THUNDER BAY – Grant Valiquette only has four goals this season.
But it’s one that didn’t count in the statistics column that might be his biggest of the year. The rookie forward lifted the puck in the air and batted it home Friday night, the only goal of a shootout against the visiting Western Mustangs that lifted the Lakehead Thunderwolves to a 6-5 win.
The two points were vital for the Wolves, who are hoping to vault out of eighth place and avoid the Ryerson Rams in the opening round of the OUA men’s hockey playoffs.
The win lifted them into a tie for seventh with Waterloo, who fell 3-2 in overtime Friday night against Windsor.
So far, so good, said Valiquette, a Dryden, Ont. native who spent last season with Portage La Prairie in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
“I was just hoping I didn’t dump it in the corner instead,” said Valiquette, who also had a goal and an assist in regulation.
“I just figured I’d try it out. You flick it up with your backhand and you smack it with your forehand.”
Contributing to the victory made it that much sweeter, he said.
“We definitely needed the points and trying to climb. Hopefully we get to that fifth or sixth spot, so it’s nice to get the W,” Valiquette said.
Bill McDonald, who led with snipers Billy Jenkins, Cody Alcock and Kelin Ainsworth in the penalty-shot contest, said he didn’t hesitate to make Valiquette his fourth shooter.
“I’ve got to give the guy credit for trying that move in front of 2,000 people. It’s a little different that in front of 20 of your own players,” McDonald said. “And he did it and it worked. He’s pretty good in the shootout.”
It was a lack of discipline late in the third that cost the Wolves the win in regulation. Jenkins, who started slow this season and battled injuries, went five-hole on Western goalie Luke Peressini with less than three minutes to go in the third, giving LU a 5-4 lead.
But already down a man, Lakehead goalie Devin Green shoved a Western forward in his crease with 54 seconds to go, giving the Mustangs a 6-on-3 situation, Peressini on the bench in favour of an extra attacker.
Trent Ouellette made the Wolves pay, netting the equalizer with a hard shot from the slot, just 25 seconds left to play.
“We do need to cut down on penalties,” said LU forward Cody Alcock, who scored his 10th of the season to even the score at a goal apiece five minutes into the contest.
“That almost cost us the game and I think that’s going to be one of the major things going into tomorrow and the playoffs.”
Spenser Cobbold, Scott Teskey, Mike DiPaolo and Ray Huether also found the net behind Green, who made 28 saves on the night.
Kelin Ainsworth and Sam Schutt had Lakehead’s other goals.
Claw marks: Forward Carson Dubchak and captain Justin Sefton both sat this one out, though the Wolves did get Jake Ringuette back from injury on the blue-line ... The two teams play again on Saturday.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Western, Cobbold 6 (Warnaar, Ouellette) 4:24, 2. Lakehead, Alcock 10 (Faust, B. Dubchak) 5:04. 3. Lakehead, Valiquette 4 (Whitlock, Schutt)16:34. Penalties: Cobbold WST (slashing) 7:00, Ringuette LAK (interference) 11:49, Springer LAK (roughing) 16:53.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 4. Lakehead, Ainsworth 10 (Springer, Butler) 10:16. 5. Western, Teskey (Chartier) 19:49. Penalties: MacDonald LAK (boarding) 4:21, DiPaolo LAK (roughing) 13:25, Walsh WES (roughing) 17:51.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 6. Lakehad, Schutt (Ringuette, Valiquette) 7:01. 7. Western DiPaolo (Callaghan) 7:18. 8. Western, Huether (unassisted) 8:58. 9. Lakehead, Jenkins (Donnelly) 17:08. 10. Western, Ouellette (Polesello) 19:35 pp. Penalties: Warnaar WST (goaltender interference) 9:27, Ringuette LAK (hooking) 11:26, Faust LAK (high sticking) 14:41, Whitlock LAK (high sticking) 18:39, Green LAK (interference, served by Butler) 19:06.
OVERTIME
Scoring: None. Penalties: Callaghan WST (roughing) 4:25.
SECOND OVERTIME
Scoring: None. Penalties: None
GAME DATA – SOG – Western 14-5-12-2-33, Lakehead 7-10-13-2-5; Power plays (goals-chances) – Western (0-6), Lakehead (0-5); Goaltenders – Western: Luke Peressini, Lakehead: Devin Green; A: 2,040.
