THUNDER BAY – Sometimes the bounces go your way, sometimes they don’t.
Seconds after Lakehead’s Josh Van Unen missed giving the Lakehead Thunderwolves a 2-1 lead with six minutes to go in regulation, ringing it off the post, RMC’s Josh Spratt found himself in the right place at the right time.
Spratt took a quick pass from teammate Devin Pimm, raced in alone on Lakehead goaltender Max Wright, made a quick cut across the front of the LU net and slammed home the game-winning goal, the Paladins capturing just their fourth win of 2023-24 with a 3-1 triumph in front of 2,108 fans at Fort William Gardens.
It was a disappointing finish, said Van Unen, after his team dominated the Paladins for most of the third period, only to come away with a loss in a game they expected to win.
“It’s frustrating. It goes back down the other way and they score. At the end of the day we’ve got to come out and play a full 60, especially after the big win last night,” Van Unen said.
“We’ve got to find a way to string some games together and get some wins.”
That they do.
Lakehead, dropping to 9-9-1, are alone in fifth place in the OUA West, with a one-point cushion over Guelph and two over Windsor, the Lancers holding two games in hand.
The top five teams make the playoffs, with No. 6 and No. 7 in each division relegated to a play-in game for the sixth and final spot.
Western and Laurier, both with 14 points, are in striking distance, just three points behind Windsor.
Lakehead coach Andrew Wilkins said it was a tough loss, after an emotional 3-0 win the night before over the Queen’s Gaels.
“I thought we failed to respond the way needed to, but we’ve got to learn from it, move forward. We’ve got nine games left. The OUA West is tight. Every game is hard. If we don’t show up and play the way we can, we’re not going to get our results.”
It didn’t help the Thunderwolves cause running into a hot goaltender. Michael Davis was a stalwart in nets for RMC (4-14-2), stopping 34 of 35 shots, including 15 in the third. Wright was no slouch, making 22 saves, left hung out to dry on the game-winner.
“(Davis) played great,” Wilkins said. “I thought they defended well as a team. They blocked shots. The goalie played really good, but I think we need to make it harder on these goalies and get in front of them, but give him credit.”
RMC’s Devin Leduc opened the scoring 5:41 into the contest, the 1-0 lead holding up until the T-Wolves were awarded a penalty with 65 seconds to play in the second. Lakehead made the most of the opportunity, Nicholas Degrazia burying a Colin Van Den Hurk rebound with 20 seconds left in the frame, evening the contest 1-1.
Wright earlier in the period made back-to-back point-blank stops on Leduc that kept Lakehead within a goal. He also stopped Nathan Fox on a partial breakaway early in the third, maintaining the 1-1 score.
Spratt notched the go-ahead goal with 5:50 to play and Pimm sent the puck the length of the ice into the empty net to provide all the insurance the Paladins would need.
Lakehead will host Laurier (6-11-2) for a pair at the Gardens on Jan. 12 and Jan. 13.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. RMC, Leduc 3 (Bolton,Larabie) 5:41. Penalties: None.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 2. Lakehead, DeGrazia 7 (Van Unen, Van Den Hurk) 19:40 pp. Penalties: Blackwell LAK (cross checking) 0:22, Bolton RMC, D. Massie LAK (roughing) 16:08, Wells RMC (boarding) 18:55.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 3. RMC, Spratt (Pimm) 14:10. 4. RMC, Pimm (unassisted) 19 :19. Penalties: Larabie RMC (slashing) 8:03.
GAME DATA – SOG – RMC 9-7-9-25, Lakehead 11-9-15-35; Power plays (goals-chances) – RMC (0-1), Lakehead (1-2); Goaltenders – RMC: Michael Davis, Lakehead: Max Wright; A: 2,108.
