Following last weekend’s successful homestand that saw the Mustangs beat UOIT 5-3 and York 4-2, the men’s hockey team gets set for the final four games of the regular season. This weekend’s matchups feature a trip down the highway to take on the Windsor Lancers, followed by a return home to host the York Lions.

The Mustangs will look to build off last weekend’s strong offensive performance that powered the Stangs to defeat both the UOIT Ridgebacks and the York Lions. The trio of Matt Clarke, Steve Reese and Zach Harnden combined for 11 points in the two games (5 goals, 6 assists). Clarke is tied for third place in the CIS scoring with 36 (16 goals, 20 assists), Reese is tied as the CIS leader in assists with 28 on the season and Harden sits tied for second in goals scored with 18 goals on the season.

The team also has strong support in net from all-star goaltender Josh Unice. Unice leads the CIS in wins with 18 giving Unice a winning percentage of .857.

As a team the Mustangs currently lead the CIS in goals (104), goals per game (4.33) and are second in assists (171). The team is also still the top ranked penalty killing team in the CIS with a penalty killing percentage of 90.9% on the season.

Mustangs at Lancers

The Mustangs (20-4) will hit the road on Friday to take on the Windsor Lancers (16-7) in a battle between two OUA favourites. The Mustangs and the Lancers are ranked first and second in the OUA west with the Lancers winning the only regular season meeting between the two teams this season.

Leading the Lancers are sophomore forwards Evan Stibbard and Spencer Pommells, both of whom are in the top five in CIS scoring this season. Stibbard leads the team with 36 points (18 goals, 18 assists), while Pommells is a close second with 35 points (9 goals, 26 assists). Between the pipes the Lancers rely on Parker Van Buskirk, a junior who is 12- 8 on the season with a goals against average of 2.71 and a save percentage of .913.

This match-up between the top two OUA teams is made even more exciting by the player individual stats. Stibbard is tied with Matt Clarke for third in CIS scoring, while Pommells sits one point above them both in second. Stibbard is also tied with Zach Harnden for second in goals scored in the CIS. Pommells and Reese are tied in first for assists.

With the playoffs around the corner you can expect to see both teams ready to play and firing on all cylinders as they battle for a big two points.

Puck drop is scheduled for Friday, February 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Windsor Arena.

Mustangs vs. Lions- Saturday, February 2 - 7:00 p.m. at Thompson Arena

Exactly one week after their last meeting, the Mustangs (20-4) will again play host to the York Lions (13-11) on Saturday night. These two teams met last Saturday with Western coming out on top at Thompson Arena. Look for the Lions to be ready to try and exact some revenge in the rematch as well as take two significant points away from the first place Stangs.

Beyond the senior leaders forward Jesse Messier (28 points, 12 goals, 16 assists) and goaltender Andrew Perugini, the Lions are a young, up and coming team. Freshman forward Michael Santini has been putting together a solid first season and ranks second on the Lions with 19 points (11 goals, 8 assists).

The Mustangs are 2-0 against York this season and a win on Saturday would allow the Mustangs to sweep the Lions in the season series between these two teams.

Puck drop is scheduled for Saturday, February 2 at 7:00 p.m. at Thompson Arena.