The Mustangs opened up 2018 with two big wins, claiming a 3-0 victory over the visiting Waterloo Warriors on Thursday, before edging out the Toronto Varsity Blues on the road 3-2. The two wins gives the Mustangs a 9-1-3-2 record, and bumps them into second in the OUA, only one point back of the Queen's Gaels, who have been the undisputed #1 seed for the majority of the season. The Mustangs will look to extend their win streak into this week, with home games against the Nipissing Lakers and Laurentian Voyageurs.

Rookie goaltender Carmen Lasis got the start in net for both games, earning her first career shutout on Thursday night against the Warriors. The young keeper has posted a .924 save percentage through 11 games with the team, and has a 1.88 goals against average, which is in the top ten in the league.

The Levesque twins are on a hot streak to start off the year, with Edie earning three assists in her first two games back from break, while Evra potted two goals and an assist in the win against Toronto, and an assist against Waterloo. Evra's power play goal against the Varsity Blues moves her into a tie for first in that category in the OUA, with four, alongside teammate April Clark, who continues to dominate the OUA offensive leader boards.

Western vs Nipissing – Saturday, January 13^th, at 3:00 p.m. – Watch live on OUA.tv

The purple and white will find a tough competitor in their first matchup of the weekend against the Nipissing Lakers. The Lakers have a 7-2-4-1 record, and sit in fifth in the OUA as the team is five points back of Western, with a game in hand.

Nipissing's Maria Dominico will be crucial to her team's success, as she currently leads the squad in scoring. Dominico is right up there with Clark in offensive production, leading the OUA in points, with 16, which is one more than Clark, and trailing Clark by one goal with 10, putting her in second in the league in that category.

Nipissing's biggest advantage is their tough style of play, which most teams struggle with, although it can also be to their disadvantage at times. The team has earned 144 penalty minutes to date, the fourth most in the OUA. Despite this, the team has one of the best penalty kills in the OUA, with a 90% success rate, which will prove a challenge for the dominant Mustangs power play, which sits atop the OUA with a 21% success rate.   

These two teams have developed quite a rivalry over the years, with Nipissing claiming both games over the Mustangs last season by a multi-goal margin, while the Mustangs edged out Nipissing in triple overtime the season before to go to the OUA finals and U SPORTS Championship. The last time these two teams met was in the Mustangs season opener, where Western claimed a commanding 6-3 victory in North Bay.

Western vs Laurentian – Sunday, January 14^th, at 3:00 p.m. – Watch live on OUA.tv

The Mustangs will wrap up their back-to-back homestand with a game against the Laurentian Voyageurs, who currently sit in ninth in the OUA with a 5-1-5-3 record. The Voyageurs are two points back of a playoff position, making this game a crucial one for them if they hope to make the playoffs as the season starts its back half.

Samantha Morell leads the way for Laurentian, with eight goals and two assists for 10 points in 13 games played for the Voyageurs. She has been a crucial part of the team's offence, and will likely be a key part of their game plan when they face off against the Mustangs.

Karen Collins has proven herself time and time again in the Voyageurs net, starting in 10 of the team's 13 games. Collins sits in fourth in the OUA in save percentage at .945, and has made the third most saves in the league with 346 stops this year.
 
This will be the second time these two teams are meeting this season, with the first contest ending in a 5-1 Mustangs win on the road in Sudbury. Evra Levesque and Clark combined for three of the Mustangs five goals in that game, while Mariah Beckett scored the lone goal for the Voyageurs.