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Thunderwolves rally in third to edge Warriors

Joe Mack tied the game with just over eight minutes to go in regulation and Colin Van Den Hurk scored the power-play game-winner with less than three minutes left.

THUNDER BAY – Expectations are high in Thunderwolves land.

The results, however, had yet to materialize – and things weren’t looking good on Friday night as the game shifted into the final 10 minutes of the third.

Lakehead had stormed out to a 2-0 first-period lead in their home opener at Fort William Gardens, but gave up three unanswered second-period goals and found themselves down 3-2 to the visiting Waterloo Warriors, with time rapidly running out in the third.

But the Thunderwolves (1-1-1), who dominated play much of the night and outshot the visitors 35-27 when all was said and done, don’t know the meaning of the word quit.

Joe Mack hammered the net to put the equalizer past Waterloo goaltender Daniel Murphy with 8:33 to go in regulation, and Colin Van Den Hurk scored the game-winner on the power play, with 108 seconds left, earning the Thunderwolves a 4-3 win, their first of the 2023-24 season.

“We had a good first. We came out pretty good and I think we just sat back a little bit at the start and didn’t capitalize on the power plays like we wanted to in the second. They ended up getting a couple of bounces their way and that’s what it takes,” said Van Den Hurk, entering his third season with Lakehead.

“We just had the attitude in the third to keep playing the same way and just play as a team and it ended up working out in our favour.”

Coach Andrew Wilkins said that’s about all he can ask from his team – to give what they can – and when they do, he’s sure they’ll come out on top more often than not.

“I think we got a nice bounce on the game-tying goal, but I thought leading up to then we had a good flow. Everybody was kind of getting into the game. We stacked three shifts in a row together where generated a bit more momentum with some pace and some contact,” Wilkins said.

“I thought the puck was in their end a lot and any opportunity we had to get back in we were successful. So we got the one bounce and then Colin Van Den Hurk got a really nice goal.”

Van Den Hurk said he saw an opening and took a chance, taking a great feed from Spencer Blackwell and turning it into a tally.

“I just tried to pump fake (Murphy) and (Tyler Ho) had a great screen out front, so it was a great team effort by all of us on the power play,” he said.

LU wasted little time jumping in front at 13:01 of the first, then doubled their lead 33 seconds later.

Keighan Gerrie scored the opening goal and sophomore Josh Van Unen got the second, the Thunderwolves taking a 2-0 lead into the second.

But the opportunistic Max Neill, who had just jumped out of the penalty box, beat Lakehead’s Christian Cicigoi four minutes into the second – and tied the game 3:27 later with a bullet from the right faceoff dot to the LU netminder’s left, the puck sailing over his shoulder and just under the crossbar.

Defenceman Connor Lovie broke the tie on the power play at 18:08 of the second, rifling a shot through traffic from just inside the Lakehead blueline.

The Wolves twice hit the post in the second, none louder than Noah Massie’s shot that rang off the iron, the 2,318 at the Gardens an inch or two from erupting in euphoria.

The Warriors (1-2-0) and Thunderwolves meet again on Saturday night. Game time is 7 p.m.

FIRST PERIOD
Scoring
: 1. Lakehead, Gerrie 2 (Pouliot, DeGrazia) 13:01. 2. Lakehead, Van Unen 1 (Van Den Hurk, Blackwell) 13:34. Penalties: None

SECOND PERIOD
Scoring
: 3. Waterloo, Neill 2 (unassisted) 4:00. 4. Waterloo, Neill 3 (Gritz, Fishman) 7:27. 5. Waterloo, Lovie 1 (Phibbs, Campbell) 18:08 pp. Penalties: Neill WAT (boarding) 1:51, Fishman WAT (holding) 4:59, Rose WAT (cross checking) 8:59, Van Unen LAK (cross checking) 17:30.

THIRD PERIOD
Scoring
: 6. Lakehead, Mack (Ho, Jette) 11:27. 7. Lakehead, Van Den Hurk (Fox, Ho) 18:12 pp. Penalties: Gerrie LAK (tripping) 0:43, Neill WAT, Smith LAK (cross checking) 5:21, Popple WAT (cross checking) 17:39, Smith LAK (tripping) 18:28.

GAME DATASOG – Waterloo 7-15-5-27, Lakehead 10-16-9-35; Power plays (goals-chances) – Waterloo (1-3), Lakehead (1-4); Goaltenders – Waterloo: Daniel Murphy, Lakehead: Christian Cicigoi; A: 2,318.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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