Losing the first game to Guelph wasn’t part of Devin Welsh’s opening-round plan.
The fifth-year Lakehead Thunderwolves forward, who extended his own OUA hockey career on Saturday night, deflecting a Thomas Frazee pass into the net for the series-winning goal, said he’d prefer an easier route in the second round against the resurgent Windsor Lancers.
“No, I’d rather not (lose Game 1),” Welsh said, following the biggest goal of his tenure in a Thunderwolves uniform.
“I’m getting a little old, my heart can’t take it anymore.”
Welsh, who is planning a military career after his playing days are done, said the Wolves will have to be tactical and strategic when venturing to Windsor Wednesday for the opener, a smaller rink the Lancers have always used to their advantage.
Windsor was 10-4-0 during the regular season at the Windsor Arena, and this will mark the Wolves final visit to the 88-year-old facility, affectionately known as The Barn, before the ice is removed for good in the offseason, leaving the Lancers homeless.
Welsh said the Wolves have to put the opening round behind them and focus on the task at hand, or trouble will ensue.
“I think everybody that wins the first series comes off on a high and I think we have to manage our high and go in there with a lot of confidence. We went down into their barn this year, played a couple of solid games a good team and came out with a couple of victories,” he said.
“That’s the kind of mentality we have to have. We realize they’re good, we realize they like to hit and that’s the kind of game we like to play at Fort William Gardens.”
A hard simple game should do the trick, said defenceman Mike Quesnele, who scored the opener in each of Lakehead’s home-ice weekend wins.
“They’ve got a small rink, they come out really hard in it, so we’ve got to come out, be prepared from the start and play a full 60,” Quesnele said.
“Obviously it’ll be nice if we can go down there and get the first one on the road. But if we don’t, we know we’re going to keep focused and do it at home.”
Game 2 is slated for Friday night at Fort William Gardens, with Game 3, if necessary, scheduled to go the following night.
Forward Ryan McDonald said he expects a different team than the one that finished 15-12-1 in the regular season and fell 4-3 and 4-2 to the Thunderwolves in November.
Still, the wins give LU confidence, McDonald said.
“We know we can win there. And just from watching video and our previous experience with them, they’re a fast-moving team that likes to move the puck and take the puck to the net,” McDonald said. “I don’t think they’re an overly aggressive team, so if play aggressive and get in their face and just keep our feet moving with the puck, we’ll be successful.”
Coach Joel Scherban said he’s not too concerned about Windsor’s plan of attack, preferring to focus on his own team’s game, something he thinks every team does at this point of the year.
“But at the same time you’re aware of what Windsor wants to do, the way they forecheck, some of their breakouts, some of their tendencies. Windsor’s a very good team with a lot of team speed and depth up front, a lot of offensive depth,” Scherban said, ready to board the plane Wednesday for southern Ontario.
“They’ve got a couple of game-breakers on the back-end with (Steve) Ferry and (Matt) McCready, and (Scott) Todd’s had a great year as well.”
The Lancers, coached by Kevin Hamlin, knocked off York in two straight to capture their first-round series and haven’t played the Pack in the postseason in nine years, a Thunderwolves sweep with Scherban leading the attack from on the ice, not behind the bench.
Claw marks: Scherban said he expects to return troubled forward Matt Caria to the lineup. Caria sat the final two games of the Guelph series for undisclosed disciplinary reasons, the third time this season team officials have suspended the high-scoring former pro … Adam Sergerie will not make the trek to Windsor, still dealing with a concussion.
