Box Score LONDON, Ont. – A strong offence powered by eight different goal scorers helped the Western Mustangs win the opening game of their OUA Quarter-final series, defeating the UOIT Ridgebacks 8-1 on Thursday night.

Coming into the playoffs on a three game losing streak the Mustangs returned to form Thursday, dominating the play and controlling the game for the majority of the contest. Something that Western interim head coach Patrick Powers attributes to the importance of a playoff game compared to the final regular season contests.
 
“We didn’t have a whole lot to play for those last three games and as much as you tell the guys that 'you have to win, we need a big effort,' in their heads they knew there wasn’t a whole lot to play for and it showed,” said Powers. “I thought with the game on the line tonight and more at stake I was extremely happy with the effort that everybody put in.”
 
Over half of the Mustangs skaters found their way onto the score sheet on Thursday with Matt Clarke, Jason Furlong, Shaun Furlong, Julian Cimadamore, and Adam Stoykewych leading the way with each scoring a goal and an assist. James Woodcroft scored the lone goal for UOIT, the first of his OUA playoff career.
 
“It was one through 20 out there tonight,” said Powers about his team’s play. “I thought everyone played very well and the scoring was spread out. I wasn’t disappointed in anyone’s effort tonight.”
 
Josh Unice stopped 24 shots for Western in the victory. Bryce O’Hagan got the start for UOIT stopping 25 of 30 shots in a period and a half before being relieved by Jacob Rattie, who turned away 15 of the 18 shots he faced.
 
Both teams came out fast in the opening minutes and Western didn't wait long to open the scoring when at 5:21 Daniel Erlich took a pass from Zach Harnden and wheeled into the high slot before sending the puck over the shoulder of O’Hagan and giving the Mustangs an early 1-0 lead.
 
Following Erlich’s goal the physicality picked up with both teams not being shy about taking the body, which eventually resulted in a boarding call against the Ridgebacks midway through the period. The Mustangs took advantage on the ensuing power play as a point shot from Adam Stoykewych was tipped in front by Andrew Eastman before captain Jason Furlong picked up the rebound and fired it home to make it 2-0 for Western.
 
UOIT controlled the play in the opening minutes of the second period, generating a few good chances that were turned away by Unice. A little over two minutes into the frame Tyler Peter picked up the puck at the side of the UOIT net and fired from the goal line, bouncing it off of O’Hagan’s skates and into the back of the net to make it 3-0 Western. Less than two minutes later Adam Stoykewych added to the Western lead with another goal from the far side, beating O’Hagan after a pass from Shaun Furlong.
 
The Ridgebacks tried to get back in it using the long pass, however it was the Mustangs who connected from long distance as Matt Paltridge lifted a pass high above the ice to a streaking Clarke who made no mistake, going in alone and sliding the puck along the ice for the shorthanded goal, giving the Mustangs a 5-0 lead and causing O’Hagan to be replaced by Rattie in the UOIT net.
 
Despite a five-goal deficit UOIT continued to fight, getting their first goal of the game late in the period as James Woodcroft scored after a point shot from Dominik Crnogorac, to cut the Western lead to 5-1 heading into the second intermission.
 
In an almost identical start to the previous period the Mustangs opened the scoring before the three minute mark with Kyle De Coste scoring from the short side off of assists from Julian Cimadamore and Clarke. Western maintained a 6-1 lead until the final three minutes of the period when Shaun Furlong and Cimadamore each added another goal to give Western an 8-1 victory.
 
“They’re going to come back out as if they lost this game 2-1, they’re going to come out as hard as they usually do,” said Powers when asked what he expects for game two in Oshawa. “Even though they were down 8-1 they still worked hard and they still finished checks right until the final buzzer.”
 
The Mustangs and Ridgebacks continue their best-of-three series this Saturday in Oshawa. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. and fans can listen to all the action live on CHRW Radio 94.9 FM or online at http://chrwradio.ca/listenlive.