDonald) 1:00. 4. Regina, Penny (Isley, Gross) 8:42 pp. 6. Lakehead, McDonald (Caria) 19:41.Penalties: Hyvarinen LAK (slashing) 2:35, Caria LAK (high sticking) 7:08, Menard LAK (boarding) 10:28.

 

Third period
Scoring: 7. Lakehead, Menard (Wilkins, Maunu) 3:38. 8. Lakehead, Anilane (Caria, McDonald) 4:28. McPherson (DeLaronde, Strueby) 8:13 pp. Penalties: Hogg LAK (slashing) 7:34, Sawa REG (hooking) 16:35.

Game Data – SOG – Regina 8-12-12-32, Lakehead 10-13-10-33; Power plays (goals-chances) – Regina (2-4), Lakehead (1-3); Goaltenders – Regina: Adam Ward, Lakehead: Kyle Moir; A: 2,605.