After up-and-down weekend to start the season, Western will look to continue their winning ways as they play host the Windsor Lancers on Thursday night at Thompson Arena.
 
Western, the defending national champions, dropped their season opener 3-0 on the road at Guelph on Saturday but rebounded nicely with a smothering 1-0 win over Waterloo the next day when they unveiled their championship banners.
 
If surrendering three goals in the opener was a bit a shock, the victory over Waterloo was something of a return to form. The Mustangs dominated possession and doubled the Warriors shots while playing sound defence, giving up only a handful of chances throughout the game.
 
The Mustangs are built from the net out, and their one-goal weekend exemplifies why their defence-first approach needs to be sound to ensure success. But what makes them so good is the fact that they rarely give opponents opportunities to score three times, something they only did twice in the entirety of last season.
 
Goaltender Kelly Campbell is coming off one of the most impressive season in recent Mustang athletics history. She posted a dominant .954 save percentage and an undefeated playoff that led her to receive numerous accolades, including being named an OUA First Team All-Star, a CIS First Team All-Canadian, and the CIS Championship MVP. If the Mustangs are to enjoy similar success to last season, Campbell will no doubt be key.
 
Western's only goal of the weekend came from defenceman Brianna Iazzolino, who netted a power play goal at 13:09 of the second period. It was all that the team needed for the win on Sunday as Campbell made 21 saves, including several in the last 10 minutes of the third, to preserve the victory and the shutout.
 
The Mustangs played at a consistent tempo and seemed to elevate their transitions as the game went on, snapping the puck up ice and creating several odd man rushes that caught Waterloo off guard. They will look to build on that strong play when they host the Lancers.  
 
The Lancers will have a tough test as they get to go on the road to visit the national champions in their season opener after posting a 1-2 record in the preseason.
 
Windsor started out strong last season, picking up points through their first six games, but they couldn't hold on to that momentum. Through their last 18 games the team went .500 to finish with a 14-6-4 record before bowing out in the first round of the OUA playoffs to the Toronto Varsity Blues.
 
But that team was a young one. Twelve players on the roster were listed as rookies or sophomores, meaning they'll have a good core to build on for this year as they look to improve on their playoff performance.
 
Remember, this is the team that handed Western their only regular season loss last year. They'll be looking for a similar result when they return to Thompson Arena for a 7 p.m. puck drop on Thursday, and fans can watch all the action live on OUA.tv