LONDON, Ont. – Three goals in the final 20 minutes helped lead the Toronto Varsity Blues to a 4-1 win over the Western Mustangs on Wednesday night at Thompson Arena.
 
"We talked about coming out with a lot of energy in the third and trying to take the game over, but I thought it was the opposite," said head coach Clarke Singer of the team's performance in the final frame. "Toronto had a great start to the third period and got that early goal that got them rolling and we just couldn't get back on track.
 
"Overall, it was a game I didn't think we deserved to win with our effort through the sixty minutes."
 
The win by the Varsity Blues gives both teams identical 3-5-0 records as they sit tied for ninth in the OUA West standings a few weeks into the season.
 
Hunter Atchison provided much of the offence for the Varsity Blues in the final frame, scoring two goals of his own while also assisting on a marker from Phil Chadder. Evan MacEachern netted Toronto's other goal on the night. Spenser Cobbold scored his fourth goal of the season for the Mustangs, moving into a tie for first on the team leaderboard.
 
Rookie netminder Zach Springer suffered his first loss in a Mustangs uniform on Wednesday, turning aside 27 shots on the night, while fellow first-year Frederic Foulem got the win for Toronto with a 37-save performance.
 
Spenser Cobbold put the Mustangs on the board in the sixth minute with a straight shot to the back of the net to give the home side an early lead. Both teams had equal scoring chances throughout the period, but the purple and white defence kept the Varsity Blues off the board to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
 
The Mustangs were pressured to match the physicality coming from the Varsity Blues in the second period, allowing MacEachern the opportunity to score a power play goal from the blue line to tie things up. Western pressed to regain their lead for the remainder of the frame but couldn't beat Foulem, sending the game into the third period tied at 1-1.
 
Things wouldn't stay deadlocked for long, as Atchinson notched his first of the night only two minutes into the frame to put the Varsity Blues in front. Chadder was able to slide the puck past Springer only five minutes later to extend Toronto's lead, before Atchinson tallied his second of the night on a top corner shot at 11:40 to give the Varsity Blues a three-goal advantage.
 
Western continued to battle, generating a number of good scoring chances over the remainder of the period, but Toronto was able to shut the door and walk away with a 4-1 win.
 
The Mustangs will now turn their attention to a matchup with the first place York Lions, this Friday, November 10, at Thompson Arena. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and fans can watch all the action live on OUA.tv