The kids are all Wright as Redmen cop Queen's Cup championship
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(Evan Vossen hoists Queen's Cup for second time in three seasons. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE THUNDER BAY SOURCE)
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THUNDER BAY, Ont. - Andrew Wright of Toronto scored twice, including the winner as visiting ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ skated to a 3-1 triumph over Lakehead University and captured the OUA men's hockey league championship game in Thunder Bay, Saturday night.
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It marked ±«ÓãÖ±²¥'s second Queen's Cup victory in three years after last winning the elusive trophy in 1946. A sell-out crowd of 3,735 at Fort William Gardens was silenced for most of the contest as ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ avenged their 2006 defeat to Lakehead in that year's OUA title game. The Redmen have now won 15 Queen's Cup titles in school history, the second-highest total in the OUA, dating back to the inaugural championship in 1903.
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"We hadn't seen Lakehead this season and they came at us a little harder than expected, so we were a little cautious at the start," said first-year ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ head coach Jim Webster, who replaced Martin Raymond on an interim basis after Raymond accepted an offer from the Montreal Canadiens to serve as an assistant coach with their American Hockey League affiliate in Hamilton.
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Webster has quietly guided the Redmen to an impressive 34-12-1 record overall breaking the single-season school record for wins (33) set in 2007-08, when the Redmen played one fewer contest.
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"After about the 10-minute mark we knew that we could skate with them. I was especially pleased by our defensive corps tonight," added Webster, a former ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ captain and team MVP back in 1971-72. "Their ability to move the puck out of pressure, time and time again, was the difference."
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Wright, a winger on ±«ÓãÖ±²¥'s "super sophomore line" was named the Harrow Sports player of the game. He opened the scoring on the power-play at 7:10 of the first period, then made it 2-1 some 11 minutes later. His second marker sandwiched a Lakehead goal by Kris Hogg of Sicamous, B.C., who had knotted the score at 1-1.
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Both of Wright's goals were set up by high-scoring linemates, Francis Verreault-Paul, a sniper from the Innu town of Mashteuiatsh, Que., and Alexandre Picard-Hooper, a smooth, play-making centre from Boucherville, Que.
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If their high-flying offence quieted the crowd, Evan Vossen of Swift Current, Sask., completely silenced them when he added an insurance goal at 17:58 of the middle stanza.
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The teams played a scoreless third period, aided and abetted by Redmen goalie Hubert Morin, another sophomore who held down the fort when the Thunderwolves outshot ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ 12-5. Lakehead finished with a slight 27-26 edge in shots but the 22-year-old engineering major from St. Georges de Beauce, Que., was solid, improving his post-season record to 7-1. He improved to 27-9-1 on the campaign overall, breaking the team's single-season win record of 26 set by All-Canadian puck-stopper Mathieu Poitras (26-9-0) in 2007-08
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Lakehead netminder Alex Dupuis of Thunder Bay, Ont., stopped 23 shots and suffered his first playoff setback, dropping to 6-1.
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PATS USE NINTH LIVE: In the OUA's bronze medal game at Trois-Rivieres Friday, the UQTR Patriotes pulled their goaltender and rallied for three last-minute goals in a 31-second span -- at 18:29, 18:49 and 19:00 of the third period -- to shock the visiting Western Mustangs 5-4 and secure the conference's final wild-card berth at the CIS Cavendish University Cup championship, which runs Mar. 25-28 at Thunder Bay.
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CRYSTAL BALL: ±«ÓãÖ±²¥, as OUA champions, could go into the Nationals as the No.1-seed if Alberta loses the Canada West final, a best-of-five series with Manitoba that is knotted at 1-1. The top three seeds have to be the three league champions. Should Alberta win their series, they would assume the top seed and ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ would be second, based on the final Top 10 ranking issued last month by the CIS, which had ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ ranked higher than either of the two Atlantic finalists (Saint Mary's or StFX).
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The Ìýsix-team tourney features two pools, with the No.1 seed in a group alongside No.4 and No.6, most likely Lakehead and UQTR, respectively. The other pool would have the second and third-seeded teams, featuring the yet to be determined Atlantic conference champion, along with No.5, which would probably be Manitoba if they lose the Canada West final to Alberta.
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SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman, ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Athletics & Recreation (514) 398-7012
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SCORING SUMMARY
±«ÓãÖ±²¥ 3 at Lakehead 1
(Mar 13, 2010 - Queen's Cup league championship @ Fort William
Gardens)
1st Period-
1, ±«ÓãÖ±²¥, Andew Wright 3 (Picard-Hooper,
Verreault-Paul), 7:10 (pp).
2, Lakehead, Kris Hogg 4 (Dobben, McPherson), 9:57
(pp).
3, ±«ÓãÖ±²¥, Andew Wright 4 (Verreault-Paul,
Picard-Hooper), 18:21.
Penalties-
Smith Lkhd (hooking), 6:12;
Daneau Mcg (tripping), 9:14;
Longpre-Poirier Mcg (slashing), 13:47;
Rioux Mcg (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 13:47;
Alphonso Lkhd (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 13:47;
Hogg Lkhd (high sticking), 13:47.
2nd Period-
4, ±«ÓãÖ±²¥, Evan Vossen 5 (Doucet,
Marcotte-Legare), 17:58.
Penalties-
Picard-Hooper Mcg (slashing), 0:24;
Rioux Mcg (interference), 6:54;
Soares Lkhd (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 15:07.
3rd Period-
(no scoring).
Penalties-
Dias Lkhd (cross checking), 6:58;
Dorion Mcg (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 19:47;
Maunu Lkhd (elbowing), 19:47;
Gazdic Mcg (cross checking), 19:58;
Smith Lkhd (cross checking), 19:58;
Speer Lkhd (slashing), 19:58.
GOALS BY PERIOD:
±«ÓãÖ±²¥ 2-1-0 -- 3
Lakehead 1-0-0 -- 1
Shots on Goal-
±«ÓãÖ±²¥ 10-11-5 -- 26.
Lakehead 8-7-12 -- 27.
Power Play Opportunities-
±«ÓãÖ±²¥ 1 of 4;
Lakehead 1 of 3.
Penalties (No./Mins.):
±«ÓãÖ±²¥ 7/14;
Lakehead 8/16.
Goalies-
±«ÓãÖ±²¥, Hubert Morin (W, 7-1-0, 27 shots-26 saves,
60:00).
Lakehead, Alex Dupuis (L, 6-1-0, 26 shots-23
saves, 60:00).
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Attendance: 3,735
Start: 7:30 PM
End: 10:03 PM
Length:2:33
Referee-Kevin Umansky.
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MOLSON CUP THREE STARS:
1. Andrew Wright, ±«ÓãÖ±²¥
2. Evan Vossen, ±«ÓãÖ±²¥
3. Hubert Morin, ±«ÓãÖ±²¥