LONDON, Ont. – Ray Huether opened the scoring on Saturday night and also ended it, netting the shootout winner to help the Western Mustangs knock off the U SPORTS No. 3 McGill Redmen 5-4 on Saturday night at Thompson Arena.
 
"The boys are playing well. We've got a good team. It's just confidence and I think get bounces here and there and all of the sudden things go your way," said assistant coach Steve Benedetti.
 
The Mustangs are now 8-14-2, but sit four points back of the Lakehead Thunderwolves for the final playoff spot in the OUA West Division. The loss moves McGill to 18-4-3 on the year, and they remain in first in the East.
 
After a relatively quiet 40 minutes that ended with a 2-1 Western lead, the floodgates opened in the third period. The teams went back and forth, as the Redmen tied the game at two apiece just 26 seconds into the period. Western would go up 3-2 and 4-3 before McGill would tie the game each time to send it into overtime.
 
Goaltender Greg Dodds had one of his finest performances of the season in his final regular season home game. He made 44 saves on the night, including a huge blocker save going cross-crease while shorthanded in double overtime.
 
"The boys did a great job in front of me, allowed me to see the puck and cleared some rebounds for me, so even though four got by me I felt pretty good," said Dodds.
 
Dodds' play allowed the game to go to a shootout, where Heuther would score the winner.
 
"I knew the ice was pretty bad so I didn't think deking was gonna work out too well…I went forehand glove on him before so I thought I'd try it again," said Heuther of his shootout winner.
 
The wild third period had a crowd full of alumni and kids on the edge of their seats. After Jerome Verrier tied the game, the Mustangs drew a 5-on-3 for a full two minutes, and capitalized when Matt Marantz fed a slick pass across the ice to give Rob Polesello an open net for his eighth goal of the year.
 
However, less than four minutes later, Christophe Lalonde answered with a power play goal of his own.
 
But the Mustangs weren't fazed. Shortly after McGill tied the game, Austin Adam floated a wrist shot through a crowd and into the back of the net for his first goal of the season.
 
Unfortunately, McGill's Patrick Delisle-Houde responded once again with another power play goal to even things at four.
 
A frantic final seven minutes did not result in any goals, though Western managed to hit the crossbar and post within minutes of each other.
 
In a game consisting of 19 total penalties, special teams were of utmost importance, as each team notched two power play markers at key times in the game. A penalty kill in double overtime was also important for the Mustangs to send the game to a shootout.
 
In the first period, Western struck first when Heuther followed up his initial shot and fired the rebound through a screen and into the net less than four minutes into the game to give his team the lead.
 
The second period then became a march to the penalty box for both teams. Western took three penalties and managed to kill off a 5-on-3, while McGill was called for four penalties and killed off a two-man advantage themselves.
 
Only Western was able to connect on the power play in the frame, when Trent Ouellette stuffed home a rebound amongst a crowd to push the Mustangs lead to 2-0 with just under three minutes left.
 
The Redmen would respond just over a minute later, as Rock Regimbald shoved in a rebound of his own to cut the Western lead to one heading into second intermission.
 
Western's next game comes next Friday at 7:30 at Concordia, as the team begins the final stretch with four away games.
 
"We just gotta take this momentum right into the road trip," said Heuther.