Bill McDonald is probably a fan of instant replay.
If he was an NFL coach, he most certainly would have thrown the red flag to challenge what proved to be the winning goal Saturday night, a play the Lakehead Thunderwolves coach thinks probably should have been called back.
"I think the fouth goal was offside, for sure," said McDonald, after his team fell 4-3 to the fifh-ranked University of Quebec-Trois Rivieres, their second home-ice loss in two nights.
It's a tough way to lose said Lakehead forward Nathan Cull, one of the team's best players on both nights.
"The refs make their decisions. It's a tough way to lose one, especially against a good team like that, especially when we feel like we should have come out on top," Cull said.
"But you've got to give it to our guys. They played a hell of a game and everyone was going."
Guillaume Asselin ripped the winner past Jeff Bosch, just 71 seconds after Ryan Magill tied the score, pouncing on a Jay Gilbert rebound and roofing it behind Patriotes goalie Francis Desrosiers.
Holding the lead is something the Wolves have to get better at moving forward, Cull said.
"Both games this weekend we came out flying. We start off well and I guess we just get away from our game and we've just got to stick with playing with good habits. If we keep doing that, maybe we'll come up with two points," the first-year Thunder Bay native said.
Twice the Thunderwolves took the lead on the Patriotes, first when Kelin Ainsworth blasted a one-timer past Francis Desrosiers five minutes into the second, taking a feed from line-mate Cody Alcock and breaking the scoreless tie.
Later in the period, after Felix Plouffe tied the score, defenceman Mike Quesnele lifted the Wolves in front again, scoring from a near-impossible angle from behind the Patriotes net, the puck caroming in off Desrosiers' pad.
But a costly penalty late in the middle frame led to Plouffe's second of the night and sixth of the season, a quick backhander that Lakehead goalie Jeff Bosch had no chance to stop.
The two teams entered the third tied 2-2, but a Nathan Bruyere giveaway deep in his own zone proved costly, Carl-Antoine Delisle sniffing out the lose puck and rifling it home low past a startled Bosch.
The effort was there, said Cull. It's the consistency the team needs to find.
"We've got to look to our leadership. The guys who have been here four or five years, they've been through it all. I guess we've got to watch the leaders. But it's the second half of the season and the young guys have to pull their weight around too. There's no more excuses anymore. We've just got to find a way to win."
The loss drops the Wolves record to 8-11-2 on the season, tied for sixth place in the OUA West with the York Lions. But Lakehead is only a point ahead of Guelph and Toronto, tied for eighth with 17 points. Only the top eight teams in each conference make the postseason.
The Wolves visit Toronto and Ryerson on the road next weekend, and host Guelph for a pair starting Jan. 30, the team's final home-stand of 2014-15.
Claw marks: The Wolves were without defenceman Mitch Fillman, who had school commitments and had to miss UQTR games ... Assistant coach Andrew Wilkins was also absent, on a recruiting trip out west ... Attendance was just 2,158 ... UQTR only managed to score once in seven power-play opportunities. The Patriotes boast the No. 3 power play in the country ... UQTR's record is now 16-2-2, tops in the OUA East.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: No scoring. Penalties: Faust LAK (interference) 1:22, Hotte UQTR (boarding) 12:01, Alcock LAK (tripping) 18:21.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Lakehead, Ainsworth (Alcock) 5:13. 2. UQTR, Plouffe (Delisle, Quevillon) 10:04. 3. Lakehead, M. Quesnele (unassisted) 13:06. 4. UQTR, Plouffe 6 (Lacasse, Asselin) 19:44 pp. Penalties: Asselin UQTR (charging) 0:49, M. Quesnele LAK (boarding) 2:41, Sefton LAK, D’Aoust UQTR (roughing) 6:03, Sefton LAK (slashing), Verret UQTR (unsportsmanlike conduct) 9:26, Ainsworth LAK (interference) 14:09, Tremblay UQTR (charging), Asselin UQTR, Hammond LAK (roughing after the whistle) 15:38, D. Quesnele LAK (cross checking) 17:46. Wright LAK (misconduct) 20:00.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 5. UQTR, Delisle (Mimar) 3:44. 6. Lakehead, Magill (Gilbert, Hammond) 7:28 pp. 7. UQTR, Asselin (Lacasse) 8:39. Penalties: Alcock LAK (interference) 2:25, Langlois UQTR (boarding) 3:23, Quevillon UQTR (high sticking) 6:48, C. Dubchak LAK (cross checking) 11:56.
GAME DATA – SOG – UQTR 5-15-13-33, Lakehead 9-12-8-29; Power plays (goals-chances) – UQTR (1-7), Lakehead (1-5); Goaltenders – UQTR: Francis Desrosiers, Lakehead: Jeff Bosch; A: 2,158.
