Box Score TORONTO – Zach Harnden and Mark Begert scored the only two goals Western would need 30 seconds apart in the first frame and Mustangs netminder Greg Dodds did the rest, denying 41 shots to lead the Mustangs over the York Lions 3-1 at Canlan Ice Sports on Thursday night.
 
The win is Western's second against the Lions in less than a week, after the Mustangs defeated York by an identical score at home on Saturday, February 8. The game also marked Western's second last of the regular season, with their final game coming this Saturday at Thompson Arena against the Brock Badgers, and the tenth game in a row that they have registered at least a point.
 
Dodds was virtually unbeatable on Thursday, allowing his only goal of the game in the dying minutes of the second before stopping 14 shots in the third to give the Mustangs the decisive advantage. He was just as impressive through the first two periods, turning away 12 shots in the first and a game-high 16 in the second.
 
As if his performance in net wasn't enough, Dodds also managed to make his mark on the score sheet, receiving the secondary assist on Harnden's first period goal after dishing the puck to defenseman Colin MacDonald. Harnden's goal—his 18th of the season—was followed in quick succession by Begert's first of the year 34 seconds later, giving the Mustangs a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
 
Western's third and final goal of the night came shorthanded in the second period off the stick of Steve Reese, who extended his point-streak to 10 games with the tally. Harnden assisted on the goal, bringing his point-total on the night up to two and giving him 22 points during his current 12-game point streak.
 
While Western couldn't manage quite as many shots in the game as York, they still managed to fire 34 towards York starter Andrew Perugini, who was in net for both losses against the Mustangs this week. Andrew and his brother Chris have been one of the best goaltending tandems in the country this season, posting a combined .921 save percentage that puts them third in the CIS in team save percentage.
 
But even though the Mustangs showed they could score on less chances, they also finished the night with a worrisome stat; despite finding themselves on the power play eight times on Thursday, Western was unable to score with the man advantage for a second game in a row. After going 0-for-7 on Saturday, the Mustangs are now 2-for-16 over their last three games and will be looking to improve their potency heading into the playoffs.
 
On a more promising note, the Mustangs were just as stellar on the penalty kill, denying all four of York's chances to make them 11-for-11 in their last two games and 50-for-54 since the New Year (92.5%). Western now sits fifth in the OUA with a 84.3% kill percentage heading into their final game of the regular season.
 
That game will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday at Thompson Arena and will see the Mustangs take on the fifth-placed Brock Badgers. The Badgers were also in action on Thursday night, as they clinched themselves a playoff spot with a 5-1 victory over Laurier.
 
Notes
 
At least some credit for the Mustangs inability to score on the power play has to go to York's penalty kill, which entered Thursday's game ranked second in the OUA at 87.5% and is now good enough for first at 88.2%. The Lions kept the Mustangs to 0-for-15 during their back-to-back games while going 0-for-11 themselves.
 
Dodds may have cracked the score sheet on Thursday but he isn't the first Western goaltender to do so this season, as Josh Unice also has one assist on the year. Still, with Dodds' point-per-game average sitting 0.06 points higher than Unice's 0.05, one has to think their scoring race is heating up heading into the playoffs.
 
With only 13 games under his belt, Mark Begert has played limited time this season but over the last two games he has proven that he can make a difference offensively, registering an assist on Saturday before adding his first goal of the year on Thursday.