THUNDER BAY – In the not too distant hockey past, a visit from the Western Mustangs was the hottest ticket in town.
It wasn’t uncommon for the Lakehead Thunderwolves to announce days in advance that seats were getting scarce – and sometimes a sold-out sign would send disappointed fans home wishing they’d acted sooner to secure their spot at Fort William Gardens.
Those days, unfortunately, are long gone.
Both OUA clubs have fallen on hard times of late.
The Thunderwolves missed the postseason in 2016 and the Mustangs followed suit a year ago.
Once, the two teams routinely battled it out for tops spot in the OUA West, they’ll enter Friday’s night’s contest tied for sixth, each team sporting an identical 8-9-2 record.
Despite the rough run for the two storied hockey schools, there’s still a mystique that remains anytime the Mustangs land in Thunder Bay, the rivalry contest still circled on each team’s calendar when the schedule is released each year.
For Wolves forward Daniel Del Paggio, it’s a tradition that dates back to his childhood, when as a youngster he was a regular at Thunderwolves games, the team still in its heyday.
“Growing up, I didn’t miss too many games. I loved the Thunderwolves and looked up to them. I always looked forward to seeing Western and Lakehead playing because of that rivalry. You can tell when they’re playing well playing Western because there’s a little bit more electricity in the building. It’s awesome,” said Del Paggio, who is second on the team with six goals in 16 games this season.
While the Mustangs hold a 28-42-1 all-time series lead over the Thunderwolves, Lakehead, losers of its last two games on the road, is returning to the friendly confines of the Gardens, where they’ve won seven of eight.
Lakehead also won both meetings to close out the 2016-17 campaign.
Veteran forward Brennen Dubchak, who grew up in Kenora, said he’s well versed in the rivalry and what it means.
“I know in my first year I kind of got the first taste of it. It was later in the season and the barn was packed. It hadn’t been packed all year, so it sort of showed how big the rivalry is. Coming back to this year, a few years later, it’s kind of come back,” Dubchak said.
“Especially given the circumstances, coming back to this barn and how big the points are. Hopefully we can come out with the wins.”
Western, who dropped four of its first five games this season, is on a roll heading into weekend play, having won four straight.
They’ve been riding the hot hand of sophomore and Kingston Frontenacs graduate Luke Peressini in goal of late, one of five goaltenders the injury-ravaged team has turned to in 2017-18. A former teammate of LU’s Sam Schutt in junior, he’s got a 1.99 goals against average and .944 save percentage since taking over and boasts a 3-0-0 record.
It’s not a team to take lightly, said Thunderwolves coach Bill McDonald on Wednesday, after guiding his team through a 90-minute practice.
“Obviously this year they’ve turned it around. They’re playing really well right now,” McDonald said.
“I think they were kind of trapped with their goaltending situation pretty early ... They’ve added a couple of guys as the year went on and they’re pretty good right now. I’ve watched come film. They’ve got some speed, they play with structure and we’ve got our hands full, for sure.”
