Lancers men's hockey splits weekend at home
By Tanya Quaglia
Lance Writer
January 28, 2009
 This past weekend, the Windsor Lancers Men’s Hockey team looked to extend their winning streak as they played a two-game home stand versus the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
Lakehead snapped Windsor’s two game win streak on Friday night, but the Lancers quickly rebounded with a Saturday afternoon win.
In front of a crowd of cheering fans, the Lancers took the ice Friday night with high hopes of winning their third straight game at home.
The game started on a positive note for the Lancers when Brett Vandehogen scored just two and half minutes into the first period off passes from Kyle Lang and Mark Thorburn.
However, the lead was short-lived, as the Thunderwolves, one of the top teams in the West division, took control.
Lakehead managed to score three goals in the final six minutes of the period, giving them a 3-1 lead, still with two periods remaining.
Despite being down two goals, the Lancers did not back down.
After a highly penalized first period by both teams, the Lancers stayed out of the box for the duration of the second, with hopes of tying the game.
First-year Vandehogen closed the gap when he scored, unassisted, about fourteen minutes into the period.
Josh Gaynor tied the game at three, five minutes later. The Lancers had rebounded from a two-goal deficit, heading into the third.
It was quickly apparent that neither team wanted to give up the go-ahead goal.
Each team played defensive hockey. It wasn’t until the 15-minute mark of the period, that the Thunderwolves managed to get the puck behind Lancer goalie Jim Watt.
The Lancers were unable to tie the game, and the Thunderwolves won by a very close final score of 4-3.
While thousands of fans flocked the stands for fan appreciation night on Saturday, the Lancers looked to rebound from the previous loss, which was especially upsetting considering how close the team came.
As people of all ages screamed and cheered for their hometown team, the Lancers fed off the crowd’s energy and dominated throughout the contest.
Once again, Windsor took the lead just over two minutes into the first period.
Mark Thorburn slid the puck past Thunderwolves goalie Kyle Moir off passes from Brett Vandehogen and Brock Zinken.
Despite being out shot 13-7 in the period, Watt was stellar, and the Lancers did not give up their lead.
The second period found numerous players in the penalty box, but the Lancers held on. Rookie sensation Vandehogen scored 11 minutes into the period, giving Windsor a two-goal lead. Watt was unbeatable and stopped all 11 shots that he faced.
Knowing that the playoffs were not out of reach if they could come out with a win, the Lancers played some of their best hockey of the season.
They easily dominated the third period, getting 17 shots on net and holding the Thunderwolves down to just seven.
In hopes of scoring an inspiring goal, Lakehead pulled their goalie with just under three minutes remaining. Josh Gaynor took advantage of the empty net, ensuring the Lancers a revengeful win.
Fan appreciation night was a success and the Lancers did not disappoint the hometown crowd of 1,026 supportive fans, by far a seasonal high for the squad.
The first 200 kids to arrive at the game received autographed posters.
For everyone else at the game, there were prizes and giveaways as a way to say thank you for all their support.
Jim Watt was dominant yet again for the Lancers. By shutting out the offensively powerful Thunderwolves, Watt kept Windsor’s chances at making the playoffs alive.
Rookie Brett Vandehogen was easily the best player on the ice last weekend.
Scoring five goals in the past four games, Vandehogen has proved his worth to the Lancers.
Along with fellow rookie Mark Thorburn, he helped create many of Windsor’s scoring chances, capitalizing on several.
The Windsor Lancer’s have five games remaining in the regular season. These games are must wins for the Lancers, but if they continue to play like they have been, playoff dreams can become a reality.
The Lancers head to Waterloo to face the Warriors Friday night and then head to London to square off against the Western Mustangs.
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