Kyle Moir earned his second straight shutout of a ranked opponent as the No. 8 Lakehead Thunderwolves mens hockey team dispatched the No. 3 Western Mustangs 4-0 Friday night at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The junior out of Calgary, Alberta made 33 stops on the night following up on his shutout last weekend at Laurier.
With the win Lakehead (16-5-2) draws within two points of Western (18-5-0) for first place in the OUA West Division.
Andy Hyvarinen scored the winner just 1:11 into the first period while Matt Caria, Pierre-Marc Guilbault and Ryan McDonald also tallied for the Wolves. Caria added an assist for a multi-point night and extended his point-scoring streak to seven conference games to open his CIS career with the Thunderwolves. Andy Zulyniak had two assists.
While Moir was a perfect 33-33 on the shots he faced, Western goalie Keyvan Hunt made a solid 38 saves on 42, including an absolute robbery of McDonald early in the third as he extended his glove across the crease to stop the backhand on the doorstep.
A season-high 3,495 fans witnessed the contest between the heated West Division rivals that sets up a crucial Saturday night battle at the Gardens. Should Lakehead win in regulation they would tie the Mustangs for first in the division. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.