THUNDER BAY -- The scoreboard said 3-1.
But the loss, their third straight to start the OUA regular season, might have far worse consequences for the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
The Wolves (0-2-1) lost two-thirds of their top line to injury in the first period Friday night before going down to defeat to the visiting University of Quebec-Trois Rivieres Patriotes (3-1-0) at Fort William Gardens.
High-scoring forward Billy Jenkins was the first to go down, limping off the ice and now awaiting and MRI to determine the extent of the injury and how long he’ll be out.
To add insult to that injury, line-mate Josh Laframboise also left, coming out on the wrong end of a tough hit grasping his right wrist.
He’s getting an x-ray and is doubtful to return for Saturday’s rematch.
Captain Dillon Donnelly said Jenkins and Laframboise were in the back of Thunderwolves players‘ minds as they hit the ice in the second, but by no means were they the distraction that saw them outshot 20-2.
“That’s always a concern, but as you’ve played hockey for years, all of us, you try to put that stuff aside and worry about it after the game. During the game you’re just trying to focus on yourself and what the other team is doing,” Donnelly said.
“That’s not really an excuse for us to have. We’re concerned about those guys and hopefully they’re OK, but that’s not an excuse.”
Defenceman Patrick Murphy said no one wants to see their teammates go down, especially top players like Jenkins and Laframboise.
“But it’s something you can’t really think about, because you got a game to play. It’s something you’ve kind of got to push through and not let it get you down,” said Murphy, who scored the lone Thunderwolves goal, bouncing a puck through traffic on the power play, the puck finding its way past UQTR goalie Sebastian Auger just 35 seconds into the third to tie the game 1-1.
After the two teams failed to score in the first, UQTR’s Deven St.-Hillaire stripped the puck from LU defender Callum Fryer and firing on Wolves goalie Nic Renyard, who made the initial stop only to have Antoine Marcoux pounce on the rebound and find the back of the net for the shorthanded goal 7:14 into the middle stanza.
Murphy’s tying goal stood up for less than three minutes, Jason Lavallee knocking it past Renyard for the go-ahead goal.
Lavallee iced it on the power play later in the third, batting a puck out of the air to extend the Patriotes lead to two.
“My thought are in the first period it was pretty even up. In the second it was all them and in the third period I thought we were pretty good,” said Lakehead coach Bill McDonald.
He’d love to have a second crack at the second period.
“I don’t think our mind was there. It was kind of a mix-master on bench because we’d lost two guys. I don’t know what their status is,” McDonald said. “I don’t think we were there mentally in the second. We had a talk after the second and obviously we were better in the third.”
The Wolves pressed in the final two minutes, given a man advantage and their goaltender on the bench. But the 6-on-4 advantage failed to produce one, let alone two goals.
Renyard made 37 stops, while Auger saved 25 of 26 shot directed his way.
Lakehead, one of six OUA teams yet to find the win column, will host UQTR again on Saturday night.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: None. Penalties: Boivin UQTR, Laframboise LAK (high sticking) 0:03, Dubchak LAK (tripping) 1:22, Deschamps UQTR (interfence) 5:41.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 1. UQTR, Marcoux 1 (St.-Hilaire) 7:14 sh. Penalties: Deschamps UQTR (slashing) 5:53, Deschamps UQTR (roughing), Faust LAK (checking from behind, misconduct) 11:23, Masters LAK (high sticking) 16:45, Leclerc UQTR (tripping) 19:29.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 2. Lakehead, Murphy 1 (Ringuette, Gall) 0:35 pp. 3. UQTR, Lavallee 1 (Plouffe) 3:21. 4. UQTR, Lavalee 2 (D. Caron, Slight) 11:33 pp. Penalties: Gall LAK (high sticking) 10:52, Bench minor UQTR (too many men) 17:58.
GAME DATA – SOG – Trois Rivieres 9-20-12-41, Lakehead 9-2-16-27; Power plays (goals-chances) – Trois Rivieres (1-2), Lakehead (1-3); Goaltenders – Trois Rivieres: Sebastien Auger, Lakehead: Nic Renyard; A: 2,094.
