Grondin propels Pack in shootout

Rookie Keith Grondin obviously has a flair for the dramatic.

The Lakehead Thunderwolves forward scored the winner in a shootout on Saturday, helping his team hit the Christmas break on a six-game winning streak thanks to a 4-3 squeaker over the visiting Laurier Golden Hawks.

It was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Hawks take a 2-0 lead 36 seconds into the second period, on goals by Mike Lebar and James Marsden, despite being heavily outshot by the Thunderwolves (13-3).

But Ryan McDonald, who also scored in the shootout, and Grondin scored 1:33 apart in the opening minutes of the middle frame and the game remained knotted into the third.

Marsden's second of the game, 11:26 into the third, stood for just 1:28, when rookie Jake Carrick tied it up, the final goal in regulation.

Ryan Daniels, chased after two periods in Friday's 6-0 loss, made 51 saves on Saturday. Alex Dupuis made his sixth start in a row for Lakehead and stopped 20 for his 12th win of the season.

The Wolves remain two points up on Western, who blanked Brock 5-0 on Saturday, but hold two games in hand on LU.

Lakehead takes on Calgary next weekend at Fort William Gardens in non-conference play.