The Lakehead University Thunderwolves welcome OUA rivals, the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, for a two game non-conference series in Thunder Bay Friday and Saturday nights. Lakehead (2-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 OUA) is coming off a two game non-conference sweep of the UBC Thunderbirds on Sep. 26th and 27th.
Lakehead's head coach Pete Belliveau was happy with his teams effort but still thought the team showed rink rust and had many areas to work on. He thinks that Laurier will prove to be a very tough opponent. Laurier Head Coach Mark French has done a great job in recruiting so we expect a tougher opponent than last year. Last season they played us very tough and both games were only decided in third period. They have improved their defensive brigade with the addition of quarterback Malcolm Hutt and other significant major junior additions, so it should be a great weekend of hockey.
The 2003-2004 Thunderwolves ice a strong squad, including veterans and OUA All-Stars Joel Scherban, Jeff Richards, Chris Shaffer. Stellar goaltender Grant McCune and Richards are back from attending the AHL's Manitoba Moose tryout camp. Second year man Wyatt Tunnicliffe is hoping to use his hat trick against UBC on Sep. 27th as a springboard for a strong season. Newcomers Peter Cava, Mike Self, and Jounni Kuokkanen also played strong games against UBC as did tough defenseman Hugo Lehoux.
The Golden Hawks finished second in the OUA Mid-West Division last season, losing out to the York Yeomen in the Divisional finals. Lakehead is 3-1 against Laurier, outscoring them 18-10. Laurier is coming off a hard fought 4-1 exhibition loss to Ohio State on Sep. 26th.
Laurier Head Coach Mark French said this series is a good test for his club. "We are excited about getting a chance to travel to Lakehead to play the Thunderwolves. It will be a great opportunity for our team to measure itself versus one of the top programs in Canada. We are looking forward to two really competitive games, in a great atmosphere created by the Thunderwolves fans."
Golden Hawks to watch are third year forward Kevin Corso, second year forwards Bryan Kazarian and Richard Colwill. Corso, last year finished ninth in OUA scoring with 35 points, while Colwill was named to the OUA All-Rookie team. In addition, the Hawks will be expecting a great deal from third year forwards Nick Gibson, Rob Grant and Pat McCoubrey. On the blueline, third year OUA Second Team All-Star Nick Vukovic will again anchor the Hawks. Vukovic will be aided by fourth year bruiser Bill Duncan. The defense corps will also rely on second year pointmen Rick Hwodeky and Jeff Grandfield. The Hawks will depend heavily on second year goaltender Justin Day and backup Ed VanHerpt.
The puck drops both nights at 7:30 at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay.