TROIS RIVIERES, Que.— For the second time in as many games the Western Mustangs rode a solid second period to a big win, netting four goals in the middle frame to come away with a 5-1 road victory over the UQTR Patriotes at Trois Rivieres Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.

The win improves the Mustangs record to 10-3-0 on the season good for second place in the OUA West division while UQTR maintains first place in the OUA East with a 11-2-1 record on the season.
 
Friday night, Western used a big five-goal second period to erase an early deficit and set the stage for their 8-4 road victory over the Concordia Stingers. On Saturday, it was more of the same for the Mustangs, as Stefan Salituro, Trevor Warnaar, David Corrente, and Adam McKee all scored in the second period to give Western a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
 
Still, despite the similarities between the two games, Saturday's victory certainly wasn't just another win for the Mustangs; sure, each of Western's nine wins on the season may count for two points, but Saturday's victory seemed to count for something more.
 
It was a statement.
 
Heading into this weekend, Western had struggled on the road so far, going 6-0 at home but was just 1-3 in opposition arenas this season. Their victory over Concordia on Friday demonstrated that they could overcome some early adversity on the road, but it also came against a team ranked just eighth in the OUA East. 
 
The Patriotes, on the other hand, entered the game ranked first in the OUA with an overall record of 11-1-1 and a perfect home record through seven games. They also had a spectacular goals-per-game average of 5.67 at home and had proven time and time again that they were better at both penalty killing and goaltending when playing in their own arena.
 
But nobody seemed to have told the Mustangs, who charged in on Saturday afternoon and seemed to have little trouble controlling the play against perhaps the best home team in the league. Greg Dodds bounced back in a big way from being pulled on Friday to turn in a solid 37 save performance— his eighth victory of the season.
 
Salituro set the tone early, scoring the only goal of the first period with just 33 seconds left to give Western some momentum heading into the intermission and reward Dodds for his 15 saves in the frame. He was also responsible for the Mustangs' second goal of the game, responding to a UQTR tally from Billy Lacasse with one of his own. Salituro's goal helped Western regain the lead just over five minutes into the second period.
 
The Mustangs' would hold firm to that lead, getting insurance markers from Warnaar, Corrente, and McKee before the period was out. McKee's goal, which came with just 30 seconds left in the frame, was his second point of the night and his sixth of the weekend after the veteran scored two goals and added a pair of assists in Friday night's win.
 
Those goals were enough to chase UQTR starter Francis Desrosiers, who gave way in the third to fellow backstop Guillaume Nadeau. Nadeau would have to be strong in the final frame, as Western continued to control play for much of the frame. At the other end, Dodds stopped 11 shots to close out a strong performance that saw him face double digit shot totals each period.
 
Western will be back in action on Friday, November 28, when they kick off a weekend double header against Lakehead in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. both nights.
 
 
Notes
 
Warnaar's goal was the first of his OUA career, as the rookie and former captain of OJHL's Mississauga Chargers now has two points on the year… Saturday's loss marked the first time UQTR has given up more than four goals at home this year. Heading into the weekend, their team save percentage at home (.923) was significantly better than their percentage on the road (.898)… Both teams failed to score on the power play. Western had four opportunities and UQTR just one. The two teams entered the weekend ranked first (Western) and second (UQTR) in the league in that category… Steve Reese turned in his second straight three-assist performance. Western's captain has been on fire lately and leads the Mustangs with 20 points in 13 games…. Salituro also had a three-point night, registering an assist to go with his two goals. He's now on a five-game point streak with seven points in that time.