The Lakehead Thunderwolves and the Western Mustangs battled to a 1-1 OT tie Saturday night at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay. The second period saw all the scoring as Mark Soares scored in a scramblefor the Thunderwolves on the powerplay and Jeffery Martens replied for the the Stangs with a PP tally to even the score.
The tie means that Lakehead (13-10-3-2 OUA record and 16-17-3-2 overall) ends up in fifth place and will play the York Lions (OUA West #4 seed)in the OUAWest first round playoff series that will begin with Game 1 at the Gardens on Wednesday night. Game 2 will go in Toronto Friday night, with Game 3, if necessary also in Toronto on Saturday night.
Chris Whitley played a sharp game in the Lakehead goal while his counterpart Brad Topping was also strong in the Western net. Western Head Coach Clarke Singer replaced Toppingwith Ryan Riddle midway through the second period and Riddle also played very well. Shots on goal were 29-26 on the night for the Wolves.
The Mustangs go to to17-6-3-2 OUA play and 19-8-23-2 overall and they will being the OUA West playoffs against the resurgent Brock Badgers.
Before the game; Lakehead honoured departing seniors Captain Jeff Richards, Mark Robinson, and Mike Self for their service to the team and the school with a special ceremony. Each player received team jersey andframed action photo and their contributions have been greatly appreciated by Lakehead fans.Congratulations and best of luck in the future to these three great Lakehead Thunderwolves!