THUNDER BAY – Through eight games, the Lakehead Thunderwolves have eight losses.
The Thunderwolves dug themselves into a hole they couldn’t get out of, falling 2-1 to the Nipissing Lakers in OUA regular season action at the Fort William Gardens on Saturday night.
Lakehead (0-7-1) has only one point in the standings, by far the fewest in the 19-team conference.
As evidenced by a number of undisciplined and unnecessary penalties, the tension is starting to bubble over.
“It was the younger guys (on Saturday) getting obviously frustrated and obviously so. But there’s a way and a time and you have to curb it,” Lakehead head coach Bill McDonald said.
“This is all on me. It’s my job to try to get them not to buy in because they play hard but when you have a record like that it eats away mentally at the kids.”
The loss spoiled one of the team’s best goaltending displays of the season as Jeff Bosch turned aside 38 shots.
The two goals conceded by the fifth-year senior came from a teammate pushing him and the puck across the goal line after a scramble and a point shot through traffic that went off a skate in front of him.
“That’s the nature of hockey. Bounces like that happen and so far this season I’ve seen a lot go against us and not a lot for us,” Bosch said.
After a balanced scoreless first period, it was the visitors who jumped out to an early lead as they looked to complete the weekend sweep.
Lakers forward Jacob McDowell broke the ice in the second period, racing on a breakaway after a turnover by Lakehead forward Billy Jenkins and scoring after a defender crashed into Bosch and took the puck across the line.
Perhaps sensing the desperation of the deficit, Lakehead forward E.J. Faust was called for an away from the puck slashing infraction, giving the Lakers a power play they would capitalize on. Guillaume Naud was credited with the tally after his point shot went through a crowd and deflected off a defenceman’s skate.
McDonald saw the train starting to fly off the rails and immediately called a timeout, which paid immediate dividends.
Carson Dubchak put Lakehead on the board as he crashed the net and got the second effort past Lakers goalie Domenic Graham.
The home side had opportunities to pull back even, including a lengthy five-on-three but the power play was dormant in five chances.
Any hopes of a late rally were dashed when the Thunderwolves were called for a too many men penalty with less than two minutes to play in regulation.
Things won’t get any easier for Lakehead as they face two of their toughest tests of the campaign with a pair of road series against the Western Mustangs and Windsor Lancers.
“Nobody expected us to have this record and we shouldn’t have this record,” he said.
“We have one point and going in we looked at our schedule, we weren’t going on a roll and win every game but we should have won three or four and it hasn’t happen. It’s obviously put us in a real bind.”
Claw marks: Attendance was announced at 2,126...The Wolves are now 4-1-1 all-time against Nipissing...Lakehead has scored 14 regular season goals, the fewest in the OUA...Sitting 10th in the OUA West, the Wolves are six points behind ninth-place Toronto and seven points behind Guelph, Waterloo and Laurier though Lakehead has at least one game in hand over all of those teams...Lakehead takes on Western in London this coming Thursday and Friday.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: None. Penalties: McNeill NIP (tripping) 2:17; Faust LAK (slashing) 11:48.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Nipissing, McDowell (unassisted) 5:35; 2. Nipissing, Naud (Deeg, Kierstead) pp. 8:17; 3. Lakehead, C. Dubchak (Maw, Alcock) 8:35. Penalties: Naud NIP (holding), C. Dubchak LAK (slashing) 1:45; Alexander LAK (slashing) 2:01; Faust LAK (slashing) 10:28; Harper NIP (slashing) 10:50; Naud (tripping) 11:47; Maw LAK (high-sticking) 14:48; Kierstead NIP (tripping) 18:48; Springer LAK (slashing) 19:50.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: None. Penalties: Conrad NIP (goaltender interference) 11:32; Bench minor LAK (too many men) 18:38. Deon NIP Sefton LAK (misconduct) 19:36.
GAME DATA – SOG – Nipissing (12-17-10-40), Lakehead (8-12-10-30); Power plays (goals-chances) – Nipissing (1-5), Lakehead (0-5); Goaltenders – Nipissing: Domenic Graham (29 saves, 30 shots), Lakehead: Jeff Bosch (38 saves, 40 shots); A: 2,126
