Waterloo, Ont. - The Laurier Golden Hawks hosted the Nipissing Lakers in a Saturday night showdown that resulted in a 3-1 victory for the visiting Lakers.
Laurier put the pressure on the Lakers early in the first period, but it was Nipissing who would strike first. Payton Vescio and the Lakers' powerplay took advantage of a 5-on-3 opportunity, as he took a slapshot from the top of the circles that found its way past Laurier netminder Christian Propp.
The Golden Hawks threw everything and the kitchen sink at Nipissing's Reece Proulx in the first period but were unable to find the back of the net on 17 shots.
Nipissing extended their lead at 5:54 in the second frame. Parker Bowman found some open space behind Laurier's defenders and scored on a breakaway, utilizing the classic forehand backhand in tight to beat an outstretched Propp.
Laurier found life 11:36 into the third period as first-year Callum Chisholm sent a beautiful pass to Patrick Brown, who used his wheels to split Nipissing's defence and ripped a shot over the glove of Proulx.
However, the Golden Hawks were unable to put another one past Proulx and Harrison Caines secured Nipissing's 3-1 victory with an empty net goal.
PLUS/MINUS
Plus + Netminder Duel
Propp looked great in this one. He made a lot of critical saves to keep the Golden Hawks within striking distance. The goals that were scored against him in this one were on a 5-on-3 and a breakaway, both high-grade scoring opportunities. Propp put up 30 saves on 32 shots, good enough for a 0.938 save percentage.
On the other side of the ice, Reece Proulx. He stood tall as he was shelled with shots in the first period. Laurier only found a hole on a high-grade scoring opportunity of their own.
UP NEXT
Laurier continues this home stretch on Thursday when they are set to take on the TMU Bold. Laurier has beaten TMU in their last five matchups. The two teams saw each other three times last season and Laurier narrowly defeated them each time. The puck drops at 7 p.m. at SunLife Financial Arena. Tickets are on sale now.
If you can't be at the game, follow the action on X (formerly Twitter) at @WLUAthletics or live on OUA.tv.
