LONDON, Ont. – The reigning OUA and CIS champion Western Mustangs are set to begin defence of their titles this week, as they take on the Waterloo Warriors in an OUA Quarterfinal series.
The Mustang's enjoyed a solid regular season, following up their near unbeaten season last year with a 14-1-8-1 record. That record secured the Mustangs third in the final OUA standings, as they beat out Queen's on goal differential.
The Mustangs finished their season on a three game winning streak, including their final game of the season, a 3-2 victory over the Warriors last week in Waterloo. Forwards
Catherine O'Connor,
Evra Levesque, and
Brittany Clapham all scored and goaltender
Kelly Campbell made 25 of 27 saves for the Mustangs in the victory. That victory meant the Mustangs swept the season series against the Warriors after their 1-0 victory against Waterloo on October 4
th.
In the past several games, the Mustangs have exhibited their potential for scoring depth. In those last three victories, in which the Mustangs scored eleven goals, eight different Mustangs have scored at least one. The leaders in that stretch are Clapham and defenceman
Katelyn Gosling who have two goals apiece. In a typically low scoring league, scoring depth is a vital asset that the Mustangs will be looking to utilize in the playoffs.
Clapham ends the regular season as the Mustangs leader scorer, playing in all 24 games and recording nine goals and 19 points, both of which are career highs. Both Gosling and veteran forward
Kendra Broad finished the year tied for second in points, with 18 apiece. After joining the Mustangs from Division I Lindenwood, third-year forward
Lyndsay Kirkham made an immediate impact, scoring three goals and adding eight assists.
The Mustangs finished the season ranked fifth in both shots and goals scored. Western scored 61 goals on a total of 681 for a relatively high 9 percent, well above the league average of 7.6 percent.
The Mustang goaltenders enjoyed a very good season. Campbell, the reigning CIS Championship Tournament MVP, started 21 games for the Mustangs, and recorded a 1.53 goals against average and .948 save percentage. Her backup,
Katie Jacobs, started three games and recorded a shutout in two of them. The Mustangs led the OUA in team save percentage with a combined .949 for the season. Furthermore, Campbell and Jacobs combined goals against and save percentage both ranked second in the league.
Game 1 – Waterloo at Western – Thursday, February 25 at 7 p.m. – Watch live on OUA.tv; listen on CHRW Radio 94.9 FM Game 2 – Western at Waterloo – Saturday, February 27 at 2:30 p.m. – Watch live on OUA.tv; listen on CHRW Radio 94.9 FM Game 3 (IF NECESSARY) – Waterloo at Western – Sunday, February 28 at 4 p.m. – Watch live on OUA.tv; listen on CHRW Radio 94.9 FM The Waterloo Warriors are 12-2-9-1 this season and currently sit as the sixth seed in the OUA. The Warriors are 2-3 in their last five games going into the playoffs.
The Warriors' team strength is their attack as they score 2.58 goals a game, which ranks third in the OUA. Shooting just under ten percent, the Warriors capitalize on their scoring chances when they arise. Considering the Mustangs increased offensive output in recent weeks, this series could turn out to be an old fashioned shootout.
The biggest threat to score for the Warriors is forward Paula LaGamba., who has 12 goals and nine assists to lead her team with 21 points. LaGamba is often paired with forward Kaitlyn McDonell who has four goals and 16 assists this year for 20 points in 22 games. McDonell has assisted on eight of LaGamba's twelve tallies this season, making their partnership one of the most lethal in all of the CIS. The Mustangs will need to be aware when the top line of LaGamba, McDonell and Marissa Redmond is on the ice.
In 15 starts, Waterloo starting goaltender Rebecca Bouwhuis has posted a 1.75 goals against average and a .939 save percentage. In her fifth year as starter, Bouwhuis is a veteran presence for the Warriors that is capable of stealing a game or a series.
