THUNDER BAY – Missed calls – maybe – and missed opportunities pretty well sums up the Lakehead Thunderwolves night.
After battling back in the third period from a 2-0 deficit against the top-seeded Toronto Metropolitan University Bold, sending Game 1 of Round 2 of the OUA men's hockey playoffs to overtime, the Thunderwolves nonetheless find themselves in an unenviable position, forced to win two on the road for a second straight weekend in order to extend their season in the best-of-three series.
Spencer Shugrue burst up the middle and beat Christian Cicigoi on the backhand at 12:59 of the first extra frame on Wednesday night, a cascade of jeers flooding the 74-year-old rink as fans and Thunderwolves players alike thought the on-ice officials either missed an interference call on a TMU player seconds earlier or that the goal was the result of a high stick.
Lakehead captain Noah Massie, who wasn’t shy giving the officials his opinion after the non-call, was careful with the words he chose in post-game interview.
“It’s a frustrating way to lose a game, but we’re looking to Saturday now. I don’t even want to get into it, really,” Massie said, ultimately admitting he thought it was a high stick and the goal probably should have been called back.
“They missed it and like I said, we’re moving onto Saturday as a group.”
Thunderwolves coach Andrew Wilkins said in the moment, he thought it was a high stick. The result, regardless, will stand, so it’s on to Game 2.
Wilkins said he hopes the team can use their play in the third as motivation on Saturday, when they face a do-or-die outcome for the third time in four games.
“I give our guys credit, I thought we were pushing hard. Even when we were down, I thought we were putting together shifts until the third, finding a way to pop a couple in. It was a good game. I liked the way our guys played. It was an unfortunate way to lose, for sure,” Wilkins said.
TMU coach Johny Duco, happy to escape a hostile Gardens environment with a 1-0 lead in a best-of-three series, said there were missed calls on both sides of the ice.
“I will say the two goals they scored were both goalie interference. If you watch them back, they’re on top of our goalie and our goalie can’t move – textbook goalie interference. Maybe a little of hockey gods evening things out, if it was (a high stick). But I haven’t seen it,” Duco said, security surrounding both the TMU dressing room doors and providing protection for the on-ice officials on the other side of the rink.
The two teams played a scoreless opening period.
It was the Bold who struck first, Aleks Dimovski beating Cicigoi just 12 seconds into the second.
The Bold doubled their lead at 17:44 of the middle frame, Jaden Condotta doing the damage.
TMU took a 2-0 lead into the third, but got a little sloppy, taking back-to-back penalties that gave the Thunderwolves a four-minute power play. Joe Mack tipped home a Dylan Massie shot from the point, cutting the Bold lead in half.
Three minutes later TMU’s Jordan D’Intino took a pot-shot at Lakehead’s Spencer Blackwell, and on the ensuing delayed penalty, with Cicigoi on the bench for an extra attacker, Richard Whittaker fired a low shot between the skates of Kai Edmonds, as LU’s Olivier Pouliot was being manhandled outside his crease.
In overtime, Lakehead’s Nicolas DeGrazia stole a pass at his own blueline and appeared to have a bead on Edmonds, but rather than shoot he tried to pass the puck to Blackwell, a TMU defender getting just enough wood on it to interrupt the play. Josh Van Unen had another chance about a minute before the game-winner, on another two-on-one, but short short-side on Edmonds and missed.
Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, the former Maple Leaf Gardens.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: None. Penalties: Campbell LAK (cross checking) 16:49.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 1. TMU, Dimovski 1 (Ross) 0:12. 2. TMU, Condotta (Dimovski, Bowie) 17:44. Penalties: Martin TMU (roughing) 10:05, R. Whittaker LAK (cross checking) 14:20, Raad TMU (holding) 19:11.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 3. Lakehead, Mack (D. Massie) 7:27 pp. 4. Lakehead, R. Whittaker (D. Massie, Turpin) 10:28. Penalties: Doherty TMU (slashing) 5:03, Ruppoli TMU (cross checking) 7:12, L. Whittaker LAK (roughing) 7:43, Gerrie LAK (roughing), Gursoy TMU (roughing) 11:19.
OVERTIME
Scoring: 5. TMU, Shugrue 1, (Dimovski) 12:59. Penalties: None.
GAME DATA – SOG – Toronto Metropolitan 16-10-5-5-36, Lakehead 10-16-9-5-40; Power plays (goals-chances) – Toronto Metropolitan (0-3), Lakehead (1-4); Goaltenders – Toronto Metropolitan: Kai Edmonds, Lakehead: Christian Cicigoi; A: 2,822.
