With playoff possibilities looming large for both teams, the Lakehead Thunderwolves will face the Guelph Gryphons in the Wolves’ last home games of the regular season this weekend. The opening face-off is set for 7:00 pm on both Friday and Saturday nights at the Fort William Gardens.
The Matchup
Lakehead: 10-13-1 OUA (9th place West Division) 16-14-1 overall
Guelph: 10-10-4 OUA (5th place West Division) 12-16-4 overall
Recent Results
Lakehead is coming off a tough weekend at Brock where the Wolves fell 3-1 and 6-2 to the first-place Badgers.
Guelph picked up three valuable points at home last weekend. The Gryphons lost 3-2 to Laurier in an overtime shootout on Thursday night, and then rebounded to defeat Waterloo 5-4 on Saturday evening.
Series History
Lakehead has been very successful versus Guelph over the years, with a record of 36-14-2 over the Gryphons.
Lakehead played two games at Guelph last November as the first leg of two separate three-game road trips and was successful in both outings. On November 1, the Wolves beat Guelph 3-1 and then two weeks later blanked the Gryphons 3-0.
Playoff Implications
Lakehead currently sits in 9th place in the OUA West with 21 points, one point out of a playoff spot with four games to go in the regular season. But because the division race is so tight, mathematically the Wolves could move up to as high as 3rd place if they win out and get some help. This makes the upcoming games against Guelph, presently in 5th place with 24 points, crucial for Lakehead’s post-season hopes.
Road Warrior
Although Lakehead’s offense has been quiet away from home as of late, fifth-year senior forward Dylan Butler has been outstanding. After potting two goals against Guelph last Saturday and two against Windsor on the previous road trip, Butler has scored four of the Wolves’ last five goals on the road.
About the Gryphons
The Gryphons are led by Head Coach Shawn Camp, now in his 12th season behind the Guelph bench.
Goaltender Evan Cormier had played the majority of the games for Guelph during the fall semester, with Andrew Masters also seeing some time in the Gryphons’ net. But since Cormier signed with the Binghamton Devils of the AHL over the Christmas holidays, the load is now Masters’ to carry. He’s done that pretty well so far, posting a 2.52 GAA and a .920 SV% this season.
Forwards Scott Simmonds, Cody Thompson and Todd Winder are Guelph’s most dangerous scoring threats, while three freshmen defencemen (Jesse Saban, Stephen Templeton and Justin Lemcke) have anchored the Gryphons’ blue line.
Jersey Auction Friday
The Thunderwolves will be wearing special “limited edition” jerseys on Friday night and fans can bid on them at a silent auction table in the lobby of the Gardens. Now in its 12th year, this initiative has raised well over $20,000 in support of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, with this year’s auction proceeds earmarked for the Northern Cardiac Fund.
Senior Night Saturday
Lakehead will acknowledge the graduating seniors in a pre-game ceremony on Saturday night with Matt Alexander, Sam Schutt, Devin Green, Austin McDonald and Brennen Dubchak being honoured.