Skip To Main Content

Laurier Athletics - Waterloo Campus

Laurier streaks into the offensive zone against Western.
Scot Wyles
3
Western WES
6
Winner Laurier WLU
Western WES
3
Final
6
Laurier WLU
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 0 F
Western WES 1 1 1 3
Laurier WLU 3 2 1 6

Game Recap: Men's Ice Hockey | | Brayden McDonald

Laurier pile on the goals in home opener

WATERLOO, Ont. The Laurier Golden Hawks bounced back into the win column after falling to the Waterloo Warriors in their season opener. In Saturday afternoon's home opener, Laurier piled on the goals, defeating the Western Mustangs 6-3. 

The Mustangs broke the ice on the power play within 30 seconds of the opening draw. Jake Gravelle sent a point shot towards the net and Shane Bulitka got enough of a stick on it to tip the puck up and over the glove of Laurier's Christian Propp. 

Just over halfway through the first period, first-year Thomas Lenart picked up his first OUA goal - and was it a beauty. He stripped a Western defenseman of the puck, walked into the Western zone, put it to his backhand, shooting it past Western's Jack McNaughton. 
 
Callum Chisholm, another rookie, potted his first of the campaign and his OUA career on a juicy rebound. Bryce Sutherland assisted on the goal for his first OUA point. 

Veteran Sullivan Sparkes buried his second of the season to extend Laurier's lead. Lenart picked up his second point of the game as he tipped a point shot that came from Bryce Kilbourne. 

Shots were almost even in the first, 15-14 in favour of the purple and gold. 

Just 1:52 into the second period, a well-executed powerplay ended as Patrick Brown rifled a shot over McNaughton's shoulder, further extending Laurier's lead. Isaac Sooklal and Chisholm picked up assists on the play. 

After facing 16 shots, McNaughton's game ended shorter than he would like as he was pulled for his partner Dylan Myskiw, who would play the remainder of the game. 

Four minutes later, the purple and gold scored their fifth unanswered goal on a grit play that began with Ryan Mulholland keeping the puck in the offensive zone. Conor Ali showed some good effort to keep the puck in the zone and dished the puck to Nick Giunta, who fired a wrist shot from the top of the circle stick side high on Myskiw. 
 
Western's Zach Gravelle scored to cut into Laurier's lead on a 5-on-3 powerplay in the dying minutes of the second period. Zach Power and Eric Van Impe were the helpers on the goal.

Minutes into the third, Owen Saye further cut into the lead, making it 5-3, when he put home a rebound of a Zach Power shot for his first OUA goal. 

Sullivan Sparkes picked up his second point of the night when he delivered a perfect behind-the-back pass for Bryce Sutherland to tap into the net. Laurier's sixth and final goal was the first of Sutherland's OUA career. 
  Christian Propp looked mid-season form tonight. He stopped 36 of 39 for a .923 save percentage. 

The purple and gold sent 46 shots toward Western's goalie tandem. McNaughton was 12 for 16. Myskiw stopped 28 of 30 once he came off the bench.

The Golden Hawks' special teams were successful tonight, going four for five on the penalty kill, and two for five on the powerplay. 

Plus: The recruits are looking great. 

Laurier sports 14 recruits on their roster this year and the ones who have gotten the opportunity to play thus far have not disappointed. The new faces had six points in this match and were buzzing for the entire game. 

Up Next:

The Golden Hawks' next game is at home on Wednesday, October 11. Puck drop at the Waterloo Memorial Rec Complex is 7 pm, when they will face off against the Toronto Varsity Blues. 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
Print Friendly Version