THUNDER BAY – There’s nothing like building a little post-Christmas confidence before the games get real again next week.
The Lakehead Thunderwolves, buoyed by a hat trick off the stick of sophomore Josh Van Unen, and the shutout goaltending of Max Wright – still subbing for the injured Christian Cicigoi – captured a 6-0 non-conference win on Friday night, blanking the visiting University of Manitoba Bisons (2-13-1) at Fort William Gardens.
For a team that dropped four of five games to end the pre-Christmas portion of their OUA men’s hockey schedule, it was just what Van Unen and their teammates needed, mired in fifth place in their division, knowing only six teams make the playoffs.
“Obviously we weren’t too happy in the first half. There was a lot of good stuff, a lot of bad stuff too. But it’s nice. Everyone had a nice break and we came back here and got a win under our belt,” said Van Unen, tied for the Thunderwolves lead with six regular-season goals, with five goals in exhibition play to boot.
“We’re just kind of setting the tone for the second half and how it’s going to be for us.”
Potting a trio of tallies was the icing on the cake – helped by linemates Tyler Ho, who finished with three helpers, and Keighan Gerrie, who had a pair of assists.
“It’s always nice to contribute to a win. The linemates were unbelievable tonight, set me up on a couple of good ones, so it feels good.”
Van Unen saved the best for last, though he sheepishly admitted the spin-around goal came as a result of a bit of a miscue on his part.
“It was kind of just a lucky bounce. I went to pass it and lost it. I ended up in front alone and was lucky it went in,” he said.
LU coach Andrew Wilkins said Van Unen does a little bit of everything for the Thunderwolves (8-8-1), and showcased the offensive side of his game on Friday night.
It’s a good sign, he said.
“I think if you asked (Josh), he would expect more from his first half. He’s a competitor and I’m not surprised that he stepped in a played a game like this.”
Wilkins was also pleased with Wright’s 19-save shutout, the third-year netminder’s first in a T-Wolves jersey.
“We have a lot of confidence in Max. When we were winning games with him in the net, he was a big part of it. We know what he’s capable of and at the start of this game, he made some big saves early. I thought the workload was a little quiet in the second, but he made some huge saves in the third and I thought he looked really confident and calm – and I think that’s when he’s at his best,” Wilkens said.
The biggest save came late in the third, a point-blank chance by Jonny Hooker, the Bisons leading scorer.
It was all LU in the first.
Van Unen opened the scoring at 5:46 of the opening stanza, Kevin Stiles doubling the lead just 26 seconds later, grabbing a loose puck at the feet of Manitoba starter Simon Harkness and lifting it over his shoulder into the twine.
Van Unen fired a shot through traffic to make it 3-0 after one, and the T-Wolves added two more in the second to lead 5-0 after 40 minutes, Ben Badalamenti and Van Unen lighting the lamp. Troy Williams wrapped up the scoring in the third, beating Ross Hawryluk, who took over for Harkness after the second.
The two teams meet again on Saturday night. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
Claw marks: Former Thunder Bay North Stars forward Nikolas Campbell made his Thunderwolves debut, joining the team for the second half. Campbell had 35 points in 25 appearances for the Stars and added 26 more in 19 playoff games and is a graduate of the Thunder Bay Kings program. He played on the team’s top line, alongside Nicholas DeGrazia and Griffen Fox.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Lakehead, Van Unen (Ho) 5:46. 2. Lakehead, Stiles (unassisted) 6:12. 3. Lakehead, Van Unen (Gerrie, Ho) 12:54. Penalties: None.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 4. Lakehead, Badalamenti (Smith) 0:48. 5. Lakehead, Van Unen (Ho, Gerrie) 15:45. Penalties: Whittaker LAK (slashing) 7:45, Bench minor MAN (too many men, served by Fawkes) 8:38,
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 6. Lakehead, Williams (Edwards) 15:52. Penalties: Edwards LAK (roughing, cross checking), Wareham MAN, Trimble MN (roughing) 8:17.
GAME DATA – Manitoba 8-5-4-19, Lakehead 11-12-5-28; Power plays (goals-chances) – Manitoba (0-1), Lakehead (0-1); Goaltenders – Manitoba: Simon Harkness (23 shots, 18 saves), Ross Hawryluk (0:00, third), Lakehead: Max Wright; A: 2,498.
