WATERLOO, Ont. – Amanda Pereira put forth a two-goal performance, including scoring the game winner in double overtime, to guide the Western Mustangs women's ice hockey team to a 2-1 victory over the Waterloo Warriors on Saturday afternoon at the Columbia Ice Field.

With the win the purple and white keep pace with the top teams in the OUA, narrowing the difference between them and Waterloo, the third place team in the standings, to three points. Western is closing out their first half of the season strongly, riding a three-game winning streak which is the longest such active streak in the OUA.

The two teams played another tightly contested game after the first matchup ended in a 4-2 victory for the Mustangs, with the game-winning goal coming in the last period. There were fewer fireworks this time around, however, as the first goal of the game came with less than 90 seconds remaining in the first frame. The goal was the first of Pereira's two goals on the afternoon and gave the Mustangs a 1-0 lead heading into the second period.

It took nearly as long for a goal to be scored in the second. Warrior forward Rachel Marriott, who put two pucks in the back of the net against Western earlier in the season, tallied her sixth goal of the season with slightly over two minutes remaining until the intermission to tie the game at 1-1.

Defence and goaltending continued to take over the game in the third period. Waterloo starting goaltender Taylor Reimer, who earned the victory in the last meeting between these two teams, continued her stellar rookie campaign and kept her team in the game with seven saves in the third for a three-period total of 21. Opposite to her, Katie Jacobs stopped all 11 shots she faced in the third. Neither team could capitalize on the two power play opportunities they both had, including a stretch where Western had the skater advantage for four of five minutes, so the game was sent to overtime.

Waterloo continued to hold the shot advantage, holding the Mustangs to one shot in the extra five minutes. Waterloo was on the power play for the last 90 seconds of overtime but could not find a game-winner so an additional overtime period was required to determine a winner.

The Mustangs flipped the script in double overtime as they ended up with a 3-1 shot advantage. After killing the remaining time in the penalty committed in the first overtime period, Pereira scored her second goal of the game to give Western the victory.

Jacobs registered 31 saves in the winning effort. This game also marks the fifth straight game without a power play goal conceded for Western as they've recovered from their early-season woes and are now the sixth most efficient penalty killing team in the OUA.

The Mustangs will look to end the first half of the season with their fourth straight victory when they take on the Windsor Lancers tomorrow, November 27, at 4 p.m. at Thompson Arena. Fans can tune into all the action live on OUA.tv