The Mustangs will get a welcome break from OUA action this week after dropping two straight matches over the weekend as they take on Team China on Thursday and St. Norbert College of Wisconsin on Friday before travelling to Kingston on Sunday to resume regulation action against Queen's.

The Mustangs suffered a disappointing 6-1 loss to Guelph on Friday before falling 4-3 in a close game to Brock on Saturday. The consecutive losses mean that Western is now on a three-game losing streak, since they entered the weekend looking to bounce back from a 2-1 shootout loss to Queen's the previous Sunday.

The Mustangs will have a chance to avenge that loss to Queen's when they take to the road on Sunday after their two exhibition games against China and St. Norbert's. This is the fourth consecutive year that China has faced-off against Western and the first time that they will take on St. Norbert's.

Going into this weekend the Mustangs have found some success with their power play, as Stacey Scott potted a pair of goals against Brock to help Western cash in twice on five opportunities in the game. Jessica Sorensen scored the other Western goal against the Badgers, taking advantage of a shorthanded opportunity in the third period to keep the fans on the edge of their seats.

Western vs. Team China - Thursday, December 28 at 7:30 PM

For the last three years Team China has traveled to Thompson Arena to take on the Mustangs, always making for an exciting and well-attended match. The Mustangs have gotten the better of China in the last two years, posting scores of 5-1 and 5-2, although in 2010 the two teams tied 2-2 and China won the post-game shootout 6-3.

Mustangs' associate coach Ted Brown spoke to the Mustangs excitement about the event. "[The game is] always interesting and enjoyable," Brown said. "They do a shootout at the end as part of the game and [Team China] is very good at it."

Team China is currently touring Canada in preparation for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Most recently, China took on the Stouffville-Markham midget squad last Saturday, scoring three third-period goals to skate away with a 3-2 victory.

Game time is set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Thompson Arena.

Western vs. St. Norbert - Friday, November 29 at 3 PM

On Friday the Mustangs will turn their sights from the Chinese national team to St. Norbert College, who have travelled from Wisconsin for the friendly matchup. The game will mark the first recorded meeting between the two teams.

Game time is set for 3:00 p.m. on Friday at Thompson Arena.

Western vs. Queen's – Sunday, December 1 at 3 PM

After their two exhibition matchups on Thursday and Friday, the Mustangs will be right back at it on Sunday when they travel to Kingston in search of revenge for their previous contest against Queen's. The Mustangs will be looking to topple the Gaels, defending OUA champions, for the first time this year in their second matchup of the season.

Leading Queen's into this weekend is Morgan McHaffie, who has compiled three goals and seven assists over her current four game point-streak. That outburst, which brings her to eight goals and 14 assists on the season, has launched her into a tie for second-place in OUA scoring with Guelph's Jessica Pinkerton.

McHaffie's play has been a big reason why the Gaels are currently on a three-game win streak, but it's not the only reason. Third-year backstop Mel Dodd-Moher has stopped 68 of 70 shots over the last three games, including a 20 save shutout performance against Laurentian, to give her an impressive 0.944 save percentage over that time.

Game time is set for 3:00 p.m. on Sunday in Kingston.