Lakehead hosts Ottawa this weekend

The Lakehead Thunderwolves will host the Ottawa Gee Gees for a pair of games at the Fort William Gardens this weekend. The opening face-off is set for 7:30 on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Last Time Out

The Thunderwolves are coming off a road split at Windsor last weekend. Lakehead edged the Lancers 2-1 on Friday before being shut out 3-0 the following night.

Ottawa played only one game last weekend, a 3-1 loss at home to the UQTR Patriotes.

Series History

Lakehead has an all-time record of 6-2-0 versus the Gee Gees. Ottawa last visited the Gardens in September of 2012 when the two teams managed a weekend split, with Ottawa winning the Friday contest 4-3 before the Wolves rebounded with a 6-2 victory in the Saturday rematch.

Division Race

Lakehead is in the thick of a four-way battle for first place in the West Division. With an OUA record of 15-6-1, the Wolves currently sit one point behind first-place Western Ontario and one point ahead of third-place Ryerson, while Windsor is still in the hunt just four points from the top.

About the Gee Gees

Ottawa is led by third-year Head Coach Real Paiement, who previously had been a Head Coach for various teams in the QMJHL from 1986 to 2011, as well as the Canadian National Junior team in 1997.

With an OUA record of 13-9-1, Ottawa has already clinched a playoff berth in the East Division. But the Gee Gees are also in a tussle with the top five teams in the East for favorable playoff seeding, so this weekend is important for Ottawa as well.

Up front, the Gee Gees are led by forward Stephen Blunden, who is currently the seventh-ranked point-getter in the OUA. Alexandre Touchette and Matthieu Tanguay-Theriault are also serious scoring threats, while defenceman Mathiueu Leduc is the mainstay on the Gee Gees blue line.

Freshman netminder Warren Shymko handles the bulk of the duties in the Ottawa goal and has posted a GAA of 2.69 coming into the weekend.

A Gee Gee is the first horse out of the gate in thoroughbred racing and also stands for Garnet and Grey, the University of Ottawas official team colors.

Jersey Auction

The Thunderwolves will be wearing special jerseys on Saturday night, 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.