The Lakehead Thunderwolves second-half tailspin continued unabated on Saturday afternoon.
For a second straight day the Wolves fought back to tie their game in the third period, only to see the opposition take back the lead moments later.
Alex Basso scored the winner at 18:03 of the final stanza, lifting the host Ryerson Rams to a 5-4 win to further dim Lakehead’s OUA playoff chances. The Wolves have lost four straight.
Carson Dubchak had tied the score 1:35 earlier, netting his seventh of the season.
Mike Quesnele and E.J. Faust gave the Thunderwolves a 2-0 second-period lead, but the Rams battled back, Daniel Clairmont cutting the LU advantage in half at 2:45 of the second.
Mike Hammond re-established Lakehead’s two-goal lead at the seven-minute mark, but the Wolves couldn’t hang on, goalie Justin McDonald surrendering two goals in just over two minutes before the period ended to Ryerson’s Andreas Tsogkas and Kyle Blaney.
Clairmont gave Ryerson its first lead of the matinee affair at 7:05 of the third.
Ryerson (12-9-1) out-shot Lakehead 40-32.
The Thunderwolves (8-13-2) remained in ninth spot in the OUA West and are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons.
