Box Score TORONTO – A trio of first period goals wasn't enough for the Mustangs on Friday as they fell to the Toronto Varsity Blues 5-3 in their first road game of the season at Varsity Stadium.
 
The loss was Western's first of the season after the Mustangs opened the 2013-14 year with two wins over Concordia and UQTR over the weekend. Friday's game was a close one once again with neither team able to establish more than a one-goal lead until Toronto potted an empty-netter in the final minute.
 
Although the Mustangs have had trouble in the first period so far this season, surrendering three goals while only scoring one, they appeared to figure out their problems with a first-period offensive surge on Friday.
 
After Toronto cashed in on the power play only 3:28 into the game, the Mustangs fought back with three goals of their own to establish a 3-2 lead heading into the first intermission. But despite logging a game-high 14 shots in the frame, Western could not hold on to the lead in the second as they gave up two even strength goals to fall behind for the second and final time in the game.
 
While Toronto backstop Brett Willows turned a number of heads this week after being called up to serve as the Maple Leafs emergency backup on Thursday, it was the Varsity Blues other goaltender, Garrett Sheehan, who drew attention Friday night, stopping 31 of 34 Western shots to earn his first win of the season. Sheehan was particularly strong in the second period, turning aside all 14 of the Mustangs shots to allow Toronto to pull ahead for good.
 
His 31-save performance on Friday comes only two days after Willows stopped 50 of the Ryerson Rams' 53 shots on Wednesday, frustrating the Rams offence and allowing the Varsity Blues to walk away with a 7-3 victory.
 
But while it was a different face providing the defence for Toronto, much of the offence for the Mustangs came from fairly familiar faces.
 
Matt Clarke and Daniel Erlich both tallied two points in the game with Clarke grabbing two assists and Erlich notching his first goal and sixth helper of the season. The four points on Friday give the two sophomore forwards 13 combined points in three games this season and help add to their reputation as two of the most highly skilled forwards in the OUA after they combined for 72 points in 2012-13.
 
Also staying hot for the Mustangs was Zach Harnden, who continued his three game scoring streak with his third goal of the season and fourth point overall. Scoring is nothing new for the third-year Mustangs forward, as he put up 21 goals in 27 regular season games last year to lead both the OUA and CIS.


David Corrente and Luke Karaim added the other offence for the Mustangs, both scoring their first goals of the season in the first period. Karaim is in his first year with the Mustangs while Corrente is entering his sophomore season after putting up four goals and five assists for Western last year.
 
The Mustangs will have a chance to get back on the winning track next Friday when they're back on the road to take on the Windsor Lancers. The game is set to start at 7:30 p.m. and will take place at South Windsor Arena.