Hockey fans in Thunder Bay are looking forward to perhaps the biggest regular season clash of the OUA season this weekend when their No. 3 Lakehead Thunderwolves welcome archrival and No. 2 Western Mustangs for two games on Friday and Saturday night. The noisy capacity crowds at the Fort William Gardens will get to watch what may be the deciding series for first place in the OUA Far West Division.
Western has a record of 15-2-0 (19-8-0 overall) and are two points ahead of Lakehead who are 13-2-2 in OUA play and 20-4-3 overall. Lakehead has a 4-11 record against Western since joining the OUA. Western brings a lot of firepower into the Fort William Gardens; leading the CIS with 6.6 goals per game. Lakehead is second with 5.8 goals per game. Lakehead has the fifth best defense in the CIS; allowing 2.7 goals per game while Western in ninth with 3.1.
Special teams will also be at centre stage as Western is second in the OUA on the powerplay; scoring 22.83% of their chances while Lakehead is right behind in third at 21.18%. The Thunderwolves are also second on the penalty kill, successfully defending 88.12% of the time. Perhaps the one chink in the formidable Western armour is their pk play, as they sit last in the OUA at 80%.
Lakehead Head Coach Pete Belliveau said his team is prepared for a playoff type battle and is looking forward to the series with great anticipation. "I believe this is the series of the year in our League and ours is one of the best rivalries in CIS hockey. This should decide the top two positions in our division and our fans have been eagerly waiting for this series. Our first series in October in London was fantastic...with each team pulling out the win in last 10 seconds...does it get better than that! Discipline and Defensive Zone Coverage will decide the winner; both teams are evenly matched with great game breakers who love to step up in big games. Coach Singer has done a tremendous job in replacing all-star players as we can see that the Stangs keep on winning ...year after year! Let the games begin!"
The Thunderwolves will be looking to their scoring tandem of Jeff Richards (12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points), Joel Scherban (12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points), and Bryan Duce (11 goals and 9 assists for 20 points). They will also be looking for strong play from rookie Mike Wehrstedt and Matt Kenny.
The Mustangs counter with some of the most dangerous scorers in OUA hockey. Justin Davis leads the OUA with 35 points (10 goals and 25 assists) while Mike Stathopolous is second with 13 goals and 20 assists for 33 points. Rookie of the Year candidate Mike Rice is in sixth place with 28 points (12 goals and 16 assists) while the dangerous Jeff Martin has 17 goals and 7 assists for 24 points.
Western Head Coach Clarke Singer said his team is ready for the challenge. "As always we are looking forward to playing one of our main rivals. Lakehead has been one of the top couple teams in the country all year, and we look forward to measuring ourselves against them this weekend."
The teams take to the ice at the Fort William Gardens at 7:30 on Friday and Saturday nights.