LONDON, Ont. - The Western Mustangs were defeated 3-2 in a close game against the Laurier Golden Hawks this afternoon at Thompson Arena.
Mustang goals were scored by Katie Dillon and Lindsay Gidomski, while Heather Fortuna, Katherine Shirriff, and Fiona Lester scored for the Golden Hawks.
Both teams fought for possession of the puck early in the game. Chantal Morais came close to a goal, flicking the puck high over the head of Laurier goalie Kristen Kilgallen. Mustang Jessica Ulrich was on her game today, turning down heavy attempts by Laurier before letting one slip past her half way through the period. Western responded as Lindsay Gidomski sliced the puck in front of the net to Dillon who blasted it past Kilgallen to tie up the scoreboard. Lindsay Repath earned herself a hooking penalty at 17:44, but with no gain by the Golden Hawks, the score stayed tied 1-1 at the end of the first.
Seesaw gameplay dominated the second period as both teams tried to put points on the board. Laurier scored a controversial goal off the post at 14:12 in the period. The Mustangs could not recover and the period closed with a 2-1 advantage for Laurier.
The Golden Hawks opened the third period with a penalty at 0:42. They continued to push into Mustang territory, resulting in a collision in net between Ulrich and a Laurier player.
Ulrich sustained a possible MCL injury in the collision and was carried off the ice at 6:54 on the clock. Olivia Ross stepped in for the remainder of the period.
The puck continued to edge back and forth between teams. Laurier found an opportunity and used it to net another point with 12:48 left in the third. Gidomski countered with a shot through the legs of the Hawks goalie just minutes later, assisted by Chantal Morais and Brittany Buck. As the period came to a close, Dillon pushed with one last chance, but the puck flew high over the net and the score stands 3-2 for the Golden Hawks.
Both Mustangs goalies combined for a total of 35 saves, as Laurier out-shot Western 38-16.
The Mustangs will face-off against Brock on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Guelph on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. Both games will be played on home ice.
