After taking two of three games from Windsor, Ottawa and McGill last weekend, the Mustangs are right back in the thick of the playoff race and set to travel to Quebec to play Concordia and UQTR this weekend.
 
Last weekend may have represented the best hockey Western has played all season. On Wednesday, the purple and white defeated Windsor 3-1 on the strength of two third period goals.
 
Following a 5-2 loss to Ottawa that was closer than the score looks, the Mustangs came out flying on Saturday night against East Division leader McGill. Playing with an emanating sense of urgency in front of a crowd full of alumni and children alike, the back and forth affair was finally settled by a Ray Heuther shootout goal.
 
Jonathon Laser contributed three assists over the weekend as he continues to pace Mustangs defenders in points. Rob Polesello also chipped in with a goal and two assists as he continues his excellent offensive season.
 
Heading into the weekend, the Mustangs sit ninth in the West Division, with 18 points and an 8-14-2 record. Lakehead is in eighth place – the final playoff spot – with 22 points five games remaining, two of which come against Western.
 
Western at Concordia – Friday, February 3 at 7:30 P.M. – Tune in live on OUA.tv
 
Concordia comes into this game ranking third in the East at 16-7-2, though it has dropped four of its last six games.
 
The Stingers are energized by their high-powered offence. Since November, they have only won twice when scoring less than four goals, meaning Western must play a strong and disciplined defensive game in order to compete.
 
That's easier said than done. Stinger forward Anthony De Luca leads the OUA with 36 points and 21 goals – four better than his second place teammate, Olivier Hinse. That difference can be found in De Luca's last game, when he scored four and added three assists in a 9-1 victory over Laurentian.
 
Ultimately, this game will be a test of how Western's young defence corps has progressed over the year. A strong showing might bring the Mustangs two points closer to the playoffs.
 
Western at UQTR – Saturday, February 4 at 2:00 P.M. – Tune in live on OUA.tv
 
After a quick turnaround, the Mustangs will face off against the UQTR Patriotes, also losers of four of their last six games, despite placing fifth in the East at 14-7-3.
 
Like the Stingers, the Patriotes rely on offence as the strength of their game. Forward Pierre-Olivier Morin ranks second in the OUA in points, only behind De Luca, with 34.
 
The Patriotes also boast a stingy goaltender in Alexandre Belanger, owner of a .928 save percentage that is good for fourth in the league.
 
It will be incumbent upon the line of Matt Marantz, Spenser Cobbold and Trent Ouellette to keep generating scoring chances as they did this past weekend for the Mustangs.
 
The entire Mustangs squad will need to keep up the energy of the McGill game for the rest of the season now. Every point counts, and with four games left and four points out of the playoffs, every game is a must-win.