The Lakehead Thunderwolves will take on the Manitoba Bisons in a battle of top-ranked teams in this years RBC Varsity Cup Challenge at the Fort William Gardens December 29th and 30th. Opening face-off is 7:30 p.m. both nights, following the undercard games between the Thunder Bay Midget AAA Kings and the Winnipeg Thrashers beginning at 4:00 p.m.
Last Time Out
In the last series before the Christmas exam break, Lakehead hosted the Regina Cougars for a two-game series on December 3rd and 4th. The Wolves swept the Cougars, winning 6-3 on Friday and 4-2 on Saturday.
Winning Streak
Lakehead has won 9 games in a row, the longest winning streak in CIS hockey. The Wolves last loss came on November 5th, when the Laurier Golden Hawks stole a rare 6-5 win at the Fort William Gardens.
Thunderwolves Hotline
The first line has been re-shuffled recently, with Victor Anilane joining Matt Caria and Ryan McDonald. The new combination has been highly productive, as the trio of super-sophomores combined for 14 points in the two games versus Regina. The weekend prior at Concordia, they scored 16 points combined, for a total of 30 points between them in the last four games.
Poll Positions
Both Lakehead and Manitoba enter the series ranked in the top ten nationally. In the latest CIS hockey poll, the Thunderwolves are ranked 7th in the nation, while the Bisons are close behind in 9th position.
About the Bisons
Manitoba currently sits in second place behind top-ranked Alberta in the tough Canada West Conference with a record of 7-3-4. Up front, the Bisons are led by sophomore Blair Macaulay and seniors Mike Hellyer and Jared Walker. On defence, sophomore Dane Crowley and freshman Jeremy Schappert are having impressive seasons. Manitoba is very solid between the pipes, as fifth-year senior Steve Christie carries the load, and is coming off a season where he was named CIS Goaltender of the Year as well as a Canada West First Team All-Star.
Head to Head
Lakehead holds the all-time series lead over Manitoba with a record of 8-3-1, but the Wolves and Bisons have had some epic battles in the past. Two of the most memorable games came in the 2007 Varsity Cup, when the format was a four-team round-robin tournament. On day two of that tourney, Lakehead downed Manitoba 1-0 in one of the most physical games ever played at the Fort William Gardens. The Bisons went on to exact a measure of revenge two days later in the Championship final, as they came back from a 6-3 deficit with six minutes remaining in the game to force overtime and claim a 7-6 victory.
Last December, in the first year of the new Varsity Cup Challenge format, the Wolves had an easier time of things, sweeping the Bisons 6-3 and 8-2 to keep the Cup at home.