TORONTO, Ont. - The Algonquin Thunder made a statement to open their 2018 OCAA Championship bid, handily defeating the host Huskies 5-0.
Marco Natoli (Ottawa, Ont.) set the tone early, giving the Thunder a 1-0 lead on a nice touch - Natoli was tied for the team-lead with 10 goals during the regular season, and would be a tough cover all afternoon.
Huskies OCAA all-star forward Shaquille Agard (Toronto, Ont.) went down shortly thereafter with what looked to be a pulled muscle, and the Huskies would never recover from losing their star.
Andres Caicedo Sanchez (Ottawa, Ont.) and Shamir Lubenga (Bunia, Congo) added a goal each prior to the half, putting the Thunder squarely in the driver's seat 3-0 after 45 minutes. Lubenga tallied 10 goals during the regular season, while Caicedo Sanchez had four.
Caicedo Sanchez and Lubenga each tacked on another each in the second half, making the final score 5-0 Algonquin.
With the win, the Thunder will face the winner of the Durham-Sheridan matchup for a berth in the OCAA Championship gold medal game at 6pm. The Huskies will face the loser at 12pm.