LONDON, Ont. – The battle of the top two teams in the OUA West came down to a battle between two Keaton’s on Friday night. And Western came out on top.

After streaking down the right wing, Keaton Turkiewicz (Brantford, Ont.) beat Waterloo goalie Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener, Ont.) with a shot 6:18 into the third period to break a 2-2 tie and lift the Western Mustangs to their seventh straight win, moving the team into first place in the division with a 7-2 record.

Since dropping their first two games of the year (including a 4-1 loss to Waterloo in the season opener), the Mustangs have gone a perfect 7-0 over the last three weeks, outscoring their opponents 29-11 during that span.

Prior to Turkiewicz’s seventh goal of the year, the Warriors had tied the game at two with 1:16 remaining in the second period on a goal by third-year forward Kyle Schwende (Waterloo, Ont.). That capped a second period that was dominated by Waterloo, as they outshot Western 16-6.

The Mustangs jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first on goals by Kyle Lamb (Port Coquitlam, BC) and Mike Sharp (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.). Sharp’s goal was the first of the season for the second-year centreman.

“I just threw it on net and it managed to get high,” Sharp said. “Swit [Jason] made a hell of a play. He came down the right wing and somehow found me on the left side there.”
 
Sharp was also quick to credit Western goalie Anthony Grieco (Brampton, Ont.) for keeping the Mustangs in the game early.
 
“He had a heck of a game,” Sharp said. “Especially in the first when it was tight. He made a couple unbelievable saves that looked like sure goals.”

In all, Grieco made 28 saves in improving to a perfect 6-0 on the season.

The Mustangs have a tough test ahead, as they’ll play UQTR (8-0) next Friday night, Nov. 13 at Thompson Arena.

“That will definitely be a test for us,” Sharp said. “I think we’re on a bit of a roll now, but it’s important not to get too high on ourselves because that will be a tough team.”