After securing their longest season-opening winning-streak in three years on Friday night, Western (3-1-0) dropped a tight one against Waterloo on Saturday for their first loss of the season. The game against the Warriors also marked the Mustangs first road game of the season, so the team will be looking to earn their first road win of the season this week when they visit UOIT (2-2-1) and Queen's (2-1-0).

Noah Schwartz (2G-3A-5P), Julian Cimadamore (3G-2A-5P) and Steve Reese (3G-2A-5P) all enter the week on four-game point streaks. Stefan Salituro, who is close behind Schwartz, Cimadamore, and Reese on the Mustangs scoring leaderboard with four points, is also on a point streak heading into this week, having compiled two goals and two assists over his last three games. The veteran winger is also on a two-game goal streak.

All three of Reese's goals have come on a lethal Mustangs power play that has scored at least once in every game this season and is tied for first in the CIS with a success rate of 33.3%. Their penalty kill has been just as solid, as they allowed their first two power play goals against on Saturday and currently sit tied for sixth in the league with a penalty kill percentage of 87.5%.

Last week, the Mustangs continued their success with the man advantage, registering three goals on five chances against Ryerson before scoring one goal on five chances against Waterloo. The only mark on their record was their inability to cash in on a crucial third-period five-on-three on Saturday that would have allowed them to tie the game, although Warriors' goaltender Mike Morrison made a number of game-saving stops to keep the Mustangs off the board.

Western at UOIT – Friday, October 24 at 7:30 p.m.

For a team about to welcome the league's best power play units, the Ridgebacks probably wish they weren't so high up on the OUA rankings for times short-handed this season. At the same time, it's hard to get too upset when you have the second-best penalty kill percentage in the OUA at 89.3%.

That's an extremely impressive total of just three goals on 28 opportunities this season. While goaltenders Brendan O'Neill and Jesse Raymond have been less than stellar at five-on-five, allowing 16 even-strength goals against in just five games, they have been solid when they are needed most on the penalty kill, combining to limit the opposition to three goals on the penalty kill—the fifth least in the OUA. Greg Dodds and Western rank second at two goals.

Like Western, UOIT has also shared the scoring around, as 16 of the players they have dressed this season have registered a point in their first five games. Leading the team in scoring is third-year forward Jesse Stoughton, who has compiled six points in five games after scoring the same amount last year in three more games. Right behind him is Colt Kennedy with three goals and four points.

The two teams have met nine times in the last three years, with Western putting together a record of 8-1—including six straight entering Friday's game—and scoring five or more goals in all of those games. So UOIT will be looking to reverse their recent bad luck when they welcome Western this week, just as Waterloo was last week.

Western at Queen's – Saturday, October 25 at 7:30 p.m.

You might think that the team with the OUA's lowest total of goals given up on the penalty kill at one would also lead the league in penalty kill percentage, but in that case you'd be wrong. Queen's has given up just one goal on the power play, which sounds low until you consider that they've given up a CIS-lowest six power play opportunities through three games.

Queen's solid defence so far this season has helped keep the pressure off of goaltender Kevin Bailie, who has had to make the second-lowest total of saves in the CIS at 79 while allowing the second-least amount of goals at seven.  They haven't been too shabby on the offensive side too, as they've fired the sixth most shots in the league at 32-per-game.

Leading the Gaels on offense is defenceman Spencer Abraham, who has put up one goal and three assists so far through three games. Their highest scoring forward is Taylor Clements, as the third-year centre has three points after registering nine through 17 games last year.

Queen's and Western have met once already this year in the preseason East West Tournament, as the Mustangs came away with a big 5-1 win at Thompson Arena. The last time the Gaels beat the Mustangs was in the 2012 Queen's Cup, when Queen's won 4-1 to take top prize in the OUA.