Lakehead defeats Huskies to advance to Championship final
THOMA NAMED HUSKIES PLAYER OF THE GAME
By Dan Carle
EDMONTON (CIS) - Jeff Richards could not be stopped. The slippery forward scored three goals on five shots as Lakehead University got 39 saves from Chris Whitley for a 4-2 win Saturday over the Saskatchewan Huskies to advance to its first University Cup final.
TELUS University Cup web site: www.cisport.ca/e/championships/m_hockey/2006
"Tonight I had the puck on a bit of string," said Richards, who played in just his fourth game after returning from a lower body injury. "I was happy to chip in."
Lakehead advances to play either No. 1 seed Alberta or No. 4 McGill in Sunday's national final (7:00 p.m. MT, TSN) at Rexall Place.
Richards, 24-year-old Kenora, Ont., native scored the game winner in the third period at 15:36 off a series of bounces that began as a 3-on-2 rush.
"I was looking everywhere and it ended up in the back of the net as I skated by," said Richards. "It ended up in the back of the net, then it was time to celebrate."
Richards, who added an empty netter with 23 seconds left, also had the game-winner for the 2-0 Thunderwolves in Friday's 4-3 win over Acadia.
Whitley, making a second straight start, stopped several Huskies flurries late in the game and began the game with a pair of glove saves off 20 Huskies shots in the first period.
"I had to be sharp right away,' said Whitley, a second-year native of Oshawa, Ont. "We definitely deserve to be here right now."
Whitley, 23, also stuffed Huskies forward Garett Soparto on a second period breakaway.
"Their goalie played fantastic," said Huskies forward forward Brent Twordik. "We just couldn't get one by him."
Mike Jacobsen also scored for Lakehead, the No. 3 seed that has never won a University Cup, finishing with a pair of fifth-place finishes in its only two tournament appearances in 1973 and 2003.
"We knew it was going to be the most physical game of the year," said Pete Belliveau, the thunderwolves coach who can become the first coach to win championships with two different teams after leading Moncton to the 1994-95 University Cup.
"It was like a boxing match. We took the blows, and gave some."
Bryce Thoma and Trent Adamus scored for No. 5 Saskatchewan, which suffered a second straight season of disappointment after losing the 2005 University Cup final 4-3 in overtime to the host Alberta Golden Bears before 10,331 at Rexall Place.
"We worked hard but sometimes that just doesn't cut it," said Saskatchewan forward Dean Beuker.
Thoma beat Whitley for a powerplay goal at 17:48 of the second period after being left alone at the side of the net.
Adamus scored with six attackers on the ice at 17:52 of the third period.
Jacobsen, a puck-rushing defenceman who won the 2005 Allen Cup senior hockey championship with the Thunder Bay Bombers, deked a defender and wristed a shot from the slot on a first period powerplay.
"That kind of put us on our heels a little bit," said Huskies coach Dave Adolph.
NOTES: The Thunderwolves and Huskies had never met in University Cup competition.... Lakehead has a travel party in Edmonton of about 100.
SCORING SUMMARY
Lakehead 4, Saskatchewan 2
FIRST PERIOD
SCORING:
1. LAK Mike Jacobsen (1) (E. Lodge), 13:22 PP
PENALTIES:
H. Lehoux (LAK) hooking, 3:21; E. Lodge (LAK) hooking, 8:43; D. Beuker (SAS) holding, 12:54.
SECOND PERIOD
SCORING:
2. LAK Jeff Richards (2) (M. Jacobsen), 13:24
3. SAS Bryce Thoma (1) (D. Beuker, B. Twordik), 17:43 PP
PENALTIES:
D. Endicott (SAS) holding, 8:24; B. Dickie (SAS) cross-checking, 9:32; T. Whelan (LAK) tripping, 14:32; M. Wehrstedt (LAK) holding the stick, 17:19; E. Lodge (LAK) hooking, 19:18.
THIRD PERIOD
SCORING:
4. LAK Jeff Richards (3) (B. Priestlay, J. Scherban), 15:36
5. SAS Trent Adamus (1) (B. Thoma), 17:52
6. LAK Jeff Richards (4) (unassisted), 19:37 EN
PENALTIES:
J. Schmidt (SAS) high-sticking, 6:21; M. Robinson (LAK) kneeing, 11:51; D. Endicott (SAS) hooking, 12:02; S. Mann (SAS) roughing, 19:59.
POWER PLAY:
LAK: 1/6
SAS: 1/6
SHOTS ON GOAL (by period)
LAK: 10-14-10:34
SAS: 20-11-10:41
GOALTENDERS
LAK - Chris Whitley (W, 41 shots, 39 saves, 60:00)
SAS - Jeff Harvey (L, 33 shots, 30 saves, 59:12)
SAS - Team (1 shot, 0:48)
ELITE SPORTSWEAR PLAYERS OF THE GAME:
LAK: Chris Whitley
SAS: Bryce Thoma
REFEREE: Derek Zalasky
LINESMEN: Paul Brunen, Chris Carlson
ATTENDANCE: 1,514
SCHEDULE & RESULTS (All times LOCAL / Mountain Time)
Pre-tournament seeding
1. Alberta Golden Bears
2. Acadia Axemen
3. Lakehead Thunderwolves
4. McGill Redmen
5. Saskatchewan Huskies
6. Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks
Thursday, March 23
Game 1 (Clare Drake Arena): Saskatchewan 5, Acadia 1
Game 2 (Clare Drake Arena): McGill 4, Wilfrid Laurier 3 (2OT)
Friday, March 24
Game 3 (Clare Drake Arena): Lakehead 4, Acadia 3
Game 4 (Clare Drake Arena): Alberta 8, Wilfrid Laurier 2
Saturday March 25
Game 5 (Clare Drake Arena): Lakehead 4, Saskatchewan 2
16:00 Game 6 (Clare Drake Arena): McGill (4) vs. Alberta (1) (live on TSN)
Sunday March 26
19:00 Championship final (Rexall Place): Lakehead (4) vs. TBD (TSN / following NHL broadcast)
