THUNDER BAY — The Mack attack is back.
Lakehead Thunderwolves forward Joe Mack scored twice and added a trio of assists on Saturday night, pacing his team to an impressive 8-1 Pride Night win over the visiting York Lions at a packed-to-the rafters Fort William Gardens.
Entering play, the Michigan product had managed just a single goal in nine OUA appearances, his production dipping a tad in his fourth season with the Thunderwolves, a career that started out with 19 points in 16 games as a rookie in 2021-22. He also doubled his season point total, jumping from five to 10 in a 60-minute span.
Mack, who turns 25 on Monday, said he’s got a different role with the team these days, and does what's required.
But he’ll take the goals and points when they come, especially when they contribute to a victory, the Thunderwolves looking to pile up the points in the tightly packed OUA West.
“It feels good,” Mack said. “I think that puts me at a point-per-game. I guess that’s just how hockey works. Guys were going. Second year, when we were a really good team, Griffen Fox was unbelievable that year and he kind of took that role, being a top guy. Every year whoever is playing well takes that role. Hopefully I can just keep it up after this.”
Coach Andrew Wilkins said Mack does anything he’s asked on the ice.
“He was all around it tonight, no surprise, really. He’s been kind of snake-bitten a little bit, but I’m happy for him to get some positive results,” Wilkins said. “J-Mac, he’s a guy who likes to shoot the puck. He’s in a position to shoot it on the power play, but he does little bit of everything for us.
“He’s really good on the kill, solid centreman, you can kind of slot him in anywhere. It is nice to see him get some offence.”
The lopsided win vaulted LU (9-6-1) from a tie for fifth into a tie for second with Toronto Metropolitan and Western, and a point behind front-running Windsor, with a game in hand. Given the Wolves still have showdowns against the top teams in the tough OUA East, every point matters, with just six teams making the playoffs in each conference.
“I think that put us tied for second. Every point that we can get is huge. We want to obviously get to the playoffs first, but we want to have a high seed at the same time. Home-ice advantage is huge, especially with our crowds,” Mack said.
Defensively, Christian Cicigoi didn’t have a lot of work between the pipes, facing just 17 shots on the night, but he turned all but one aside to earn the win.
The Lions Ethan Strik did put one past the LU netminder early in the first, but the goal was immediately waved off, the referee ruling he had purposefully redirected the puck into the net with his skate.
York (2-10-4) finally broke Cicigoi’s shutout bid in the third, Chase Sandhu netting his first of the season for the Lions at the 9:37 mark.
Lakehead opened a 3-0 lead in the first. Mack beat Carter Serhyenko on the power play at the 2:04 mark. Nikolas Campbell and Mack then scored three minutes apart in the final six minutes of the first.
Josh Van Unen, Keighan Gerrie, Malte Hasselgren and Luca Fasciano, with his fifth of the season, upped the LU lead to 7-0 in the second.
Spencer Blackwell rounded out the scoring at 12:40 of the third.
The Wolves travel to Laurier for a pair of games next weekend.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Lakehead, Mack 2 (Blackwell, Hasselgren) 2:04 pp. 2. Lakehead, Campbell 3 (Fasciano, Mack) 14:07. 3. Lakehead, Mack (Gerrie, Campbell) 17:10. Penalties: Senken YRK (tripping) 1:35, McCartney YRK (tripping) 7:58, Georgiev YRK (high sticking) 10:05, Fasciano LAK (interference) 17:32, Oakley YRK (roughing) 18:50.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 4. Lakehead, Van Unen 2 (Fasciano, Hasselgren) 5:01. 5. Lakehead, Gerrie 5 (Mack, Murphy) 6:19. 6. Lakehead, Hasselgren 4 (Pouliot, R. Whittaker) 8:13. 7. Lakehead, Fasciano 5 (Mack) 16:44 sh. Penalties: Gilhula YRK (slashing) 13:43, Fasciano LAK (hooking) 14:24, Murphy LAK (hooking) 15:55.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 8. York, Sandhu 1 (Gilhua, Theriault) 9:37. 9. Lakehead, Blackwell 8 (Pouliot) 12:40. Penalties: Theriault YRK (cross checking) 1:06, Lacombe YRK (slashing) 8:05, Sandhu YRK (cross checking), D. Massie LAK (roughing) 13:59.
GAME DATA – SOG – York 9-3-5-17, Lakehead 12-12-14-38; Power plays (goals-chances) – York (0-3), Lakehead (1-6); Goaltenders – York: Carter Serhyenko, Lakehead: Christian Cicigoi: A: 3,440.
