LONDON, Ont. – Two of the best goalies in the OUA faced off against each other on Saturday night when the Guelph Gryphons rolled into town. But it would be Western's Kelly Campbell that would lead the Mustangs to a 4-1 win on their home ice at Thompson Arena.
  
In the team's September 4th meeting before the regular season had even started, Mustangs head coach Chris Higgins said, "win nationals and beat Guelph" when asked about his goals.
 
"This is [the] first time in our history that we've beaten this team," continued Higgins, "and now we've accomplished one of [our goals]."
 
Saturday night's victory extends the purple and white winning streak to 11 consecutive games and allows the Mustangs to maintain their hold atop the OUA standings with a 11-0-1 record. The loss for the Gryphons moves the team to a 7-2-2 record, good for third in the OUA.
 
Despite the results on the scoreboard in Saturday night's action, the game was evenly matched with the Gryphons playing aggressively throughout the entire three periods to prove that they can contend with the number one team in the league.
 
With just under six minutes into the play Gryphons Marcie Landman took possession of the puck deep in Mustang territory, flipping it into the top right corner of Campbell's net to take an early one-point lead.
 
The Gryphons advantage did not last long however, as the Mustangs leading scorer Kendra Broad responded by picking up the puck at center ice and taking it all the way in on Stephanie Nehring to even out the scoreboard with an impressive backhanded goal.
 
But Broad didn't stop there, just three minutes later she followed it up with another charge down the ice, out-skating Guelph defenders before finding the back of Nehring's net to give the Mustangs a one goal advantage heading into the first intermission.
 
In the second frame Broad continued to post impressive performances on the ice as the Petrolia, Ont., native fired off a shot from just inside of the Gryphon's blue line. Nehring stopped the shot but was unable to control the rebound and Stacey Scott capitalized on the opportunity by tapping the puck into Nehring's net to extend the Mustangs lead 3-1.
 
The Gryphons applied heavy offensive pressure in the Mustangs end of the ice in an attempt to cut the Western advantage. It looked like the Gryphons pressure would have paid off if it hadn't been for the post that stopped Kaitlyn Mora's shot from making it past Campbell midway through the period.
 
But it wasn't just a lucky post that kept the Gryphons from cutting the purple and white lead, it was Campbell herself who saved 29 shots throughout the action. Not only did the St. Thomas, Ont., native defend against a high-powered offensive attack by the Gryphons in the third period, but she single-handedly protected the Western advantage after blocking a Gryphon penalty shot six and a half minutes into the period.
  
With a little more than five minutes left in the contest, the Gryphons pulled Nehring from the net in hopes of finding the Mustangs week spot with a six player offensive assault. However, the strategic move was of no avail for the Gryphons and she was swiftly put back between the posts for a Mustangs power play.
 
As the third period wound down with just 1:58 left in the action, Brianna Iazzolino secured the purple and white victory as she put the puck past Nehring and finish the game off 4-1.
 
As of last week, Guelph goaltender Stephanie Nehring had been leading the OUA in both the save percentage and goals against average categories. Despite the statistics, Campbell proved that she is the best of the best, as her efforts between the posts in Saturday's match-up largely contributed the Mustang's 4-1 win over the Gryphons.

"We have no doubt that our goalie is the best in Canada, she makes the saves when you have to." states Higgins on Campbell's outstanding performances throughout the season.

The Mustangs will be on the road next weekend as they face off against the UOIT Ridgebacks on Saturday, November 29 before gearing up against the Queen's Gaels on Sunday, November 30, for their final games before the holiday break. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Oshawa followed by a 2:30 p.m. start in Kingston.