THUNDER BAY – The Lakehead Thunderwolves were handed a gift heading into a potentially season-defining series against their archrival.
But instead of capitalizing on it, Lakehead took the first steps to giving it right back.
Down by three goals in the first eight minutes of the contest, the Thunderwolves found themselves in a hole too deep to emerge, falling 6-2 to the Western Mustangs at the Fort William Gardens on Friday night.
At the start of the week the Thunderwolves were in a three-way deadlock with the Mustangs and Windsor Lancers for sixth in the OUA West. By Thursday night, Lakehead had vaulted four points ahead after being credited for a pair of wins after the UQTR Patriotes were forced to forfeit their first 13 games – including a pair from an October series with the Thunderwolves – after being found to have had an ineligible player.
With that edge over the Mustangs reduced to two points, Lakehead captain Dillon Donnelly said it was an opportunity the team should have taken and run with.
“We didn’t follow the game plan and we didn’t play our systems right,” Donnelly said. “I think it was just a bad game and that’s two in a row now. We have to put an end to it (Saturday).”
The Mustangs continue their torrid pace as one of the hottest teams in the OUA, picking up their fifth straight victory and continue to march toward locking up a playoff spot.
Lakehead head coach Bill McDonald said he thought his squad would have been ready for battle.
“We had good video this morning and you think you are (prepared) in the first couple of minutes and you make a stupid line change with too many men on the ice. We know they’ve got a pretty good power play and it ends up in our net and from there it went south,” McDonald said.
“A couple of turnovers and you’re down 3-0 against this team and you’re chasing the game and it’s hard to come back.”
That line change gave the Mustangs a man advantage just minutes into the contest and they drew first blood as it was winding down, with Ray Huether banging home a loose puck on the doorstep.
The visitors doubled the lead a little more than four minutes later with a Matthew Watson laser fired over the shoulder of Lakehead goalie Nic Renyard, set up after Mustangs forward Rob Polsello won the battle for a loose puck along the boards from Thunderwolves defenceman Callum Fryer.
Lakehead nearly answered back on the ensuing faceoff as Thunderwolves winger Sam Schutt was sprung in all alone but he couldn’t elevate the puck over the pad of Western keeper Luke Peressini.
Western padded the lead further when Jonathan Laser scored less than a minute later, prompting McDonald to call a timeout to try to get his team back into the game.
The deficit was extended to four by Kyle Pettit with a little more than two minutes remaining in the first, capping a period where the fans could only cheer for the pizza and hot dog giveaways.
“I was really disappointed in the urgency. (Western) came with urgency and you could see they’re as advertised. They’re a really good team and they skate well,” McDonald said. “To me, that wasn’t our team. I didn’t like the urgency. I don’t mean you have to beat guys up but I thought we could check a lot better than we did. We really checked nobody."
By then the match was all decided, though the Mustangs found the back of the net twice in the middle frame.
Matt Alexander broke Perresini’s shutout bid in the second and Trevor Hynnes scored off a deflection for Lakehead in the third.
Claw marks: Lakehead is riding a three-game losing streak and has been outscored 11-3 in their last two contests, including a 5-1 defeat against Guelph last weekend…Peressini has now allowed two goals or less in three of his four starts in January…McDonald said he hadn’t decide whether Renyard or Devin Green would start in goal on Saturday. Green came on in relief to play the third, stopping all six shots he faced.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Western, Huether (Bechtel, Laser) 2:36 pp. 2. Western, Watson (Polesello, Cobbold) 6:58. 3. Western, Laser (Warnaar, Stefano) 7:38. 4. Western, Pettit (Warnaar) 17:41. Penalties: Bench minor LAK (too many men) 0:38; Sinclair WES (cross-checking) 10:21.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 5. Western, Polesello (Pettit, Desrocher) 7:57 pp. 6. Lakehead, Alexander (A. McDonald, Hynnes) 8:48. 7. Western, Brooks (Sinclair, Bechtel) 15:28. Penalties: Desrochers WES (cross-checking) 0:59; Leitch LAK (boarding) 7:44; Olynek WES (cross-checking) 8:48; Teskey WES (roughing) 11:31.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 8. Lakehead, Hynnes (Murphy, A. McDonald) 3:36. Penalties: None.
GAME DATA – SOG – Western 17-19-6-42, Lakehead 10-13-6-29; Power plays (goals-chances) – Western (2-2), Lakehead (0-3); Goaltenders – Western: Luke Peressini (27 saves, 29 shots); Lakehead: Nic Renyard (30 saves, 36 shots), Devin Green (6 saves, 6 shots); Attendance: 2,034.
