The Lakehead Thunderwolves crushed the Guelph Gryphons 8-2 in an OUA West Division showdown before 2614 fans at the Fort William Gardens on Friday night.
With the playoff race in the division as close as it is, the Wolves jumped from tenth place to start the night into a tie for sixth place by the time the game was over.
E.J. Faust staked the Thunderwolves to an early lead when he found the twine just 2:38 into the game, and Mike Hammond fired a hard wrist shot past Guelph goalie Andrew DAgostini with Lakehead on the power play at the 6:24 mark.
Keith Grondin extended the Wolves lead to 3-0 with another power play goal at 6:56 of the second period, but Guelphs Robert DeFulviis replied 20 seconds later when he flipped the puck over the shoulder of Lakehead netminder Jeff Bosch.
Carson Dubchak restored the Wolves three-goal lead at 8:38 when he converted on a nice pass from his brother Brennen, who wound up collecting three assists on the night.
Jake Wright made it 5-1 for Lakehead just over a minute later while the Wolves once again had the man-advantage, chasing DAgostini from the Gryphons goal where he was replaced by Keith Hamilton.
Hamilton didnt fare much better as the Lakehead deluge continued, and Carson Dubchak scored his second goal of the game at 10:59 to give the Wolves a 6-1 lead.
Guelphs Mark Raycroft slipped the puck by Bosch from a sharp angle at 13:59 to narrow the gap to 6-2 heading into the third.
Lakehead added to its total just 32 seconds into the final frame when Hammond converted on a fast-rising shot, and then Kelin Ainsworth finished the scoring at 9:48 with a short-handed goal after he broke in alone and beat Hamilton with a backhand through the five-hole.
The Molson Three Stars of the game were:
1.Carson Dubchak, Lakehead
2.Brennen Dubchak, Lakehead
3.Mike Hammond, Lakehead
Lakehead will look to strengthen its tenuous hold on a playoff spot when the two teams square off again at the Fort William Gardens tomorrow night.