THUNDER BAY – Special teams failed the Lakehead Thunderwolves in a big way on Saturday night.
The Toronto Metropolitan Bolts (6-1-0) scored three power-play goals in four chances and added a shorthanded goal early in the second, and held on to edge a hard-charging Thunderwolves team that climbed to within a goal with a pair of third-period tallies, after trailing by three after two periods in front of a season-high 2,900 fans at Fort William Gardens.
Rookie forward Keighan Gerrie, who notched his second of the season at 9:24 of the final frame, said the team has to play smarter against a team like the Bold, formerly known as the Ryerson Rams.
“We’ve got to stay disciplined. A lot of their goals came on the power play. We know they’re a really skilled team and we didn’t stay disciplined. We got some penalties and they took advantage of that,” Gerrie said.
“Tomorrow we’ve just got to try to focus on staying out of the box and play our game.”
To be fair, both teams spent more than their fair share of time in the box, skirmishes breaking out in the second and third period that led to tempers flaring and a parade to the sin bin.
Lakehead (4-2-2) had six power-play chances, but couldn’t convert any of them in the 6-4 defeat.
LU also didn’t really have an answer for Kyle Bollers, the TMU forward who came in with six goals and 12 points, putting him just two points back of the OUA lead entering play on Saturday night.
Bollers scored a power play goal at 13:04 of the first that gave the Bold the lead for good, added a shorthanded goal 3:50 into the second and finished the scoring with 12 seconds left in regulation into the empty net.
It was a battle from start to finish, but maybe the Bold let their foot off the gas a little too soon, Bollers said.
“I think we played very well in the first and second. We kind of got out of our game and took some dumb penalties. But at the end of the day, we got two points and that’s all that matters. We’ve got a quick turnaround tomorrow, so we’ve got to come back playing our own game,” said Bollers, whose three-point night landed him atop the OUA scoring parade.
The Bold and Thunderwolves were scheduled to open their two-game series on Friday night, but fog in the Greater Toronto Area prevented TMU from flying to Thunder Bay.
They’ll make up the missed game on Sunday afternoon, starting at noon, at the Gardens.
The delay didn’t seem to bother Bollers in the least.
“I think it’s unbelievable,” said the Oshawa native, who scored 25 points in 15 games last season and was named OUA West rookie of the year and a second-team all-star.
“I think my teammates are helping me out a lot, giving me all the courage and opportunities that I’m getting. I’ve got to give all the credit to them.”
Kevin Gursoy opened the scoring for TMU, firing what appeared to be a harmless shot along the ice at LU goaltender Christian Cicigoi. The puck had other ideas, glancing off Cicigoi’s skates and into the net at 11:02 of the first.
It only took 64 seconds for the Thunderwolves to respond, Spencer Blackwell going five-hole on Garrett Forrest in the TMU net.
Bollers and Elijah Roberts broke the 1-1 tied with goals four-and-a-half minutes apart, and the Bold went up by three on Bollers second of the night, a one-timer on a pass from Jesse Barwell behind the LU net.
Jeff Van Unen responded at the 11:51 mark, banging the puck home after Kyle Auger kept the play alive with a solid defensive effort deep in TMU territory.
Gerrie and Tyler Ho kept it close in the third, but the damage was done.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. TMU, Gursoy 3 (Hutton, Hyman) 11:02. 2. Lakehead, Blackwell 2 (unassisted) 12:06. 3. TMU, Bollers 7 (Hyman, Barwell) 13:04 pp. 4. TMU, Roberts 3 (Playfair, Wells) 16:27 pp. Penalties: Smith LAK (tripping) 12:39, Auger LAK (roughing) 14:29, Kamps TMU (tripping) 17:29.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 5. Ryerson, Bollers 8 (Barwell) 3:50 sh. 6. Lakehead, Van Unen (G. Fox, Auger) 11:51. 7. TMU, Portokalis (Wells, Gursoy) 14:21. Penalties: Rogers TMU (high sticking) 2:33, Fellows TMU (interference) 8:09, Wells TMU (boarding) 9:46, Ho LAK (cross checking) 13:02, Bollers TMU (unsportsmanlike conduct), Roberts TMU (roughing), Rupoli TMU (misconduct), Tanois TMU (unsportsmanlike conduct), Auger LAK (unsportsmanlike conduct), Pouliot LAK (misconduct), Van Unen LAK (unsportsmanlike conduct) 19:41.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 8. Lakehead, Gerrie (Van Unen) 9:24. 9. Lakehead, Ho (S. Fox) 13:57. 10. TMU, Bollers (unassisted) 19:48. en. Penalties: Playfair TMU (roughing), Smith LAK (slashing) 1:47, Auger LAK (holding) 6:26, Portokalis TMU (spearing), Barwell TMU (spearing), Roberts TMU (misconduct), Smith LAK (misconduct), Van Unen LAK (cross checking) 11:26.
GAME DATA – SOG – Toronto Metropolitan 14-10-8-32, Lakehead 10-10-12-32; Power plays (goals-chances) – Toronto Metropolitan (3-4), Lakehead (0-6); Goaltenders – Toronto Metropolitan: Garrett Forrest, Lakehead: Christian Cicigoi; A: 2,900.
