The Lakehead Thunderwolves were shut out 5-0 by the Waterloo Warriors in game one of the best-of-three OUA West Division quarter-finals in Waterloo, Ontario on Wednesday night.
The Warriors capitalized on the power play three times out of eleven opportunities in a penalty-filled affair, while Lakehead went zero for six with the man advantage. The Wolves were unable to gain any momentum in a game that was for the most part dominated by the Warriors. Whenever Lakehead did create some scoring opportunities, Waterloo netminder Keaton Hartigan was always equal to the task.
Waterloo opened the scoring when Kyle Schwende beat Lakehead starting goalie Alex Dupuis at 10:36 of the first period for the Warriors first power play goal of the night. Schwende added an even-strength marker at 16:04 to give Waterloo a 2-0 lead heading into the second period. The Warriors outshot the Wolves 19-12 in the opening stanza.
The middle frame saw Waterloo increase its lead to 4-0 with a pair of goals when the Wolves were a man short. Kyle Sonnenburg scored early - only 47 seconds into the second period, and Kurt Thorner scored late at the 18:25 mark, to give the Warriors a comfortable lead. Waterloo again held the shots on goal advantage in the second period at 13-8, giving them a two-period margin of 32-20.
Kyle Moir replaced Dupuis in the Lakehead net to begin the final frame, but the change did little to spark the Wolves. Blake Chartier scored for Waterloo at 11:23 to make it 5-0 for the Warriors andclose out the scoring. Shots on goal favored Waterloo 9-7 in the third period and 41-27 for the game.
The series now shifts to the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay for game two on Friday night, where Lakehead will need to win to avoid being eliminated from the playoffs. The opening face-off is set for 7:30, and if necessary, game three will go Saturday night at the Gardens as well.