THUNDER BAY -- Squeaking into the post-season at the last possible minute has its upside.
The Lakehead Thunderwolves have been playing playoff hockey for several weeks now and that mindset – and a Mike Hammond hat trick – helped propel the team to a surprising two-game sweep of arch-rival Western and into the second round.
“I think that definitely helps,” said fourth-year defenceman Mitch Fillman on Monday after practice.
“You’re kind of thinking playoff hockey for two or three weeks right before playoffs, so it’s always good to get into that mindset because when you get to the playoffs it could be two games and you’re done. It’s definitely the same thing going in and it definitely got us into the right mentality in the playoffs.”
Hammond, who led the team in scoring during the regular season, said the win over Western just goes to show anything can happen in a short series.
The Thunderwolves, who will take on the Windsor Lancers starting Wednesday night at Fort William Gardens, weren’t the only underdog to make it through.
Guelph knocked off third seed Waterloo and Toronto, who finished fifth , ousted Ryerson.
“All the teams are pretty close as you’ve seen throughout the season,” Hammond said. “We have all the confidence in the world in the dressing room and that’s all we need.”
Lakehead and Windsor met twice in the regular season.
The Lancers came out on top in both, but only by a goal each night, including a overtime triumph in Game 2.
Windsor’s Spencer Pommels, who led the OUA with 50 points, 11 more than runner-up Hammond, is arguably the top player in the league. And goaltender Parker Van Buskirk is capable of stealing a series all on his own – just ask the 2012 Thunderwolves.
The key to giving themselves a chance against Windsor, the only team to outscore Lakehead in the regular season, is discipline, said coach Bill McDonald.
They managed to stay out of the box late in Game 2 against a hard-charging Mustangs squad, and have to do it again, the second-year bench boss said.
“We had a tremendous amount of discipline,” McDonald said. “The game got a little hairy there for a while and we held our cool. Obviously it played dividends for us.”
First-year forward E.J. Faust said the Wolves have been feisty all year, but there’s a time and place to exact revenge against your opponent – and it’s not after the play has stopped.
“Sometimes it’s a non-call or something another player will do to our player. It’s a retaliation thing and you’ve just got to stay disciplined, maybe not take that extra shot at a guy. You can still stick up for a teammate, just get him back the next shift,” Faust said.
“You can’t give him a shot after the whistle. It’s just got to be hard work and during the play.”
The Wolves will once again rely on Justin McDonald in nets. No. 1 goalie Jeff Bosch (concussion) practiced Monday, but Bill McDonald said he’s not ready to go just yet.
