The No. 4 Lakehead Thunderwolves needed a huge margin of victory to qualify for the Bell Varsity Cup title game on Tuesday afternoon. They had to win by an 8-0 margin and then score 2 goals to every 1 York goal above that result. But what they did produce was a 7-2 win over the No. 8 York Lions in Bell Varsity Cup action Monday night in Thunder Bay. Although a convincing win, it wasn't what they needed as Saturday's win gave them, UNB, and Calgary identical 2-1 round robin records. However, the Dinos and V-Reds advance to Tuesday's title game due to a better goal differential based upon the tourney's tie breaking formula. The Thunderwolves defenseman Mike Jacobsen played a great all-around game, and led Lakehead with 2 goals and an assist.
Lakehead controlled play for the first five minutes but weren't able to put the puck past York netminder Lance King. They then went on the powerplay after a four-minute minor was called on York's Jesse Johnston. Lakehead buzzed the Lions goal, but were unable to put the puck in the net. York then went on the powerplay and took the lead at 11:58, when Rich Williams converted a beautiful pass from Jason Pinnizotto. The other assist went to Jon Hedberg. Lakehead's Robert Hillier then missed a beautiful chance at the 14:00 mark, just missing the net with his tap in attempt. Play was very listless on both sides for the remainder of the period with little action in either end. Shots on goal were 12 apiece in the first stanza.
The second period was as exciting and full of action as the first was boring. Lakehead came out a little faster to begin the second and put the pressure on the Lions. A penalty to York's Jerry Connell proved costly as the Thunderwolves Mike Jacobsen made them pay with a bullet blast from the point that beat King at 5:00. The assists went to Chris Shaffer and Joel Scherban. The Thunderwolves onslaught had begun. Lakehead's Murray Magill quickly made it 2-1 on the powerplay with a low blast the beat King cleanly low to the right corner at 6:47. The assists went to Kris Callaway and Robert Hillier.
Lakehead netminder Cory McEachran made a great save off York's Rich Williams at 9:40. York went on the powerplay after Williams was boarded heavily by Lakehead's Hugo Lehoux. Matt Kenny made it 3-1 Lakehead at 11:45. Jason Lange intercepted an errant clearing pass from York's King and quickly passed it to Kenny who buried it. Bryan Duce made it 4-1 at 12:24, when he beat King with a high wrist shot from the point. The assist went to Kenny. Captain Joel Scherban scored with a no-look, spin-around backhander from the slot at 13:48 to make it 5-1. The assists went to Leon Cooper and Mike Jacobsen. York went on the powerplay but it was Lakehead that kept them pinned in and almost scored shorthanded.
The period turned rough as a lot of skirmishes took place, noticeably an ongoing one between York's Rich Williams and Lakehead netminder McEachran. Finally, McEachran was ejected from the game after being assessed a five minute major so Lakehead had to play shorthanded for the remainder of the second and the first 3 of the third period. Lakehead outshot York 26-6 in the second.
The shorthanded Wolves came out flying in the third and assaulted the York net from the opening whistle. Lakehead's Jeff Richards boomed a shot over the head of King. The Thunderwolves Robert Hillier was then robbed twice by two fine saves by King. King then made a great stickless glove save to stop Lakehead's Craig Priestlay. A four minute spearing minor to York's Gianluca Spirito gave renewed life to the Thunderwolves. York, to their credit, did a fine job of killing off the double minor. The Lions were content to simply clear the puck down the ice. York's King then made a series of acrobatic stops against Lakehead's Hugo Lehoux and Chr