In a division as tight as the OUA West, the Lakehead Thunderwolves can use all the points they can get.
On Friday night they picked up a pair, thanks to the sharp shooting of captain Adam Sergerie. The fifth-year senior, who missed time last weekend with a shoulder injury, won it for the Wolves in the sixth round of the shootout, handing Lakehead a much-needed 4-3 win over the visiting Waterloo Warriors.
Sergerie started wide right on Waterloo goalie Keaton Hartigan, cut toward the middle and stuffed it through the goalie’s five-hole – just as the LU forward planned it.
Or so he said.
“I watched the previous guys all shoot except for (Keith Grondin) who deked, but I had a lot of shots and it was one of my patent moves that I’ve done for a long time, so I figured I’d give it a shot and obviously it worked.”
The Wolves jumped into a third-place tie with Guelph with the come-from-behind win, and are just a single point shy of second place Windsor. The Lancers fell 7-3 to first-place Western, the Mustangs already guaranteed top spot in the division with one weekend left in the OUA regular season.
“Points are points for sure," Sergerie said. "Unfortunately we had to give them one, but at least we’re on the upward side of the standings and we got two points. That’s all that matters for us right now. We’re trying to catch the second-place team.”
Twice in the contest the Wolves found themselves staring up at a one-goal deficit. After soon-to-be-suspended Trevor Gamache -- who will sit the final three games of the regular season barring a successful appeal -- gave the Wolves a 1-0 lead at 6:07 of the first, Waterloo's Kain Allicock tipped home a sharp-angle Josh Woolley shot from the corner that fooled Alex Dupuis in the LU net.
Allicock struck again 2:58 into the second to put Waterloo up 2-1, a lead that lasted about 11 minutes, when Adam Sergerie's second effort stuffed the puck past Hartigan on a stellar wraparound play. But the deadlock was in place for just 52 seconds, Kirt Hill restoring the one-goal Waterloo lead at 14:46.
LU had to wait until the third to net the equalizer, a power play goal whose genesis came as the Wolves cycled the puck endlessly just inside the Waterloo blue-line. Finally Mitch Fillman, at the behest of the 3,386 Fort William Gardens fans in attendance, ripped a shot that was tipped home by Mike Hammond, knotting the game 3-3.
Hartigan, who stopped 36 shots on the night, was at his finest late in the third. He stopped Andrew Wilkins' surefire deke with the Wolves down a man, then redirected a Mike Quesnele shot on a rare 4-on-1 opportunity with Lakehead on the power play.
Overtime solved nothing, Dupuis and Hartigan turning aside three shots apiece.
In the shootout Grondin scored on Lakehead's first shot, but the Warriors netminder turned aside shots from Luke Judson, Hammond, Matt Caria and Gamache. Dupuis stopped Andy Smith, allowed a goal to Justin Larson, then stymied Colin Behenna, Mike Amadio, Brett Mackie and Jarred Parent.
"That was a great playoff game, a tight game. It was obviously two pretty matched teams. The shots were the same ... The game could have gone either way," said LU coach Mike Busniuk, who will join Gamache Saturday night on the sidelines, serving a one-game penalty after forward Jake Carrick left the bench last weekend in Windsor.
Lakehead improved to 15-8-2, while the Warriors, who picked up a point, are now 11-9-5.
Claw marks: Thunderwolves forwards Carrick and Carson Dubchak are both expected to earn four-game suspensions for their role in last weekend's melee in Windsor ... Busniuk, under OUA rules, will not be allowed inside the Gardens, while serving his suspension ... Saturday is senior's night. Graduating players to be honoured include Sergerie, Gamache, Kalvin Sagert and Victor Anilane.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Lakehead, Gamache 11 (Judson) 6:07. 2. Waterloo, Allicock 9 (Woolley) 10:47. Penalties: Caria LAK (hooking) 13:00, Molle WAT (tripping) 17:35.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: Waterloo, Allicock 10 (Woolley) 2:58. 4. Lakehead, Sergerie 8 (Quesnele, Caria) 13:54. 5. Waterloo, Hill (Behenna, Smith). 14:46. Penalties: Judson LAK (holding the stick) 7:06, Sartoretto WAT (high sticking) 9:21.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 6. Lakehead, Hammond (Fillman, Sergerie) 4:03 pp. Penalties: Bench minor WAT (too many men) 2:14, Quesnele LAK (slashing) 10:21, Sagert LAK (roughing) 14:47, Smith WAT (hooking) 15:48.
OVERTIME
Scoring: None. Penalties: None.
GAME DATA – SOG – Waterloo 8-15-14-3-40, Lakehead 16-11-9-3-39; Power plays (goals-chances) – Waterloo (0-4), Lakehead (1-4); Goaltenders – Waterloo: Keaton Hartigan, Lakehead: Alex Dupuis; A: 3,386.
