The down-on-their-luck Lakehead Thunderwolves remain oh-for-October.
The visiting Queen’s Gaels scored three first-period tallies on Saturday night and coasted to a 4-1 win to capture a weekend sweep at a subdued and half-empty Fort William Gardens, dropping the Thunderwolves to 0-4-0 two weekend’s into regular-season play.
Patrick McGillis netted a pair for the Gaels (4-1-0), his third and fourth of the year, with singles going to Braden Mercier and Shawn Boudreau, who poked home a loose puck late in the second that slid past a sprawling Jeff Bosch in the Lakehead net.
Carson Dubchak, who redirected a Cody Alcock pass to tie it 1-1 in the first, had the only goal for Lakehead, the sole remaining winless hockey squad in the OUA.
“That lights a fire up under us,” said Alcock on the team’s slow start. “You don’t want to be the only team that doesn’t have a win yet and that doesn’t show the kind of team we have at all. Our offence, we haven’t scored as many goals as we’d like and I think that’s the number one reason. I think our goaltending has been stellar.”
The offence has been nothing short of anemic in the early going.
Through four games the Wolves have scored just six goals, fewest in the 19-team circuit, albeit with games in hand.
But while coach Bill McDonald says he truly believes he’s got some goal scorers on his squad, the Thunderwolves need a lucky bounce or two to go their way to help them break out of their season-long slump.
“We talked about it before the game. We’ve got to get some greasy goals,” McDonald said. “The one goal we got tonight was a beautiful goal, with a guy going to the net. We don’t go to the net enough in my books.
“We do have some guys who can score, but they have to get to the hard areas and we’re not doing it. We played a team that did get to the hard-hitting areas.”
And when they did find their way there on Saturday night, Queen’s goalie Kevin Bailie stood tall, stopping Kelin Ainsworth on a partial breakaway in the second and Sam Schutt in alone early in the third.
McDonald took the blame, saying it’s up to him to get his young team into that rhythm.
Captain Luke Maw said it’s the little things that need fixing.
“Honestly I think we’ve got a great group of guys, so I honestly don’t think it’s all that hard,” he said, asked what it will take to put the four-game slide in the rear-view mirror.
“The group of guys that we have this year are willing to follow,” he said, praising the coaching staff and team leadership.
“I think we can handle those things. We can come together as a strong, mentally tough team and fix these little things.”
Bosch left after two periods and 22 saves, replaced by rookie Devin Green, but McDonald said not to read much into the move, he just wanted to give his first-year goalie a taste of OUA play at home. Green stopped all 12 shots he faced.
The Wolves were 0-for-6 on the power play, the Gaels scoring once in five man-advantage opportunities.
Lakehead travels to Montreal next weekend for a pair against McGill.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Queen’s, McGillis 3 (Greenaway) 2:17, 2. Lakehead, C. Dubchak 1 (Alcock) 6:14. 3. Queen’s, McGillis 4 (Luongo) 8:54 sh. 4. Queen’s Mercier 1 (Coccimiglio, Ming) 15:18. Penalties: Boudreau QUE (boarding) 7:11. Abraham QUE (slashing) 18:57
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 5. Queen’s, Boudreau 1 (Doggett, Angelopolous) 12:35 pp. Penalties: Greenaway QUE (cross checking) 2:11, Wiebe QUE (holding) 5:56, Alcock LAK (slashing) 6:49, Doggett QUE (interference) 7:45, Alexander LAK (high sticking) 10:45, Luongo QUE (hooking) 14:03, Sefton LAK (slashing) 14:23, Springer LAK (cross checking), Genovese QUE (roughing) 16:02.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: No scoring. Penalties: C. Dubchak LAK (unsportsmanlike conduct) 4:36. Ainsworth LAK (cross checking) 9:44,
GAME DATA – SOG – Queen’s 13-13-12-38, Lakehead 12-8-8-28; Power plays (goals-chances) – Queen’s (1-5), Lakehead (0-6); Goaltenders – Queen’s: Kevin Bailie, Lakehead: Jeff Bosch (26 shots, 22 saves), Devin Green (0:00, third); A: 2,050 (paid).
