GUELPH, Ont. – The Mustangs squared off against the Guelph Gryphons for the second time in 10 days at the Gryphon Centre Arena on Saturday night. In both meetings the purple and white were unable to come up with the win, this time falling to the Gryphons 5-2.
 
The Mustangs were unable to avenge a close 4-3 overtime loss to Guelph back on November 16, as the Gryphons came out firing on all cylinders Saturday night at home, and jumped out to a commanding 3-0 lead after one period of play.
 
With the win, the Gryphons moved back ahead of the Mustangs for third place in the OUA standings with a 7-1-4-0 record through 12 games. Western now sits in fourth place at 6-1-3-2.
 
Guelph's Meagan Lee opened the scoring at the 7:48 mark of the first period with an unassisted goal, her first of the 2017-18 season. At 9:13, Kristen Jay notched an unassisted goal of her own to put the Gryphons up 2-0.
 
And the Guelph offense kept coming. Kaitlin Lowy scored her seventh goal of the year with just under four and a half minutes left in the opening period (with assists going to Lee and Karli Shell) to put the Gryphons up 3-0.
 
Lowy punched in her second goal of the game (and eighth of the year) at the 1:25 mark of the second period, this time an unassisted marker. And the Gryphons would extend their lead to 5-0 when Molly Crossman scored her second of the year (assisted by Merrick) at the 11:49 mark of the second.
 
It wasn't until just under five minutes remaining in the period that the Mustangs tallied their first score. That came courtesy of April Clark, who notched her 10th of the year to put Western on the board. Amanda Pereira assisted on the goal.
 
Clark struck again, with her 11th of the season, 55 seconds into the third period with a power play goal (from Pereira and Megan Taylor), and it looked like the Western women might be poised for a comeback. But, in fact, that was the end of the scoring – for both teams – in a game that ended 5-2 in favour of the home side.
 
Western outshot Guelph 21-20 overall Saturday night, including 10-4 in the final period. The Gryphons' Valerie Lamenta, who earned the win, made 19 saves on the night.
 
The Mustangs will hope to rebound next Saturday, December 2 when they take on the Brock Badgers in St. Catharines at 2:15 p.m. for their final game of the first half of the season. Fans can follow the action live on OUA.tv.