TORONTO – Despite tying the game in the third period, the Mustangs were unable to complete their comeback over Ryerson, with the Rams taking a 4-2 win in game one of their OUA first round playoff series. 
 
The Mustangs loss gives the Rams a one-game advantage in the best-of-three playoff series, which will continue at Alumni Hall on Friday, February 16.
 
Stephen Desrocher and Mitchel Fitzmorris were responsible for the two Mustangs goals, while four different players scored for the Rams and eight left the ice with at least one point on the night.
 
Aaron Armstrong scored the first goal of the evening late in the second frame, followed by Daniel Paliani's marker in the third. The Rams ended the match with two more goals late in the third from Alex Leader and Steven Harland.
 
Despite the scoreboard remaining blank throughout the first 20 minutes, there was plenty of action on the ice.
 
The Rams took 12 shots on netminder Luke Peressini, who fended off each and every one. Helping to keep the shot total from inflating, the Mustangs blue line played an aggressive game that saw them continually block shots and pick off passes.
 
Western's offence had fewer opportunities than their opponents, only testing Taylor Dupuis with three shots.
 
However, the game wasn't dominated by the Rams as the numbers might suggest. While Ryerson certainly racked up more shots, the purple and white attempts were of higher quality. The Mustangs moved the puck around Ryerson's defensive end waiting for the best shot, while the home team often sent whatever they could flying towards Peressini as quickly as they could.  
 
The offensive lull is out of character for Western – who ended the regular season in the top half of the league in terms of shots-per-game – but nonetheless continued into the second period.
 
The bulk of the frame was spent down in the purple and white defensive end, with Peressini taking a flurry of shots while Dupuis had to fend off eight.
 
Of the 11 shots in the period, only one crossed Western's goal line.
 
Armstrong capitalized on Ryerson's man advantage to slide one past Peressini and give the Rams a 1-0 lead to close out the second.
 
Ryerson wasted no time in the final frame, as Paliani doubled their lead just one minute into the final frame on an odd-man rush.
 
Western responded almost immediately with their own showing of strength, with the Mustangs netting two goals in two minutes to tie the game.
 
Desrocher first put the Mustangs on the board, jumping on a rebounded puck off Dupuis' blocker. Anthony Stefano took the initial shot just minutes after returning to the game after leaving the ice early in the first with an injury.
 
The game-tying goal came from Fitzmorris – his fourth in as many games – who sent a one-timer into the back of the net from the slot.
 
The next fifteen minutes would see the most intensive play of the evening, as both teams upped their game
 
Leader broke the deadlock with one minute and 29 seconds left on the clock, after DeLaurentis found the fourth-year defenseman wide open in front of the net.
 
Western pulled Peressini in response, opening up the opportunity for Harland to score the final goal of the night. The marker came with only 45 second left on the clock, after Armstrong carried the puck up the ice and set up Harland for an easy empty net goal to give the Rams a 4-2 win.

Game two of the best-of-three series is set for Friday night at Thompson Arena where a win by the Rams will send them on to the second round, while a Mustangs victory will force a third and deciding game. Game time on Friday night is set for 7 p.m., with fans able to tune in live on OUA.tv and Radio Western 94.9 FM