Alex Dupuis and Josh Unice each made 28 saves. But it was the one that got away that cost the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Saturday night.
Thunder Bay's own Zach Harnden scored the lone goal of the night, beating Dupuis on a first-period power play as the Western Mustangs swept through Fort William Gardens this weekend, taking a second straight 1-0 win at the expense of the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
Harnden's goal, his 12th of the season, came with 1:02 to go in the opening stanza, about 20 seconds after the Wolves had killed the first penalty of a two-man disadvantage.
The Wolves appeared to have scored late in the third, but officials waved it off, citing a high stick by Ryan McDonald. Video replay suggests the officials may have gotten the call wrong.
The Wolves (16-6-0) lost for a season-high third game, and slipped six points behind the Mustangs in the race for the top seed in the OUA West come playoff time.
Lakehead holds a four-point edge on third-place Waterloo, with six games to go on the schedule.
It could be a costly loss in more ways than one. Star forward Matt Caria, who leads the Wolves in penalties, was given a game misconduct after the first period, for allegedly uttering a racial slur against a Western player on the bench, Thunder Bay Television reports.
