THUNDER BAY – The Western Mustangs eight-game losing streak to start the 2023-24 season is over.
The Mustangs, mired in the OUA West basement, scored twice in the opening period and never surrendered the lead, doubling the host Lakehead Thunderwolves 4-1 on Saturday night, in front of 3,136 fans at Fort William Gardens.
Josh Leblanc, Shane Bulitka Jack Tucker, with an insurance marker midway through the third and Andrew Bruter into the empty net, scored for the Mustangs, who had been outscored 40-16 entering the contest, including a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Thunderwolves a night earlier.
Clarke Singer, one of the winningest coaches in U Sports hockey history, who led the team to the 2002 national championship, said the mounting losses were a little troubling, but added the Mustangs have played well in most of their encounters and things were bound to turn around.
“I know the standings don’t say it, our win-loss record, but we’ve actually been playing pretty well,” Singer said. “We’ve been making a lot of progress the last couple of weeks and we’re just finding ways to lose games.
“Last night it was a 1-1 game going into the third and we ended up losing 3-2. So, there’s been a lot of those games where maybe we haven’t been rewarded for our effort and play, but yeah, it was really nice to get that one up here.”
Goaltending and special teams stood out on Saturday.
Dylan Myskiw stopped 28 of 29 Lakehead shots – though he only faced four in the final 20 minutes – and the Mustangs penalty kill didn’t allow a goal in six shorthanded chances, including a 49-second 5-on-3 late in the second that saw the Thunderwolves generate zero scoring chances.
Getting a couple of quick ones in the first also helped boost confidence levels on the bench.
“That’s something we haven’t done very much, is score first. It was nice to do that again tonight and then build on it a little bit. I think that was our most complete game one to 20 tonight,” Singer said.
Lakehead captain Tyler Jette, on the other hand, said falling to the win to the heretofore winless Mustangs wasn’t part of the weekend plan.
“Obviously it’s tough to give them their first win of the season, but you’ve got to give them credit. They came out and played desperate. They played hard and they’ve basically only played the good teams so far, so I think they’re going to turn out to be a pretty good hockey team in the end,” Jette said.
The veteran blue-liner said the Thunderwolves need to find a little more consistency in their game.
“We can play a couple of shifts really good in a row and we dominate every hockey game that we play in, but we’re just taking too many shifts off and losing too many 50-50 pucks. We’ve just got to get back to grind hockey,” Jette said.
Lakehead’s only goal came in the second, when Keighan Gerrie and Nick DeGrazia bore down on Myskiw on a 2-on-1. Gerrie waited just long enough before rifling the puck over the DeGrazia, catching the Western goaltender going the wrong way.
Thunderwolves coach Andrew Wilkins said the chances were available, but nothing clicked.
“I thought we had chances on the 5-on-4. Our 5-on-3 was not good enough at a huge point in the game. We’ve got to find a way to bear down. Even when you’re getting the chances, you’ve got to find a way to get it done,” Wilkins said.
Max Wright stopped 31 of 33 shots he faced before being lifted late for an extra attacker.
Lakehead travels to Nipissing for games on Thursday and Friday.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Western, Leblanc 2 (Gravelle, Morrison) 2:35. 2. Western, Bulitka 2 (Power) 10:51. Penalties: Pouliot LAK (hooking) 5 :09, Aiello WES (hooking) 17:50,
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 3. Lakehead, DeGrazia 4 (Gerrie, Stiles) 5:03. Penalties: Willits WES (interference) 5:24, Leblanc WES (boarding) 7:30, Fox LAK (holding) 10:52, Van Impe LAK (hooking) 13:26, Willits WES (hooking) 14:37, Smith LAK (slashing), Turpin LAK (roughing), Willits WES (roughing) 17:38, Gravelle WES (roughing) 19:10.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 4. Western, Tucker (unassisted) 9:40. 5. Western, Bruder (Aiello) 19:18 en. Penalties: None.
GAME DATA – SOG – Western 9-12-13-34, Lakehead 10-15-4-29; Power plays (goals-chances) – Western (0-3), Lakehead (0-6); Goaltenders – Western: Dylan Myskiw, Lakehead: Max Wright; A: 3,136.
