GUELPH, Ont. — Desperate teams make for tough opponents, just ask the Western Mustangs.
 
Western faced off against a Guelph Gryphons team that was fighting for their playoff lives on Thursday night and found out just how hard they could fight, giving up 41 shots and a couple of tough goals on the way to a 5-2 loss at the Gryphons Centre.
 
With the win, the Gryphons take sole possession of sixth place in the OUA West Division and all but secure themselves a playoff spot. While the Mustangs are unlikely to fall out of second place in the division, the loss also means that they won't be likely to pass either of McGill, Carleton, or UQTR in the overall standings, as each team has one more point and two games in hand.
 
Thanks to a goal late in the second frame from Steve Reese, Western entered the third down just 3-2 with a good chance at walking away with points. But, despite maintaining power play like possession through the majority of the frame, they were unable to get the puck past Guelph's Andrew D'Agostini and appeared to be deflated by a tough luck goal five minutes in.
 
That goal came off the stick of Robert De Fulviis, as he cashed in after the puck bounced off the skate of Jake Worrad behind the net and into the slot. De Fulviis, who had already scored in the second period to make the score 3-1, would add an empty-netter with time winding down in the final frame to complete the hat trick— the first of his OUA career.
 
De Fulviis and the Gryphons made sure that Western starter Greg Dodds was busy all night, and even with the Mustangs pressuring in the third period they managed 11 shots. They recorded 14 in the first period and a game-high 16 in the second to finish with 41 total. Dodds appeared to take a puck off the shoulder late in the game but was able to stay in the game.
 
After Guelph's Carlos Amestoy opened the scoring just 2:12 into the first frame, Matt Paltridge would respond for the Mustangs, taking a pass from Worrad on the power play and beating D'Agostini to make the score 2-1. Western has had some trouble on the man advantage recently, heading into the game without a power play in their last three games.
 
Guelph would take back the lead on a goal from Seth Swenson before De Fulviis potted his first of the night to give the Gryphons a two goal lead. But Reese would respond almost exactly a minute later, scoring with a bouncing puck in front to extend his team-leading point total to 31 on the year. The only assist on that goal would come from Kyle De Coste.
 
Tomorrow night is a big one for Western. Not only do they close out the regular season with a game against Laurier— another team looking to secure a playoff spot— but the team will also be celebrating their nine graduating players, including their captain Reese. Puck drop is set for 7 at Thompson Arena, where there's sure to be a playoff like atmosphere.
 
NOTES:
Clarke Singer earned his 300th win with the Mustangs last Saturday in just his 14th year coaching. There aren't enough nice things to say about the brilliant coach, who is respected by his players, Western fans, and the entire league alike. He heads into the playoffs looking to secure his third Queen's Cup title with the team… For what it's worth, Western was able to hold Guelph's leading scorer, Niklas Huard, off the board on Thursday night.