The Mustangs women's hockey team will be returning to the home ice this weekend against the Laurentian Voyageurs and the Nipissing Lakers for their first set of regular season games after a month-long mid-season break.

Despite the long rest, the purple and white have had a chance to strap on their skates before this weekend's return to regular season action, as the Mustangs competed in the University of Montreal tournament last weekend, going 1-2 and defeating an OUA rival in Queen's. This Saturday's contest against the Laurentian Voyageurs will mark the Mustangs first regular season game back after the purple and white endured their second overtime loss of the season to the the Gaels (2-1) before the break.

Despite that loss, which put an end to an 11-game winning streak, the purple and white continue to hold top spot in the OUA standings with a record of 12-0-2. In the first half of the season the Mustangs proved time and time again why they are the top team in the league, and their success on the ice is due in large part to the goaltending of Kelly Campbell. The St. Thomas, Ont., native leads the OUA in both save percentage and win percentage with .959 and .833 respectively, while she also ranks second in the league in goals against average and total saves at 1.06 and 302.

Petrolia, Ont., native Kendra Broad has also been a key contributor to the Mustangs success this season as the team's points leader ranks second in the OUA in total goals with nine and third in the league in power-play goals with four. The Linwood University recruit is also tied for fourth in the OUA for total points with 15, and Broad has been no stranger to the scoreboard this season as she has posted points in 10 of 14 games played.

With last weekend's exhibition tournament the Mustangs will be refreshed and ready for action and there is no doubt that the purple and white will be looking to continue their success from the first half of the season over into the New Year.

Western vs. Laurentian – Saturday, January 10 at 5 pm - Watch on OUA.TV

The Voyageurs will be returning to regular season action this weekend after splitting their final pair of games before the break in November, with a 3-1 victory over Brock and a 2-0 loss to Guelph.

With the win and the loss the Voyageures head into this weekend's match-ups with a 2-9-3 record in the OUA so far this season.

The Mustangs and the Voyageurs have met once already this season when the purple and white defeated the Voyageurs 5-2 in late October. The month of October proved to be challenging for the blue and yellow as the team endured a seven game losing streak that continued into the first weekend of November. Despite the rough start, the Voyageurs were able to pick up a couple of victories before the mid-season break, one of which being a shootout victory over one of the best teams in the league and one of only two teams to defeat the Mustangs this season – the Queen's Gaels.

The win over the Gaels in early November proves that the Voyageurs can definitely hold their own against some of the top teams in the OUA, and blue and yellow netminder Laura Deller is due for some recognition for the team's success as the Woodstock, Ont., native ranks fourth in the OUA for total saves with 268. With Deller between the posts for the Voyageurs and a team looking to improve their record in this second half of the season the Mustangs will have to bring a high level of intensity to their forward attacking unit in Saturday's match-up.

Western vs. Nipissing – Sunday, January 11 at 4 pm - Watch live on OUA.tv

The Nipissing Lakers will return to OUA action this weekend after suffering two losses to Guelph (3-1) and Brock (5-3) before the mid-season break.
With the losses, the Lakers head into the second half of the season with a 7-6-1 record in the OUA standings.

The Mustangs and the Lakers have matched up on the ice once already this season when the purple and white edged out the Lakers 2-1 in week three. Despite the early season loss to the Mustangs, the Lakers have proven themselves to be a relatively strong team as the blue and white have defeated some tough competition so far this season including the Gales (3-2) in shootout action, as well as the York Lions (4-3) in shootout action, two teams that rank second and fourth respectively in the OUA. Not only have the Lakers proven that they have the ability to take on some of the leagues strongest teams, but they have also been able to hold a lengthy winning streak in the first half of the season totally five consecutive games before their last weekend of action put an end to the streak.

With both the Mustangs and the Lakers losing their winning streaks right before the med-season break, there is no doubt that both teams will be looking to recover from their losses in this Sunday`s match-up.