The Lakehead Thunderwolves mens hockey team head to Windsor this weekend for a two-game rematch against OUA Far West Division opponents Windsor Lancers this Friday and Saturday at the Adie Knox Arena. The Wolves were swept by the Lancers last weekend in Thunder Bay so are 0-2 in OUA play (4-5-2) while Windsor is 2-0 in conference play (2-6 overall). Both games can be heard Friday and Saturday nights on 580 CKPR AM radio in Thunder Bayand online at www.ckpr.com with Bryan Wyatt calling all the action.
Last weekend saw the Lancers win for the first time at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay so this weekends series should prove an interesting rematch for crucial OUA Far West Division points.
Head to Head:
Lakehead has a 16-5-1 record against Windsor in five seasons of OUA play; but the Lancers have now beaten Lakehead four straight dating back to last season. Lakehead is 12-5-1 in regular season play and 4-0 in playoff games vs. Windsor.
Lakehead Head Coach Pete Belliveau said this will be a crucial weekend for his team. We must match the intensity they showed last week in Thunder Bay. They are a hard working team and we respect their speed. Hard Work will be the key this weekend.
Lakehead is now winless in seven games; a span which has seen them lose five times and draw twice. The four consecutive losses ties a mark set last season.
Lakehead outshot Windsor by a wide margin last weekend but the Wolves offense seemed out of sync for most of the six periods of play; although the third period of last Saturdays game saw the Wolves mount a desperate and concerted attack that kept Windsor on its heels. Lakehead will need to muster up this type of play for six periods this weekend if they want success.
Captain Joel Scherban (3 goals, 13 assists) will need to rally his troops against a Windsor side hungry for divisional points. Scherban and Andrew Brown (5 goals, 3 assists) and Shandor Alphonso played well against Windsor last weekend. The Wolves will need their second line of Peter Cava (5 goals, 7 assists), Jason Lange (4 goals, 7 assists), and Murray Magill (2 goals, 4 assists) to really step it up this weekend. Cava must concentrate on his offensive skills and is the key to his lines success. Mike Wehrstedt, Dan Speer, and Brad Priestlay will need to continue to be aggressive and forecheck the Lancers and start putting the puck in the net. All of these players have skated well and worked hard but have been snake-bitten when it comes to scoring.
On defense, Erik Lodge and Mike Jacobsen (1 goal, 4 assists) will need to kickstart the Lakehead offense. Big defensemen Steve Rawski and Mike Self will have to keep the front of the Lakehead goal clear to support their goaltenders. Dan Rogers played well on defense and the Wolves will need Drew Kivell to join in on the offense. Goaltender Chris Whitley was strong in Saturdays game vs. the Lancers but also must find his mojo between the pipes.
Lakehead will have an extra challenge this weekend as star forward Jeff Richards will not play, at least in Fridays game and maybe Saturdays, due to a suspension incurred last weekend in Thunder Bay. Sophomore centre Tobias Whelan is still out with a lower body injury while freshman defenseman Jeff Whitfield suffered a leg injury last weekend against the Lancers. Good news for Lakehead is that goaltender Grant McCune will be making the trip to Windsor.
Lakehead Results 05-06:
Sat Oct 22 Windsor 2 Lakehead 1
Fri Oct 21 Windsor 5 Lakehead 4
Sat Oct 15 Saskatchewan 7 Lakehead 5
Fri Oct 14 Saskatchewan 4 Lakehead 2
Mon Oct 10 Lakehead 2 Air Force 2 OT
Sun Oct 9 Lakehead 5 Colorado College 5 OT
Sat Oct 8 Denver 7 Lakehead 1
Sat Oct 1 Lakehead 6 Saint Mary's 4
Fri Sep 30 Lakehead 4 Saint Mary's 2
Sat Sep 24 Lakehead 6 Manitoba 4