The Lakehead Thunderwolves got the win, but it may have been a costly one.
Forward Matt Caria injured his ankle at the end of overtime, just as the contest between the Wolves (8-3-0) and Guelph Gryphons (2-4-4) was headed for a shootout.
Caria, who leads the country in scoring, took a shot just after the buzzer sounded, a shot that Guelph goalie Cody St. Jacques easily gloved. But Caria was driven into the boards by a Gryphons player who took exception to the late shot and went straight to the dressing room, unable to put any weight on his injured ankle.
Adam Sergerie, the Wolves fourth shooter in the shootout, slid the puck between St. Jacques's pads to salvage a 4-3 win, but while coach Joel Scherban was happy to net the two points, he was equally concerned about Caria's status.
"He's out for tomorrow and hopefully within the next day or two we'll get a better idea of what his injury is," said Scherban, who planned to pay a visit to the emergency department on his way home on Friday night.
"Obviously we're a better team with Matt Caria in the lineup playing the way he has been, but it creates opportunities for someone else and I'm sure someone else will step up. It's a team game and we talked about that before the game. We've had success as a team and when we lose it's as a team, and we'll continue moving forward in the same way we have."
Sergerie, who has played alongside Caria for most of the current season, said hockey players never like seeing anyone walk out of the rink on crutches.
"And when you see probably the best player in the league leave on crutches, it's always scary. But the strength of our team is depth and we've got a lot of young guys who would love to have a bigger role, and it's an opportunity now for guys – obviously not knowing what's wrong with Matt yet.
"But if he is gone for a period of time, it could be an opportunity for ice time for guys."
If he is out for awhile, the Wolves may have to rely on the likes of Mike Hammond, who was LU's best player all night long, in a game that looked like an easy win for the Wolves in the early going. However, a rough third period put that theory in doubt.
Hammond scored the equalizer in the first period, then netted what would have been the winner had Thunder Bay's Justin Gvora not tied it with six minutes to go.
At the time the Wolves were killing off a five-minute slashing major to Jadran Beljo – who will miss Saturday's rematch with an automatic suspension – a little too much to ask late in a game, said Sergerie.
"It doesn't matter how good your penalty kill is. Sometimes five minutes is just too long. You're shortening your bench, you're playing your penalty killers and unfortunately they got one right at the tail end of their power play," said Sergerie, admitting his team took a 3-1 lead for granted entering the final period of regulation.
For Gvora, a former Superior International Junior Hockey League star with the defunct Thunder Bay Bearcats, it was bittersweet moment.
The Gryphons have lost four straight in extra time, which is starting to get a little frustrating, he said.
"We're playing well. We started the season off 0-4, and I don't think we've lost in regulation in the last five or six games. We just can't get that one bounce you need in overtime. As you saw, we were all over them and out-shot them. I thought the last half of the game we dominated," Gvora said.
Dominated might have been an understatement. The Wolves were out-shot 20-6 in the third, then 5-0 in overtime.
Philip Teri opened the scoring for Guelph at the 7:34 mark of the first, a goal many thought belonged to Cale Jefferies. Hammond tied it two minutes later, then defenceman Chris de la Lande, with his first in a Lakehead uniform, gave his team a 2-1 lead with exactly two minutes to go.
Hammond, who has all five of his OUA goals on home ice, notched the only goal of the second to extend the Wolves lead to a pair.
Kris Belan pulled the Gryphones to within a goal in the first three minutes of third, setting the stage for Gvora.
Neither team scored in OT, though Gvora did ring one off the post with a minute to go. Hammond, Ryan McDonald and Trevor Gamache all missed in the shootout before Sergerie gave the Wolves the win.
Claw marks: Defenceman Mitch Maunu (knee) and forward Brennan Menard sat with injuries. Healthy scratches included blue-liner Luke Maw and rookie forward Keith Grondin.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Guelph, Teri 3 (MacDonald, Gvora) 7:34. 2. Lakehead, Hammond 4 (McDonald, Beljo) 9:33. 2. Lakehead, De La Lande 1 (Wilkins, Carrick) 18:00. Penalties: Belan GUE (boarding) 15:57.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 4. Lakehead, Hammond 5 (McDonald, Quesnele) 3:32 pp. Penalties: Teri GUE (slashing) 2:01, Merrett GUE (high sticking double minor) 2:49, Martine GUE (roughing), Belan GUE (slashing, roughing), Caria LAK (slashing, roughing), Sergerie LAK (roughing) 6:14, Beljo LAK (slashing major, game misconduct) 9:36,
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 5. Guelph, Belan 4 (Clarke, Jefferies) 2:17. 6. Guelph, Gvora 2 (Merrett) 13:50 pp. Penalties: Caria LAK, Belan GUE (roughing), Welsh LAK (unsportsmanlike conduct) 6:11.
OVERTIME
Scoring: None. Penalties: None.
SHOOTOUT
Justin Gvora, Guelph (miss)
Mike Hammond, Lakehead (miss)
Kris Belan, Guelph (miss)
Ryan McDonald, Lakehead (miss)
Joe-Thomas MacDonald, Guelph (miss)
Trevor Gamache, Lakehead (miss)
Andrew Merrett, Guelph (miss)
Adam Sergerie, Lakehead (scores)
GAME DATA – SOG – Guelph 9-14-20-5-48, Lakehead 12-11-6-0-29; Power plays (goals-chances) – Guelph (0-2) Lakehead (1-3); Goaltenders – Guelph: Cody St. Jacques, Lakehead: Alex Dupuis: A: 2,757.
