WATERLOO, Ont. – A power play goal from Andrew Fritsch proved to be the difference as the Laurier Golden Hawks defeated the Western Mustangs by a 3-2 score on Saturday night at the Sun Life Financial Arena.
The loss sends Western's record to 3-8-1, while the Golden Hawks move into a tie for first in the OUA West at 8-2-2.
Zach Springer put in another strong performance in the Western net, turning aside 29 of 32 saves, while Colin Furlong got the win for Laurier with a 25-save night.
Cody Brown and
Mitchell Fitzmorris provided the offence for the Mustangs, with Fitzmorris' tally serving as his first goal of the year. Three different players marked their name on the scoresheet, with Alex Annecchiarico, Danny Harlon, and Fritsch all scoring for Laurier.
The Golden Hawks held the edge in the first, outshooting Western 13-7 and opening the scoring with a goal from Annecchiarico coming on a 2-on-1 attempt with Anthony Conti at the 12-minute mark.
Laurier extended their lead to 2-0 midway through the second frame as Hanlon got his fourth goal of the season, converting passes from Brandon Robinson and Fritsch and hitting the back of the net with a big wrist shot.
Brown answered back for the Mustangs in the second, scoring his third goal of the year off a wrist shot from the slot to cut Laurier's lead to 2-1. The Mustangs seemed to settle in from there, generating strong scoring chances and continusously applying pressure.
The Golden Hawks capitalized on a Mustangs penalty early in the third, with Fritsch scoring what would turn out to be the game winner a little more than five minutes into the final period.
Fitzmorris scored his first goal of the season on a scramble in front, pulling the Mustangs to within one midway through the period. Western continued to press for the game-winner, however they couldn't send another puck past Furlong, giving Laurier the 3-2 win.
The Mustangs are back in action on Friday, November 24, as they head to Kingston to take on RMC. Fans can catch all the action live on OUA.tv.
