TORONTO – Two goals in less than one minute of game time proved to be the difference as the Toronto Varsity Blues defeated the Western Mustangs 5-2 on Saturday night at the Varsity Centre.
 
With the loss, Western falls to 6-13-2 and are five points back of Waterloo for the final playoff spot in the West Division. Meanwhile, Toronto's second win in a row improves them to 4-17-2 on the season, with two of those victories coming against the Mustangs.
 
Curtis Harvey and Matt Campagna were the initial goal scorers for Toronto, as they struck in the last minute of the first period and the first minute of the second to give the Varsity Blues a lead they would not relinquish.
 
Matt Marantz and Andrew Goldberg provided the offence for Western on Saturday, while Harvey scored twice for Toronto, along with one goal each from Campagna, Russell Turner and Matt Heffernan. Greg Dodds stopped 30 shots in the loss, with Andrew Hunt picking up the win for Toronto after making 28 saves.
 
The Mustangs opened the scoring midway through the first period, as Marantz picked a loose puck in front of the net and potted the rebound to give Western the early lead.
 
However, with 34 seconds left in the period, Harvey, playing just his second game with the Varsity Blues, beat a Mustangs defender in the slot before picking the top corner to even things going into intermission.
 
Toronto would carry that momentum with them to the second period, as Campagna stole the puck and sniped a goal just 23 seconds into the frame that would put the Varsity Blues in the lead for good.
 
Two goals in the third period, courtesy of Turner and Heffernan added important insurance. Goldberg responded for Western later in the period to offer a glimmer of hope to the purple and white, but the team could not muster another goal and Toronto salted it away with an empty netter in the final minute to take a 5-2 win.
 
After having only one contest this week, the Mustangs will get set for three games next week as they'll host Windsor, Ottawa, and McGill, playing three times in four days. 
 
First up are the Lancers on Wednesday night at Thompson Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m., and fans can tune in live on OUA.tv