Box Score

WATERLOO, Ont. - After winning a mid-week Battle of Waterloo on the strength of its solid penalty-kill, special teams played a factor again for the Golden Hawks on Saturday night - but oppositely, as they were defeated by the Windsor Lancers 5-4.

Coming into the game, Laurier was already going up against the number one goalie in U SPORTS by save percentage (at .987), Noah Giesbrecht (South Surrey, B.C.). The game plan was clear from the outset; get as many shots as possible. Laurier followed that to a tee by peppering the rookie goalie with 24 shots in the first period.

After a blistering start, Laurier gave up the first goal on Windsor’s second shot of the game. This was the third straight game Laurier gave up the first goal of the game. 

However, the Golden Hawks remained determined and continued to fight, controlling the pace of play for most of the period. With a heavy cycle down low in the offensive zone, Bair Gendunov (Toronto, Ont.) found fellow rookie Justyn Gurney (North Delta, B.C.) out front to tie the game late in the first period. Both Conor Ali (Brampton, Ont.) and Gendunov picked up their fourth point of the season with assists on the play.

In the last minutes of the first, Gurney was on the receiving end of a nasty hit to the head, as Windsor was dealt a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Thankfully, Gurney was back in action to start the second and joined the four-point club for the season with an assist on Adrian Nabuurs’ (Aurora, Ont.) powerplay goal; his first as a Golden Hawk.

The middle of the frame saw Laurier continue their offensive assault, having recorded 34 shots after their fourth powerplay of the game. However, Windsor stood tall until Sam Rhodes (Powhatan, VA.) extended his assist streak to three games when he found a streaking Michael Silveri (North Bay, Ont.) for his second goal of the season. Silveri matched his goal total from the previous campaign on the play.

Unfortunately, Laurier would be assessed a too-many-men penalty with 30 seconds to go in the second. The Lancers struck quickly to cut the lead in half.

Laurier came out strong to start the third but was penalized on a hooking call in the first few minutes. Again, Windsor would make them pay for their infraction, tying the game at three.

A ping pong match was afoot as Laurier responded shortly after on a power-play of their own. Cole Waugh (Riverview, N.B.) found a loose puck in the slot and sniped it high into the net for the go-ahead goal. Both Jake Payette (Caledon, Ont.) and Matt McJannet (Courtice, Ont.) added assists to their point total, giving them four points apiece on the season.

Penalty trouble would hurt the Golden Hawks less than a minute after their goal as Chayse Herrfort (Palmerston, Ont.) tripped a Lancer on the play. Laurier managed to kill the penalty but, as Herrfort jumped out of the penalty box, Windsor would tie the game once more.

The Golden Hawks would not go down without a fight, as the teams continued to play with high intensity for the remainder of the game. This would culminate in a hooking call against Windsor, which was met with a ferocious uproar from the Lancers’ bench since their goalie was taken down hard on the play.

Nothing materialized on their fifth powerplay of the game though, which proved to fuel the fire in Windsor. Both teams would exchange quality scoring chances and, with a timeout taken by the Lancers with 90 seconds to go, it was anyone’s game.

Then, with 1:13 on the clock, Sullivan Sparkes (Waterloo, Ont.) got caught for some extracurriculars after the whistle, giving Windsor a power-play with just over a minute to go. It took only 10 seconds for the Lancers to seal the game, as they scored their second goal on the man-advantage of the period.

Laurier would call a final timeout with 4.6 seconds on the clock to try and draw something up offensively. However, the team’s 47 shots were no match for Windsor goalie.

After an intense game that didn't result in a victory, Laurier head coach Greg Puhalski still saw plenty of positives. 

"If we play like we did tonight, we’ll come away with a lot of wins this season," he said. "It was a matter of a few breaks going one way or the other."


PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Laurier
LW Justyn Gurney (North Delta, B.C.)
The rookie scored Laurier’s first goal to tie the game. He was on the receiving end of a boarding major but made it back in the second period to assist on the go-ahead goal and join a seven-way tie for the team lead in points with four (3-1-4).

Windsor
F Sean Olson (Delta, B.C..)
The second-year eligible player scored the game-winning goal with just over a minute to go in the game. He also assisted on Windsor’s second goal to spark the comeback and get his sixth point (5-1-6), matching his previous season’s goal total.

NEXT UP:
The Golden Hawks (2-2-0) will look to get back in the win column on November 18 at home against Western (2-2-0) as they wrap up a three-game homestand. The teams meet for the second of five meetings, with Western taking the first game 4-3 in London. Tickets are available now at tickets.laurierathletics.com.