WATERLOO, Ont. - After a 72-day pause in play, there was no rust from the Laurier Golden Hawks as they trounced the Windsor Lancers 5-1 to snap a four-game losing streak. 

Over the break, the Golden Hawks said goodbye to Bair Gendunov, Matt Williams, Brett Schaefer, and former captain Zack Dybowski as they signed pro contracts in the US and Europe. As a result, Manager of Men's Hockey Operations & Head Coach Greg Puhalski asked his players to step up and fill the roles, which he said they were all eager to step up and contribute.

Laurier saw offensive contribution across the lineup, with twelve different skaters recording a point, including four players recording their first goal of the season. 

However, the real story was special teams, as the team went an astounding nine for nine on the penalty kill. While Coach Puhalski mentioned some unfavourable officiating and lack of discipline, he loved the team's effort on special teams as they blocked shots, cleared pucks, and, most importantly, scored when they had the chance.

The Golden Hawks opened the scoring early, with rookie Patrick Brown (Midland, ON) getting his first OUA goal on a beautifully executed 3-on-2 from Evan Benwell (Toronto, ON) and Matt McJannet (Courtice, ON). All three now have a two-game point streak, and McJannet (2-5-7) extended his team lead in points with the assist.

Windsor tied the game less than five minutes later as the winger out-waited defender Jake Payette (Caledon, ON) to find Sean Olson (Delta, BC) in the slot for his eighth goal of the season.

However, Laurier would not take long to respond and regain the lead halfway through the first. Using the momentum from the end of a power-play, Graeme MacLean (Thornhill, ON) sprung Caleb Rich (Callander, ON) down the wing for the eventual game-winning goal. MacLean picked up his first assist of the season in his debut.

The second half of the period saw both teams' tempers start to flare as they began to rack of the penalty minutes, with 16 combined minutes in the first period.

Laurier killed off back-to-back penalties to start the second, as they built momentum and shut down the Lancers defensively. Afterwards, the Golden Hawks drew a penalty midway through the frame as frustration boiled over.

Fifteen seconds into the ensuing power-play, Laurier controlled possession at the point with a give-and-go between Payette and Conor Ali (Brampton, ON), leading to an absolute blast off the post and in from Ali for his first OUA goal.

The Lancers dominated the pace of play after the Laurier goal as they took the lead in the shot department and had three more powerplay opportunities, including a 5-on-3. However, their offence was no match for Laurier's special teams and the brick wall that was Christian Propp (Burlington, ON), as the Golden Hawks shut the door.

In the third period, it was Mack Graham's (Toronto, ON) turn to join the scoring party as he found a loose puck in front of the net and buried it for his first goal of the season. After the game, the USports Academic All-Canadian poked fun at his new captain and fellow Academic All-Canadian, Anthony Sorrentino (Woodbridge, ON). 

"It's not often Anthony gets a breakaway," said Graham. "He had a nice move on the goalie and I was fortunate to be there to put it away."

Graham also added how he he's also "looking forward to being back on the ice ... to play any role coach wants me in to help the team win."

Coming immediately after another penalty kill for Laurier, the fourth goal took the remaining wind out of Windsor's sails and sealed the victory for the Golden Hawks.

However, the Lancers would not go down without a fight, including pulling the goalie with over four minutes left in the game. They tried everything to muster a goal on Propp, but there was no solving for the Laurier goaltender.

Capitalizing on the open net, rookie Sullivan Sparkes (Waterloo, ON) made an excellent move one-on-one to get a clear shot at the empty net for his first goal as a Golden Hawk.

Windsor maintained the pressure even after the empty-net goal but was no match for the relentless Laurier defence and goaltending. Final shots favoured the Lancers 45-32, reflecting the nearly entire period of man-advantage afforded to them.
 

Players of the Game
Laurier
G Christian Propp (Burlington, ON)
After the game, both Coach Puhalski and Academic All-Canadian Graham praised Propp as the team's best penalty killer. Furthermore, Propp made 44 saves to increase his season save percentage to .923, good for 10th best in all of USports and 8th in the OUA.

F Sullivan Sparkes (Waterloo, ON)
With his first multi-point game and first goal as a Golden Hawk, the local Sparkes also received kudos from Coach Puhalski about his ability to create chances for the team and step up when given the opportunity.

Windsor
F Sean Olson (Delta, BC)
Scored the lone Windsor goal to extend his team lead in goals and join a three-way tie for second in the OUA for goals with eight in eight games (8-1-9).

Next Up
The Laurier Golden Hawks Men's Hockey team (3-5-0) will look to keep the momentum rolling on February 17 in the next installment of the Battle of Waterloo at Columbia Ice Fields. The teams meet for the second of five meetings, with Laurier taking the first game 4-1 at home. Catch the game live on OUA TV.