After back-to-back losses last weekend, the Western Mustangs women's hockey team will be looking to rebound on the road as they travel to Toronto to take the on the Toronto Varsity Blues and the Ryerson Rams.
 
The Mustangs suffered two tough losses at home this weekend to both Laurentian and Nipissing, but not for lack of effort. After falling behind Laurentian 4-0, Western rallied for three goals but fell just short of completing the comeback. Against Nipissing, the outstanding third period play of goaltender Sabrina Picard denied the Mustangs an opportunity to tie to game.
 
Forward Amanda Pereira, in her first games since transferring to Western, recorded two primary assists against Nipissing on Saturday night. Her effort on the forecheck and vision with the puck likely means she will move into the regular lineup going forward.
 
Kendra Broad and Brittany Clapham share the top spot on the Mustangs leaderboard with 15 points on the year. Three other Mustangs have hit double digits so far this season with Stacey Scott recording 11 points, while Anthea Lasis and Lyndsay Kirkham each registering 10.
 
 
Western at University of Toronto - Friday, January 29 at 7:30pm           
 
The Varsity Blues currently sit seventh in the OUA standings with a 7-2-4-3 record. However, their goals for and against suggest a better team, with those statistics both currently sitting at fifth in the league. The Blues have lost four of their last six games, although they are coming off a win at Brock this past weekend.
 
One of the major strengths for the Varsity Blues is their penalty kill, which is currently operating at a league leading 92.4 percent. The Mustangs scored both of their goals against Nipissing on the power play, so it might be up to the five on five units to get the job done against the Blues. 
 
The Blues are led in scoring by Taylor Day, who has eight goals and a point per game average, with 16 points in 16 games.
 
Valencia Yordanov, the Blues' regular starter in goal, has posted a 1.68 GAA and a .929 save percentage in 12 games this year.
 
 
Western at Ryerson – Saturday, January 30 at 2:30pm – Watch live at OUA.tv
 
The Rams are currently sitting 13th in the OUA with a 2-0-13-1 record and have lost their last three coming into this weekend, most recently falling to York and Guelph.
 
Ryerson's struggles this season have largely been due to their apparent inability to score. The Rams have been shut out in six losses and have only four players with more than one goal. Forward Emma Rutherford leads the team in goals with five, making her a prime target for Western's defensive corps.  
 
The Rams are led in total points by Stephanie Chiste, who has two goals and five points in 16 games played this year.
 
Alex Armstrong and Ally Sarna have split duties for the Rams in net this year. Armstrong has a 3.02 GAA and a .908 save percentage in five starts. Sarna has posted a 3.64 GAA and .880 GAA in eight starts.