An uncharacteristically flat performance by Western against the Ryerson Rams on Saturday resulted in a 2-1 loss and the second consecutive weekend split for the Mustangs. The game was night and day compared to the night before, which saw the Mustangs explode for five goals—four of which involved Western's Male Athlete of the Week in sophomore Kyle De Coste–against the Varsity Blues.
That the Mustangs haven't been able to put together a discernable win streak since starting the season 3-0 says less about their overall performance and more luck on the road. Western has just one win in four away games to start the season while putting together a perfect 4-0 record at Thompson Arena.
Luckily for Western, they won't have to deal with their road woes for the next two weeks, as they kick off a three-game home-stand on Saturday against rival McGill. That game may not be on the road but it promises to present one of the toughest tests for Western so far this season, as the Redmen—a traditionally strong team—are heading into week six with a 6-2-0 record and a four game winning streak. They'll have a chance to extend to that streak to five on Friday with a road game against Guelph.
Western, on the other hand, will be relatively well-rested when McGill comes to town on Saturday, as the Mustangs' game against the Redmen is their only one scheduled for the week. The Mustangs' light load will be a welcome change from last week, when the team had to deal with a quick turnaround from Friday's 7:00 p.m. home game to Saturday's 2:30 p.m. match in Toronto.
Yet despite that quick turnaround, Greg Dodds was able to post back to back solid starts on the weekend, turning aside 36 shots on Friday's to notch the win before keeping Western in the game against the Rams with 33 saves. Dodds has been nothing short of spectacular for the Mustangs so far this season, and will look to continue that roll this week when he matches up against a Redmen team that turned in an eight goal performance against Brock last week.
With Steve Reese ending his early-season point streak on Saturday, Noah Schwartz is now the only Western player to have a point in all eight games so far this year. Schwartz had an assist in both games, while Reese put up three points on Friday night to give him a team leading five goals and 11 points on the season.
Like Reese and Schwartz, McGill has had little trouble scoring this season. The Redmen rank fourth in the OUA with an average of 4.38 goals per game while limiting opponents to just 19 goals through eight games. The only team to give up less goals than the Redmen this year are the Mustangs, who have allowed just 18 goals and have the OUA's highest team goals against average at 2.27 and save percentage at .932.
Leading the Redmen on offence are Cedric McNicoll (1G-13A-14P), David Rose (7G-4A-11P), Jonathan Brunelle (5G-5A-10P), and Samuel Labrecque (5G-5A-10P). McNicoll's 14 points tie him for fifth in the OUA while his 13 assists are second to only Spencer Pommells of Windsor (who, it should be noted, is having an MVP season with 23 points through nine games.
In goal, sophomore Jacob Gervais-Chouinard has gotten the majority of starts for McGill, posting a solid .921 save percentage through five games. Veteran Karel St-Laurent has also been solid for the Redmen when called upon, earning two wins in three starts while putting up the team's highest save percentage at .934.
Last year McGill and Western met twice in exhibition and regular season play, with Western taking their preseason meeting by a score of 3-2 before taking the loss in Montreal on November 9, when the Redmen came away with a tight 5-4 victory thanks to a game-winning tally from McNicoll.
