THUNDER BAY, Ont. — In the third game of a taxing series in which they played three nights in a row, the Rams men's hockey team took an early lead and never looked back, edging out the Lakehead Thunderwolves 5-2. The Rams have now won three of their last four games and own a respectable 3-2 record on the season. 

Right off the bat, the Rams jumped on the board when Domenico Commisso wired a screaming wrist shot past Lakehead netminder Max Wright. Less than 30 seconds later, a Gregory DiTomaso shot found the stick of Hayden McCool, who expertly tipped it through Wright for his first goal of the season. The Rams kept the pressure on, and, despite surrendering a goal late in the frame, were able to extend their lead in the dying seconds of the period thanks to the nifty work of Kyle Bollers, who continued his exceptional rookie campaign with his third goal. 

In the second period, the Rams killed off a trio of early penalties, the energy from which gave way to Jackson Doherty's first career OUA goal, which came on a perfectly placed shot on a 2-on-1 chance that beat Wright. Doherty, a product of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), appeared in his first career OUA game and made it count in a meaningful way. 

The final frame was a conservative but physical one for the Rams, who kept the lively Thunderwolves at bay until nine minutes in, when Lakehead's Tyler Ho slid into the slot and fired a rocket over the left shoulder of Rams goalie Lucas Perresini, who, up until that point in the game, hadn't been substantially tested. With just over a minute remaining though, Bollers secured an empty net goal to seal the victory for the Rams. 

In the end, the Rams outshot the Thunderwolves 46-29 and, over the course of the three-game series, outscored them 9-6. Though not the best possible outcome for the blue and gold, taking two of three games from their northern rivals bodes extremely well for the Rams as they prepare for the final games of the season's first half. 

After a well-deserved 12-day rest, the Rams will welcome the University of Toronto Varsity Blues for their first meeting of the season on Thursday, November 25. That evening, the puck drops at 6 p.m. for the first of five meetings between the crosstown rivals.