When the 2015-16 season started, it was expected that Western's rookies were going to have to play a big role in any success. A large chunk of the veteran core that kept the Mustangs competitive for the last few years was gone, leaving a gap that would have to be filled by new recruits.

And fill that gap they have. Western barely missed a step this season, finishing second in the OUA West and challenging for first. Three of the top five scorers on the team are rookies and two of those players--Spenser Cobbold and Ray Huether—registered 20 points or more in their first season and goaltender Peter Delmas, a redshirt last year, has been excellent in his first full season.

Last week, Western's rookie talent was on full display to help the team to one of their most dominant first-round performances in recent years. The Mustangs took out the Laurier Golden Hawks in two games, scoring 12 goals against a team that is no pushover when it comes to goaltending.

Western's first-year players combined for 12 points through two games, led by a dominant week from Andrew Goldberg. Goldberg led the Mustangs with five points, followed closely by Cody Brown and Noah Schwartz with four points apiece. First-year Mustangs Cobbold and Stephen Sanza each had three points while Delmas stopped 31 shots to pick up the win on Friday.

Besides strong rookie performances, the other big story for Western has been special teams. The Mustangs killed off a total of seven penalties on Friday night without allowing a goal against while the power play finished with one goal on four opportunities and is now firing at 35.7% in the playoffs. The penalty kill has a 93% success rate through 14 opportunities.

Western vs Toronto – Wednesday, February 24 at 7 p.m. – Watch live on OUA.tv
Western at Toronto – Friday, February 26 at 7:30 p.m. – Watch live on OUA.tv
Western vs Toronto – Sunday, February 28 at 7 p.m. – Watch live on OUA.tv – IF NECESSARY

While many spectators expected that Western might match up with Guelph in the second round, a first-round upset by Toronto quickly changed the playoff landscape. The Varsity Blues beat the top ranked York Lions in a decisive game three to earn a spot in the OUA West Semi-Finals.

York dominated Toronto in game one of their best-of-three series. Not only did they pull off a 5-0 shutout victory, but they also fired off 43 shots to Toronto's 21 and went two-for-six on the power play while shutting out the Varsity Blues on their only chance. But Toronto's goaltending came through for them in game two and three, as Andrew Hunt stopped 60 shots to help secure two wins. 

Hunt, a junior, will most likely be back in net when Toronto and Western hit the ice on Wednesday. He finished the regular season with seven wins through 13 starts and a solid save percentage of .922. Both of Toronto's other goalies, Brett Willows and Michael Nishi, had sub .900 save percentages.

On offence, the Varsity Blues are led by Christian Finch, who compiled 31 points during the regular season and added two points through Toronto's first three playoff games. Patrick Marsh, who has scored at a point-per-game pace so far this year, is tied for the team lead in scoring in the first round with three points. Freshman defenceman Matt Heffernan also has three points with a trio of assists.