The Western Mustangs will end their three-game home stand with a pair of games against the Toronto Varsity Blues and the York Lions this coming weekend in Thompson Arena before heading on the road to match up with Toronto again on Saturday.

The Mustangs, who currently hold a 3-4-0 record on the year, looked as if they found their footing on defence with wins over Windsor and Laurier for their first consecutive wins of the season.
Western went into Windsor for their matchup against the Lancers with uncertainty in net, as injuries have plagued the Mustangs' goaltender so far this season. However, goals from four different goal scorers and a 33-save performance from rookie netminder Zach Springer led the Western Mustangs to a 4-2 win. Springer found himself starting in his first game with the purple and white, but looked comfortable in the spotlight, turning aside all but two shots in the win. Western's first three goals of the game all came from players who tallied their first goals of the season in the win, with Kyle Petit, Rob Polesello, and Ray Huether all hitting the back of the net before Trevor Warnaar iced the game with an empty netter for his fourth goal of the year.

The Mustangs continued their momentum into the following evening against the Golden Hawks, as Springer once again held the opponent to just two goals for the game, tied for the lowest goals-against for the purple and white this season. On offence, two power-play goals would propel the Mustangs' scoring as Scott Tresky would opening the scoring in the first period, followed up a pair of goals by Robert Polesello and Cody Brown to give the purple and white the slim one-goal lead with the man-advantage.

Western vs. Toronto – Wednesday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m. – Watch live at OUA.tv
Western at Toronto – Saturday, November 11 at 7:00 p.m. – Watch live on OUA.tv

Toronto will come into their matchup with Western with a 2-5 record after their most recent to the Lancers on the road. Toronto, who began the season with a strong 2-0 start, has had trouble maintaining that momentum, riding a five-game losing streak entering their game against Western. 

The Blues' offence has struggled mightily in their losses this season, as the sit last in goals, assists, and shots. However, they have proved to be around the middle of the pack defensively, a potential obstacle for a Mustangs team who has had trouble creating scoring chances, averaging just 31 shots per game. Despite the strong play of rookie goaltender Zach Springer in his short stint as the Mustangs' starter, the struggling offence of the Blues will be a welcome sight to a Mustang team still trying to come together as a defensive unit.

Toronto will be lead by two of their freshmen forwards in Hunter Atchinson and Luca Leone, who lead the team in goals alongside Evan MacEachern with two goals apiece. The production of Toronto's leading scorers will be key against a Mustangs' team which has began to score effectively against high-quality opponents as of late.

Western vs. York – Friday, November 10 at 7:00 p.m. – Watch live at OUA.tv

Following their game against the Varsity Blues, the Mustangs will look to end their home stand on a high note with a win over the OUA West-leading York Lions in Thompson Arena. The Lions currently boast an impressive 7-2 record this season, but are coming off of a 4-1 home loss to the Guelph Gryphons as they will look for redemption against Western. York got the best of the purple and white in their previous matchup last season, as Western fell in a 4-2 loss in the midst of a five-game losing streak.

Despite Western coming into the game with a greatly-altered roster from last year, York will have the advantage of familiarity, retaining many of their key players from last season. The Lions have created chances throughout each of their nine games this season, but have been mediocre in terms of scoring the puck and converting on those chances so far this season. It has been the defence and goaltending that has led York to lead the division this season, as the Lions sit top-ten in the country in goals-against average, save percentage, and penalty-kill percentage, allowing few scoring chances. However, the York defence will be tested by a Western offence which has gained momentum through their last two games.

The Lions will once again be led by veteran forwards Colton Vannucci and Trevor Peterson. Vannucci, who has put up four goals to go along with a pair of assists, leads the Lions in scoring, while Peterson leads the team in points with three goals and give assists so far this year. Other key veterans for the Lions will be Derek Sheppard and Kyle Campbell, who have returned to make key contributions in each of the Lions' wins.