The Mustangs will have one last chance to climb the standings this weekend as they close out the regular season, playing their two remaining games at home against the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday and the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday. 
 
Western will utilize this short week to rest, recover and prepare for their final contests, which will close out a five game home stand that saw them play three games in three days last weekend.  While the purple and white fell to the Toronto Blues on Saturday afternoon, victories over both Ryerson and Windsor improved their overall record to 5-5 when skating at home in Thompson Arena.  With the win over Windsor, Western now holds a one-point lead in the standings over the Lancers.  Currently sitting in fifth place, the Mustangs are tied with the UOIT Ridgebacks and share identical 13-8-1 records. Although the team has now cemented their playoff berth there is still much to be decided as this weekend's games will certainly affect the first-round matchups.  Western could finish as high as fifth or as low as seventh depending on outcomes from around the league this weekend. 
 
So far in 2014 the Mustangs have had a fantastic start, going 5-2 to start the year and owing much of their success to their red hot power play.  Western has scored at least one power play marker in each of their last seven games, while they have put together an impressive run – clicking at 23.25%, converting on 10 of 43 chances.  Budding sophomore defenceman Brianna Iazzolino has been in on six of those ten goals, scoring four of them herself, including a pair in Sunday afternoon's exciting comeback shootout win over Windsor.  However, their success this weekend will likely have to depend on their other strengths aside from their potent power play.  This is because they are coming up against two teams that have taken the fewest penalty minutes this year; Laurier has allowed third fewest with 222 minutes, and Waterloo has allowed the fewest out of all OUA teams with 179.
 
This means that the Western women will have to find ways to score at even strength, which may be tough to do if team scoring leader Stacey Scott does not return to the line-up. Scott (7G-10A-21Pts) suffered a lower body injury during Friday night's game versus Ryerson and did not dress for either of the following games.  Captain Carly Rolph will continue to shoulder some of the load as she has been an over a point-per-game player as of late, posting eight points in the team's last seven games.
 
Despite having beaten both Laurier and Waterloo already this season, the playoff pressure will make this weekend's matchups much more challenging.  Kelly Campbell will be looking to repeat her shutout performance against the Golden Hawks but Laurier is a much improved team at this late point in the season.
 
Western will have to focus on having a better start and getting on the board early. They allowed the first goal in all three games last weekend and were shutout in the first frame of each game as well.
 
Western vs. Laurier – Saturday, February 8 at 4 PM – Watch live on Mustangs TV
 
After handily beating both Laurentian and Nipissing last weekend, Laurier improves their point streak to 16 games, achieving a lossless regular season schedule after falling to the top seeded Guelph Gryphons on October 23. They are now 17-2-3 on the season, which is good enough to have them sitting comfortably in second place in the OUA with a two point lead and one game in hand over third place Toronto.  They will be hungry to continue their winning streak and catch the Gryphons who sit in first place by just one point.
 
 Aside from Guelph, Western is the only team in the OUA that Laurier has not beaten yet this season, as the Mustangs defeated Laurier once in preseason play and again in their first meeting.  The Golden Hawks lost 2-0 to Western in that game on October 5 with Campbell collecting the shutout.  Laurier was held scoreless by the Mustangs not only in their home building, but also for the only time this season.
 
The Golden Hawks have not had a problem scoring goals since that game, however, as they currently stand as the highest scoring team in the OUA with 81 goals for.  They will look to the hot hand of team goal scoring leader Devon Skeats (12G-9A-21Pts) who will be hungry to find the net after recently having her four-game point streak snapped against Laurentian on Saturday.  They will also be looking to rookie goaltender Amanda Smith to avenge the shutout loss.  Smith has been fantastic in her first year of play, recording a stingy 1.67 GAA while maintaining a .934 save percentage which is only a hair lower than All-Canadian Kelly Campbell's .935.
 
The Golden Hawks will stop in Windsor on Friday night to face the Lancers before coming into London to close out their season against the Mustangs on Saturday afternoon.  The puck is set to drop at 4:00 p.m. at Thompson Arena.
 
Western vs. Waterloo – Sunday, February 9 at 4 PM – Watch Live on Mustangs TV


The Waterloo Warriors collected three points last weekend with a win over Nipissing and an overtime loss to Laurentian.  The three points have all but cemented their playoff position as the team need only record one single point to officially eliminate the Brock Badgers. The Badgers would need to win both of their remaining games while having Waterloo lose out if the Warriors were to drop from their eighth place standing in the OUA.  The playoff security may be the reward of a good season but the resulting guarantee of playing the top-seed in the first round of the playoffs is anything but reassuring.
 
Having played Western in the opening weekend of their season, it is only fitting that they play them again to close out their season, although they will be hoping for a happier ending this time.  In their first meeting in Waterloo back in October, the Warriors scored late in the third period to tie the game at two only to fall to Western in overtime as Michelle Saunders netted the winner.
 
The Warriors' starting netminder, Rebecca Bouwhuis, will likely be between the pipes for Waterloo.  Although her numbers are moderate, with a 2.59 GAA average, she is ranked only one place behind Western's Kelly Campbell among all OUA netminders.  At the other end of the rink the Warriors will be depending on rookie forward Rachel Marriott to light the lamp.  Her seven goals and 21 points on the season are good enough to lead her team in scoring.
 
Waterloo will also play Windsor first before heading back east to London to take on the Mustangs at Thompson Arena.  The game will take place on Sunday afternoon with the puck set to drop at 4:00 p.m.