WINDSOR, Ont. — The Western Mustangs closed out the calendar year in spectacular fashion on Wednesday night, putting the cherry on top of their longest road stretch of the season with a huge 4-3 victory over the Windsor Lancers at South Windsor Arena.
 
Windsor represented perhaps the toughest test for the Mustangs on their six-game road stretch— a stretch that saw them go a brilliant 5-0-1 while playing giant-slayers against teams like UQTR and the Lancers. And while Western still sits second in the OUA West Division behind Windsor, they're now just two points behind what was, at least until tonight, the OUA's hottest team.
 
Matt Marantz had the game-winner for the Mustangs in the back and forth affair, using a screen to snap a bullet past Parker Van Buskirk for his second point of the game with just under a minute left in the final frame. The snipe capped off a three-goal comeback for Western, as they fell behind 3-1 in the second only to rally for three consecutive goals and stun the Lancers.
 
Luke Karaim was the other third-period goal-scorer for the Mustangs, scoring 6:12 into the final frame to tie the game at three goals apiece. He and Marantz' ended up being the only players to score five-on-five markers on the night, as Windsor finished the game a perfect three-for-three on the man advantage while Western cashed in on two of their five opportunities to make them an impressive four-for-eight over their last two games.
 
While the penalty kill wasn't a proud point for either team, goaltending certainly was for the Mustangs. Greg Dodds turned in a spectacular performance in the crease, and despite only being listed as stopping 22 shots on the night was almost single-handedly responsible for keeping Western in the game at various points. On the other end of the ice, the Mustangs managed just 19 shots on Van Buskirk to finish with a shooting percentage of 21%.
 
Dodds was tested early, as the Lancers fired 11 shots on net in the first period and were able to score on two of those. Those goals came consecutively for Windsor near the end of the frame after Julian Cimadamore opened the scoring for the Mustangs four minutes into the game. Spencer Pommells, the OUA's leading scorer with 33 points, had the second of the Lancers goals, getting on the board 19 minutes in after teammate Dylan Denomme tied the game.
 
Windsor would continue their momentum in the second period with a power play goal from Dylan Green before Noah Schwartz was able pull Western within one on the man advantage. Jake Worrad and Matt Paltridge each earned assists on the goal, and Worrad would add a helper on Karaim's first goal to finish with his second multi-point night of the season.
 
With the two points, the Mustangs close out the year with the second-most points in the entire OUA behind Windsor. When they return from the winter break on they will begin a three-game home-stand against, starting against RMC on January 9 at Thompson Arena.
 
Notes: Western was listed as having just 18-skaters and five defence men on the night as Stephen Gaskin was noticeably absent from the game sheet for the first time this season… The Mustangs' defensive core continued to chip in on offence Wednesday, teaming up for four assists after registering a pair of points Tuesday…