The Mustangs will face one of the toughest teams the OUA has to offer this weekend, as they compete against the Queen's Gaels just one day meeting UOIT in an Eastern road trip.

After going 1-1 this past weekend with an overtime win against Nipissing before falling to Laurentian by a narrow one goal margin, the Mustangs will hit the road as they look for wins against UOIT and Queen's.

The Mustangs currently sit in third in the OUA standings, with a 9-2-4-2 record, behind Guelph and Queen's.

Alyssa Chiarello was a force on the Mustangs offense, earning an assist and an overtime game winning goal against Nipissing. Her performance was bolstered by the squad's special teams, which continue to be a point of strength for the purple and white. This past weekend saw them earn a power play goal while successfully killing off seven of eight penalties.

Carmen Lasis backstopped the Mustangs on both games, making 19 saves in the loss to Lakehead, and 35 in the win against Nipissing. Her performance this weekend has bumped her save percentage to a .924, putting her among the top ten goalies in the OUA.

Western at UOIT – Saturday, January 20 at 3:30 p.m. - Watch live on OUA.tv

The Mustang will kick off their road trip with a stop in Oshawa on Saturday to face off against the Ridgebacks.

UOIT currently sit in 11th in the league, with a 3-2-9-2 record, and are looking to push for the last playoff spot. The team is currently riding a four game losing streak, and will be looking to snap their skid and build some momentum with the game against the visiting Mustangs.

The young goalie tandem of Briar Hughes and Celine Tessier has been solid for the Ridgebacks, earning a .926 save percentage between the two of them. Tessier in particular has been strong in the crease, with a .945 save percentage and a .500 win percentage.

Both goalies have started and played in exactly half of UOITs games, and both will pose a threat to the Mustangs offense.

The Mustangs have continually had the Ridgebacks' number over the last few seasons, defeating the UOIT consistently. In their last meeting the Mustangs came out on top with a decisive 3-1 win at home. The purple and white only allowed 22 shots on goal, while Katie Heath was the only Ridgeback to notch a goal for her team.

Western at Queen's – Sunday, January 21 at 2:30 p.m. - Watch live on OUA.tv

Sunday can be expected to pose a greater challenge to the Mustangs, with the nationally ranked Gaels leading the OUA.

Queen's holds with a 9-3-1-3 record, and are ranked eighth in the country. The tricolor are currently undefeated at home, and have dominated the competition over the course of the season to outscore their opponents 44-26.

The Gaels roster boasts one of the best goaltenders in the league in Stephanie Pascal, with the second best save percentage at .948, and the second best goals against average coming out to 1.29 a game.

Pascal is supported by a strong defensive corps, which helped the Mustangs to only three shots in the first frame of their meeting earlier in the season.

However, the Gael's aren't just a defensive team – the can put points up as well. Their roaster has the OUA's leading points scorer in Katrina Manoukarakis, who leads the way with 20 points, with 10 goals and 10 assists. This also puts her in the top five for goals, as well as for assists. Clare McKellar is another offensive weapon on the Queen's roster, with 14 assists of her own to lead the OUA.

The last time these two teams saw each other was back in November, when the Gaels dealt the Mustangs a resounding 4-0 loss. Despite being held to a mere three shots in the first frame, the Mustangs rallied, and peppered the Queen's defense, finishing the game with 29 shots over the rest of the game to the Gael's 12. However, Pascal held down the fort, shutting the door and lifting her team to victory.