“Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

Thanks in large part to a hat trick by former Windsor Spitfire Craig Kennedy, the CIS #4 ranked Western men’s hockey team knocked off the Lakehead Thunderwolves 6-2 Friday at Thompson Arena in Game 2 of the OUA West semifinal best-of-three series.

With the win, Western avenges a Game 1 overtime loss Wednesday in Thunder Bay. Game 3 goes Saturday at Thompson Arena. The puck drops at 7 p.m.

Wednesday night’s hero in the 4-3 Lakehead win, second-year centre Tobias Whelan, opened the scoring for the Thunderwolves just 1:18 into the first period, but former London Knight Ryan Hare responded right back with a shorthanded goal for the Mustangs.

Lakehead captain Joel Scherban, also an ex-Knight, gave the Thunderwolves a 2-1 lead before the Mustangs rallied back again with three unanswered goals from Mike Rice, Chris Rowan and Kennedy, before the close of the first frame.

Kennedy added another in the second period for the reigning OUA champions and completed his hat trick in the third.

Western’s Scott Dickie, who won a Memorial Cup with the Kitchener Rangers in 2003, grabbed the win after making 33 saves while Grant McCune picked up the loss allowing six goals on 38 shots.

Dates and times for the East and West Conference Championships have yet to be determined. While the East holds the right to host the OUA Championship for 2005-06, should a Quebec-based team win the conference, the hosting of the Queen’s Cup on March 11 defaults to the West Division champion.