LONDON, Ont. -- The visiting Queen's Gaels used a four-goal surge in the second period Sunday afternoon, Nov. 22, to earn a 5-1 win over the Western Mustangs at Thompson Arena.

With the score knotted 1-1 nearly halfway through the second period, the Gaels busted out the offense -- and quickly. Not surprisingly, it was the line of Becky Conroy (Pembroke, Ont.), Kelsey Thomson (Martintown, Ont.) and Elizabeth Kench (Gananoque, Ont.) who provided the spark.

Thomson broke the tie with her second goal of the game and seventh of the season at the 8:23 mark of the period. The fourth-year forward beat Western goalie Jessica Ulrich (Keswick, Ont.) in the top left corner to make it 2-1. Conroy assisted on the goal for her league-leading 20th point of the season.

Then, just three and half minutes later, Kench put the Gaels up 3-1 with a power play marker for her fourth goal of the year. Kench banged in a rebound on a Thomson shot on a 2-on-1.

But that wouldn't be it for Queen's in the second, as the second-place Gaels potted two more goals -- within 37 seconds of each other -- to take a 5-1 advantage heading into the dressing room. Kristin Smith (Toronto, Ont.) scored her seventh of the year on a power play, while Brittany McHaffie (Guelph, Ont.) picked up her sixth of the season moments later. 

And that would be the final, as the Mustangs dropped to 4-7-1 on the season -- good for a tie for fifth-place in the OUA standings.

The lone Western goal on Sunday was scored by Ellie Seedhouse (Whitby, Ont.), who put home her ninth of the season to tie the score at 1-1 in the second. The third-year forward tipped in a point shot from Veronica Johnston (Oshawa, Ont.), and the puck trickled through Queen's goalie Mel Dodd-Moher's (Stittsville, Ont.) five-hole and into the net.

The Mustangs are back in action next Saturday, Nov. 28 for a 2 p.m. game against the Waterloo Warriors at Columbia Ice Field.

Notes ... Dodd-Moher finished with 29 saves on the afternoon, while Ulrich had 24 ... Conroy, Thomson and Kench are now 1-2-3 in the league in scoring with 20, 18 and 17 points, respectively ... The Gaels lead the league with 46 goals through 12 games.


WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Queen's 5 Western 1

1st Period
1, Queen's, Thomson 6 (Kench, Conroy), 4:53.

Penalties-Eskesen Que (holding), 5:31; Welten Uwo (tripping), 12:12; Conroy Que (roughing), 14:24; Conroy Que (tripping), 16:42.

2nd Period
2, Western, Seedhouse 9 (Johnston), 4:28 (pp).
3, Queen's, Thomson 7 (Conroy), 8:23.
4, Queen's, Kench 4 (Thomson), 11:57 (pp).
5, Queen's, Smith 7 (Bagg, Kench), 18:16 (pp).
6, Queen's, McHaffie 6 (Kench), 18:53.

Penalties-Eskesen Que (hooking), 2:33; Conroy Que (holding), 2:46; Hooker Uwo (hooking), 11:14; Hooker Uwo (interference), 18:07; Eskesen Que (high sticking), 20:00.

3rd Period
No Scoring.

Penalties-Rellinger Uwo (hooking), 3:53; Cone Que (interference), 10:01; Harada Uwo (slashing), 16:14; Duncan Que (cross checking), 19:55; Dillon Uwo (roughing), 19:55.

Shots on Goal    1    2    3     T
Queen's               7   17   5    29
Western              11   8   11   30

Power Play Opportunities
Queen's    2 of 5
Western    1 of 7

Goalies
Queen's, Dodd-Moher 7-2-0 (30 shots-29 saves)
Western, Ulrich 3-6-0 (29 shots-24 saves)

Scoring by Period    1    2    3    T
Queen's                     1    4    0    5
Western                     0    1    0    1