WATERLOO, Ont. - Sam Rhodes and the Laurier Golden Hawks snapped Lakehead's' seven-game win streak dramatically in their return to the Sunlife Financial Arena on Saturday night, defeating the Thunderwolves 3-2 in overtime.

Laurier opened the scoring for the third game in a row in style. Patrick Brown and Tyler Davis played a little give-and-go on the penalty kill, which resulted in Brown scoring his third of the season as he redirected a pass from Davis between the legs of the Thunderwolves goaltender Max Wright.

The Golden Hawks outshot Lakehead 14-9 in the first period, but Lakehead put the pressure on in the second and outshot Laurier 23-10. 

Lakehead opened the scoring three minutes into an exciting third period to tie the game at one. Golden Hawks rookie Matthew Zebedee replied by scoring his second goal in as many games on a shot from the slot. Davis assisted on the goal, picking up his second of the night. 

With just 3:04 left in regulation, Thuderwolves' defenseman Liam Whittaker tied the game again (and forced overtime) by muscling his way to the front of the net for his first goal of the season. 

In the extra frame, Laurier rookie netminder Matthew Dunsmoor only faced one shot, which came from the slot that he redirected to Sam Rhodes. 

On the ensuing rush, Rhodes streaked down the right wing as he entered the Thunderwolves' zone. He made a move and cut toward the middle of the ice, releasing a shot that beat Wright low glove side to win it for Laurier, giving them their 10th win of the season.

"This next stretch here, we are trying to push hard for the playoffs, so it's great to get the extra point and help the team move along," said Rhodes. 

When asked how he felt about his game, Dunsmoor kept it honest. "Good, but tired. It's only my third start of the season. Overall, I felt confident, the boys played great in front of me and stepped it up in the third and made it pretty easy on me."

Golden Hawks assistant coach Pete Soligo also credited Dunsmoor for "playing well when he has to come in. He is always ready to go and has put up some good numbers."

The rookie netminder stopped 38 of Lakehead's 40 shots en route to his second win of the season in just his first start since December 12th. He boasts a .939 save percentage through those three starts and picked up an assist on the Rhodes's game-winner.

The Golden Hawks come out of the weekend with four points, defeating tough opponents in the #6-ranked TMU as well as Lakehead, but still sit in seventh behind the York Lions despite having the same record. 

"The boys are feeling confident, especially after coming out of this weekend. We just have to continue playing our game every night. When we do that we know that we have a chance to win each game," said Zebedee when asked about the team's confidence.

Laurier's next challenge is at 7 p.m. on Thursday when they will take on the Guelph Gryphons in the Frosty Mug Game at the Sleeman Centre.

Plus + The Benwell-Rhodes-Sparkes Line
This line was buzzing all night. They created a multitude of scoring chances and probably should have had two or three goals on the night. 

"I think they're amazing. At the start of the year, they were just getting to feel each other out but now they're clicking," said Soligo.

When asked about his linemates, Rhodes said, "I think we are starting to read off each other better, getting on the same page with each other, and it is starting to pay off in perfect timing when we're making that playoff push."

Plus + Tyler Davis and Matthew Zebedee
Davis had two assists on the night, continuing a solid start to the new year. Davis now has two goals and six points in his last ten games after picking up only two assists in the first ten games. 

Zebedee picked up another beautiful goal in his second game this weekend. He now has three goals over his last four appearances. "The stick is hot right now. Not too sure what it is, could be the pregame meal," joked Zebedee when asked about his recent performance. 

Plus + The PK
The penalty kill was dominant again Saturday. Laurier was perfect in shorthanded situations, even using the disadvantage to their advantage on the Brown goal. Lakehead's chances were limited and they spent a lot of time passing the puck around the perimeter looking for non-existent passing or shooting lanes.