Box Score LONDON, Ont. – The Mustangs battled hard Saturday afternoon against the Golden Hawks but could not overcome a second period goal, falling to Laurier by a score of 2-1 at Thompson Arena. The Western women scored early in the first period to open the scoring but could not find an answer for Laurier's rookie netminder Amanda Smith, who stopped 27 shots to help lead her team to victory. 
 
The game was the second last of the regular season for the Mustangs and a potential preview of a first round playoff matchup.  When asked what he would do differently if the teams were to meet again, Head Coach Chris Higgins' answer was very simple: Nothing. 
 
"I actually thought we played a good game," Higgins said. "I thought we owned the third and the first was kind of even.  It was one of those games where the bounces went their way […] sometimes you don't get the results you want but we had 30 shots on their net and we had some chances [but] we just didn't score. We only gave up 2 goals and against this team that's not bad."
 
Laurier is the highest scoring team in the OUA and also owns one of the leagues best penalty kill units, which blanked the Mustangs on both of their chances. 
 
"I thought we had a lot of really good chances on the power play," Higgins said post-game. "We executed it, we had some good chances, but again the goalie stoned us.  She kept the puck [and] didn't give us any rebounds […] we have to give her credit too she played a great game."
 
Western netminder Kelly Campbell, who was the only OUA goalie to record a shutout against Laurier when the teams met previously this season, also played a fantastic game.  Stopping 29 shots may be just another routine performance for the All-Canadian but her effort never goes unnoticed by Coach Higgins.
 
"[Campbell was] Fabulous," he said. "She kept us in it.  We were really struggling in the second but she kept us in it. She always does."
 
There was an obvious level of intensity to start the game on both sides.  The Golden Hawks were poised to set the pace early, showing off their speed, but Western did well to keep up.  The two teams exchanged high pressure scoring chances, which forced both goalies to be good early. 
 
Everything appeared to be very sharp with both clubs clicking well until Laurier got caught on a change that allowed Western to strike first.  Michelle Saunders stretched a pass up the far side of the ice to spring Jessica Sorensen into the zone.  Sorensen made no mistake, trotting in on Golden Hawk rookie netminder Amanda Smith and wiring a slap shot top corner to open the scoring. 
 
It was a good start for the Mustangs, who have allowed the first goal in each of their last three contests, although the lead was short lived.  A couple of minutes later, with Tara Cation in the box on a tripping call, Laurier captain Laura Brooker sent a hard dump-in shot straight on net from the neutral zone. The puck dipped and bounced on the ice right in front of the cage and fooled Campbell as the Golden Hawks tied the game with a power play goal. 
 
The unorthodox goal did not seem to rattle Campbell, as she remained sharp for the duration of the period.  With just less than five minutes left in the frame Saunders went down hard while defending in her own zone.  After the play was blown dead, she headed off to the dressing room early but did return to play in the second period.
 
The Golden Hawks came out flying to start the second period as they again used their speed and puck movement to control the puck, keeping the Mustangs hemmed into their own zone early.  It did not take long for the purple and gold to snap the tie with Tammy Freiburger potting a rebound only three minutes into the period to put the Golden Hawks ahead by one. 
 
The Laurier offence was brimming with intensity, controlling the play and directing several shots at Campbell, eventually outshooting Western 13-5 in the period. The Mustangs had only a few chances to even the score but the Laurier defence was able to stymie all of their chances, forcing Western to play to the outside where opportunities were few and far between.
 
In the third period the purple and white fought back, determined to win battles for the puck and play in the Golden Hawks zone.  The style of play grew increasingly more physical and the Mustangs got to start playing their game. 
 
The Western defence continued their impressive play but Brittany Clapham and Sydney Kidd really stood out for the Mustangs.  Clapham was a force on the ice as she seemed to be out for almost all of Western's chances, while Kidd's creativity with the puck helped Western control the play. 
 
However, despite the surge, the score remained 2-1, causing Western to call their timeout and pull their goalie for the extra attacker with two minutes remaining.  The frantic final minutes saw the Mustangs apply constant pressure, firing multiple shots on net. Ultimately though, even though they outshot Laurier 14-8 in the frame, they were ultimately unable to solve Amanda Smith, falling in regulation.
 
With the loss Western holds onto seventh place in the OUA, tied with the UOIT Ridgebacks with both teams set to play their final game of the regular season tomorrow afternoon.  Western has the potentially to move into sixth place with a win over Waterloo tomorrow but first round play off matchups are still far from being decided. 
 
Tomorrow's game against the Waterloo Warriors will take place at Thompson Arena with the puck set to drop at 4:00 p.m.