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Lakehead hosts Brock in regular season finale

Mon Feb 06, 2012
Written by John Payetta
Photo by James Mirabelli

The Lakehead Thunderwolves hockey team will host the Brock Badgers in the final two games of the regular season this Friday and Saturday night at the Fort William Gardens. The opening face-off is set for 7:30 on both nights.


Last Time Out
Lakehead is coming off a road weekend spit after beating Brock 4-2 on Friday night and then losing to Western Ontario 7-4 on Saturday.


The Badgers dropped both games last weekend as they were defeated 5-2 at Windsor on Saturday, following their home loss to the Thunderwolves the night before.


Series History
Lakehead holds a commanding lead in the all-time series versus Brock, with a 19-5-3 record. The Wolves have travelled down to St. Catharines to play the Badgers the last two Fridays in a row; losing 3-2 to Brock on January 27, and then winning 4-2 last weekend.


Playoff Implications
Lakehead is currently in second place in the nine-team OUA West Division heading into the final weekend of the regular season, with a record of 17-9-0 in OUA league play. The Wolves only need one win versus Brock or a loss by Waterloo to hold onto that second place position; that would guarantee the Thunderwolves home-ice advantage for the first two rounds of the playoffs. The worst that Lakehead can do is slip down to third place in the standings, so the Wolves will definitely have home-ice advantage for at least the first round in the eight-team field of the OUA West Division playoffs.


Brock is presently tied for fifth-place in the West Division with a record of 13-12-1, and depending on the results this weekend, the Badgers could drop down to as low as sixth place or move up to as high as fourth. A fourth place finish would give Brock home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, so the Badgers have plenty of incentive as well.


About the Badgers
Brock is led up-front by sophomores Thomas Stajan and Matt Abercrombie, and freshman forward Sean Jones is an offensive threat as well. Rugged senior defenceman Isaac Smeltzer bolsters the Badgers blue-line, and senior goaltender Kurt Jory is solid as Brocks last line of defence.


Brock has an impressive 10-3-1 home record in OUA league play this season, but is only 3-9-0 on the road.


Seniors' Night
There will be a special pre-game ceremony on Saturday night, where graduating seniors Devin Welsh and Mitch Maunu (along with their parents) will be honored on the ice before the game. Both players will be presented with their game-worn Lakehead jerseys, as well as a Thunderwolves wristwatch.


Jersey Auction
The Thunderwolves will be wearing special one-time only jerseys on Saturday, and fans can bid on them at a silent auction table that will be set up in the lobby of the Fort William Gardens. Net proceeds will go to support the Northern Cancer Fund.