A fast start by the Lakehead Thunderwolves Saturday night was quickly undone by faulty special teams play.
What hurt worse – other than blowing a 2-0 first-period lead – was it was a former Lakehead player that proved to be the difference maker.
Thunder Bay’s own Mike MacDonald, who spent one season in a Thunderwolves uniform before following his heart back to Sudbury, netted the third-period winner, his second of the night, to secure a 6-4 Laurentian win. The goal came just 35 seconds after Cody Alcock had tied the game 4-4, pounding home a Matt Kaarela rebound that slipped past Charlie Millen in the Voaygeurs net.
MacDonald had earlier given the visitors the lead in the second, completing a nifty shorthanded 2-on-1 with Chris Smith, spoiling the Wolves lone power play of the night.
Laurentian also scored a pair of power play goals on Wolves goalie Justin McDonald, Nick Esposto converting in the opening stanza to cut the Lakehead lead to 2-1 and Jamie Haines at 7:40 of the second, tying the contest 3-3, the goal coming just six seconds into their third man advantage of the night.
Scoring two crucial goals was great said MacDonald, a graduate of the Thunder Bay North Stars junior A program.
“Of course it feels good,” said the former Sudbury Wolves captain. "Whenever I chip in offensively it makes it feel that much better because it's something I've always loved to do. But at the end of the day, it's the winning that feels good."
MacDonald, who scored four goals for Lakehead in 26 games two seasons ago, sat out last year, unable to play because of Canadian Interuniversity Sport transfer rules.
Returning home and escaping with a weekend sweep, even in a meaningless non-conference friendly, is huge, he said.
"For us to get the win, it's really big," said MacDonald, joining the club for just its second OUA campaign.
"We wanted to get that win and we're really pleased with that result."
Laurentian coach Craig Duncanon, drafted ninth overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 1985 and a veteran of 38 NHL games spread over seven seasons, said the team is pretty happy MacDonald decided to lace them up again.
"We were certainly very fortunate to get him. He's a character young man and we're real happy to have him early on in the rebirth of our program. He's just a consumate professional. He's going to be a leader inside the game our outside the game, whatever he decides to do when we get him a degree," Duncanson said.
Early on, it looked like Lakehead might run away and hide, a weekend sweep front and centre in their minds.
Carson Dubchak fed a streaking E.J. Faust at 3:48 of the first, the rookie Faust planting his first Thunderwolves goal past a helpless Millen.
Four minutes later it was Dubchak's turn, escaping a rabble of Voyageurs to dent the twine. The lead was shortlived.
Beau Williams-Orser cut the lead in half at 10:11 and Espotso tied the contest 89 seconds later.
The Wolves stole the lead back early in the second when defenceman Cody Kostecki, seeing his first action of the pre-season, fired a wrist shot that beat Millen through a crowd. But Jamie Haines, who missed a surefire opportunity in the first, knotted the score again at the 7:40 mark, just six seconds after Dubchak was sent off for a hold.
It was a tough way to lose, Dubchak said, especially after working so hard to finally net the equalizer, when Alcock scored at 9:46 of the third.
"It's something that's going to happen throughout the year. We worked hard to tie it up. They seemed to come down and got a lucky one. It kind of took our sails out. That's something we're going to have to work on, maintaining that lead or tie game and moving forward," Dubchak said.
Lakehead finished the pre-season 1-2-1 and opens regular-season play on Friday on the road at Waterloo.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Lakehead, Faust (C. Dubchak, Fillman) 3:48. 2. Lakehead, C. Dubchak (Ainsworth, Wright) 8:30 3. Laurentian, Williams-Orser (Francisco) 10:11. 4. Laurentian, Esposto (Haines, Pachis) 11:40 pp. Penalties: Cull LAK (slashing) 10:46.
SECOND PERIOD
SCORING: 5. Lakehead, Kostecki (Kaarela) 5:33. 6. Laurentian, Haines (Williams-Orser, Pachis) 7:40 pp. 7. Laurentian, M. MacDonald (Smith) 9:01. Penalties: Wright LAK (tripping) 1:32, C. Dubchak LAK (holding) 7:34, Howes LAU (holding) 7:59, Kostecki LAK (cross checking) 16:00, M. Quesnele LAK (cross checking) 19:48, Fillman LAK, Espoto LAU (misconducts) 20:00.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 8. Lakehead, Alcock (Faust) 9:46. 9. Laurentian, 9. M. MacDonald (Orser) 10:21. 10. Laurentian, Yeo (Dionne) 19:21 en. Penalties: Ainsworth LAK (double minor, spearing) 19:57.
GAME DATA – SOG – Laurentian 11-12-18-41, Lakehead 9-12-11-32; Power plays (goals-chances) – Laurentian (2-6), Lakehead (0-1); Goaltenders – Laurentian: Charlie Millen, Lakehead: Justin McDonald; A: 2,586.
