The Western Mustangs women's hockey team will host at Thompson Arena for the last time before playoffs as they welcome the York Lions on Friday. The game will also celebrate Senior Day, the team's annual celebration of graduating student-athletes.
 
Forwards Brittany Clapham, Stacey Scott, Marlowe Pecora, and Kendra Broad will receive recognition beside three members of the defensive corps in Katelyn Gosling, Nicole French and Brianna Iazzolino. Three of the four goalies currently on the roster will also be honoured, as Katie Jacobs, Kelly Campbell, and Peyton Parker will all be moving forward after this season. 
 
For all of these players their time at Western will be highlighted by a remarkable 2014-2015 season, in which the team won both the first OUA and CIS banners for the women's hockey program.
 
The 2016 Mustangs, however, have reached a rough patch in their season. Western has lost five of their last six games, and will be looking to turn their momentum around in their final three games before the start of the playoffs.
 
After Saturday's loss to the Brock Badgers, head coach David Barrett suggested that the team needed a boost in scoring, and that the team may see an increase with Broad's potential return to the ice from an injury.
 
Despite only seeing the ice in 15 of Western's 21 games, the Petrolia native is one of the best scorers on the team with seven goals – a number matched by Clapham, Tia Kipfer, and Scott across 21 games – while also recording eight assists. Her upcoming return could be exactly what the Mustangs need to turn the season around.
 
 
Western vs York – Saturday, February 13 at 7p.m. - Watch live on OUA.tv
 
The York Lions are 8-12 on the season but have struggled on the road to only win one in nine outside of their home in Canlan Ice Sports.
 
Weakening their game is the apparent difficulty of the Lions to convert high shot totals into goals. Despite firing off around 28.4 shots per game, they average only 1.65 goals.
 
Third-year forward Amy Locke has best been able to find the back of the net, leading the Lions with seven goals. Chelsea Tucker leads in total points, with one goal and 11 points. The starting goaltender for the Lions, senior Megan Lee, has a 1.87 GAA and a .933 save percentage while starting 18 of 20 games so far this season.
 
Saturday's game is sure to be an exciting and emotional night as the Mustangs look to send their seniors off with a win and ramp up the momentum going into the final stretch of the season. 

Western at Windsor - Saturday, February 13 at 7:30 p.m. - Watch live on OUA.tv
 
Tenth in the OUA with a 7-1-11-2 record, the Windsor Lancers are going into Saturday's matchup with everything to prove. Initially opening up the season with six consecutive losses, the Lancers have focused on rebuilding their season in the New Year.
 
While they've been alternating wins and losses for a few weeks now, Windsor have proven themselves to be a formidable opponent. Taking down the second place Nipissing Lakers in a 5-3 contest, the typically high scoring Lancer offense was balanced out by a surge in defensive play.
 
The Lancers sit second overall in the OUA goals per game (2.86), while also at an averaging 28.2 shots per game. With team-wide save percentages and goals against averages that are the lowest in the league, defence is undoubtedly the weak spot of Windsor's game.
 
Starting goaltender Ingrid Sandven reports a 3.03 goals against average, with a .892 save percentage. Getting hit with around 25 shots per game, the Norway native has been struggling to keep up with the efficiency of the offense.  
 
If the Lancers are able to pick up their defensive play as they did in late January to upset the Lakers, there's a good chance that they'll be able to top the Mustangs.