LONDON, Ont. – Playing on home ice at Thompson Arena for the first time since their home opener against Guelph on October 7, the Western Mustangs shut out the Laurier Golden Hawks in a 2-0 win on Saturday afternoon.

The win snaps a two game slump for the purple and white after suffering back-to-back losses against Laurentian and top ranked Nipissing on a trip to Northern Ontario last weekend.

The game got off to a slow start with only 10 total shots tallied in the period; however there were several crucial moments for Mustangs goalkeeper Shelby Ryan. Making the first start of her OUA career, Ryan looked poised as her team killed off a penalty midway through the period and later made a save on a two on one opportunity for the Golden Hawks to keep the game scoreless heading into the second frame.

The second period told a much different story, as Western came out firing and scored two goals within the first 10 minutes.

"Between the first and second period we focused more on puck movement," said Mustangs head coach Kelly Paton. "We were able to transition and move back to offence instead of being stuck in our zone for an extra 15 to 20 seconds".

The first and deciding goal came a quarter of the way through the period when defenseman Claire Balas put the puck on net from the top of the circle, beating screened Laurier goalkeeper Amanda Smith. The goal was Balas' first goal and point in her OUA career.

The insurance goal game minutes later as Alyssa Chiarello continued her great rookie campaign, scoring her third goal on the power play after a well-executed passing play by Brianna Rice and Anthea Lasis.

Western outshot their opponents 17-7 in the period and held on to a 2-0 lead as Ryan continued to hold the Golden Hawks scoreless. "When we go ahead, it's obviously very comforting," Ryan remarked about playing with the lead in her debut. "But they say a two goal lead is a fool's lead."

That message was emphasized in the locker room during the second intermission, as the Mustangs were aware that Laurier came from behind to score two goals in the third period and eventually win in overtime against Windsor the day prior.

Western did not make it easy on themselves as they committed two penalties in quick succession, but killed Laurier's power play for the sixth and final time of the afternoon. While Smith continued to keep her team within striking distance with several highlight reel saves, Western shut down Laurier's offence to help Ryan earn a shutout in her first OUA start.

"It's a great feeling," said Ryan. "You work so hard and get the start, you have such a great team in front of you and to get the shutout on top the win is an incredible feeling."

The Mustangs will be back in action tomorrow, October 30, when they take on the Waterloo Warriors at 4 p.m. at the Thompson Arena. Fans can catch all the action live on OUA.tv