LONDON, Ont. – The Western Mustangs women's hockey team wrapped up their season opening weekend with a physical contest against the Laurier Golden Hawks that saw Laurier come away with a 2-1 shootout victory on Sunday afternon at Thompson Arena. 
 
"I think we played excellent. We deserved better, we had a lot of chances and hit a couple posts but when you go to a shootout its 50-50 and so we are very happy with how we played," said Mustangs head coach Chris Higgins.
 
The Laurier victory gives the Mustangs their first loss of the regular season after the purple and white picked up a win over the Warriors on Saturday. With the loss, the Mustangs now hold a 1-0-1 record in the OUA standings, while the Golden Hawks advance to a record of 3-1-0 on the season so far.
 
In the first period the Mustangs battled hard against the Golden Hawks who proved to be an aggressive opponent on the ice. The Mustangs looked slow to the puck throughout the period but were able to hold their own against the Golden Hawks, outshooting them seven to four throughout the period.
 
Although the Mustangs created some scoring opportunities throughout the first period, they were unable to put themselves onto the scoreboard. They weren't the only ones having trouble putting points on the board though as Mustangs goaltender Kelly Campbell kept the Golden Hawks from finding the score sheet, sending the game into the first intermission tied 0-0.
 
Both teams came onto the ice strong in the second period looking to take control of the play. The Mustangs brought their physical sides into the second frame in an attempt to counter the aggressive play from the Golden Hawks.
 
Early on in the second frame Western found itself in penalty trouble as Brittany Clapham and Brianna Iazzolino were sent off for body checking and cross checking respectively. The Golden Hawks made the most of their 5-on-3 advantage, and it was Laurier's Jessica Prevette who put the puck past Campbell to give the visitors a 1-0 lead just over four minutes into the period.
 
After a very physical second period between the two rival teams, the Mustangs hit the ice determined to tie things up. Just a minute into the third Cassidy Gosling converted assists from Katelyn Gosling and Iazzolino to tie the game with her first goal of the season.
 
The Mustangs continued their momentum all the way through the period but were unable to take the lead, sending the contest into a five-minute, four-on-four overtime period.
 
With the two teams both battling fiercely to take home the win, the overtime period was filled with back and forth action being played at both ends of the ice. Neither team was able to secure the win before the clock ran down, meaning that Sunday's game would be decided via shootout.
 
In the shootout rounds both Campbell and Laurier netminder Nicholle Kovach blocked shot after shot, turning aside opposing shooters. However, it was Laurier's Laura Brooker that managed to find the back of the net first, as she flipped the puck into the top right corner to give the Golden Hawks a 2-1 win.
 
"We felt we had been controlling the game. They got their goal in a five-on-three and that really was one of the only chances they had. We thought we were in control and we had some great chances but kudos to their goalie she made some saves," added Higgins.
 
The Mustangs will return to the ice Saturday, October 18, to face-off against the Windsor Lancers at Western's Thompson Arena. Puck drop is set for 4 p.m.