LONDON, Ont. – It took 92 minutes and 25 seconds to decide a winner, but a goal from Shailyn Waites in double overtime gave the Western Mustangs a 3-2 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues in their first-of-three playoff matchup on Wednesday night at Thompson Arena.
 
The Mustangs now hold a one-game advantage in the best-of three playoff series, with game two scheduled for Friday in Toronto.
 
"We knew Toronto was going to be a tough series," said head coach Kelly Paton about the team's mentality heading into the series opening match. "Regular season we split 1-1, and they were one goal games each time. They're a game that's very similar to us in terms of how they play – so we were expecting exactly what we got today; a back and forth game."
 
Catherine O'Connor and Alyssa Chiarello scored the first two goals for Western, while Toronto's goals were scored by Breanna Bernsten and Jessica Robichaud.
 
The first frame saw stellar defensive play from the Varsity Blues, who were constantly deflecting shots from the purple and white. However, Madeline Albert was solid when a puck did squeak through as she fended off four shots throughout the period.
 
Carmen Lasis saw more action in the purple and white end, making 11 saves in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Western's offensive output tripled in the next frame, leading to the first goal of the evening.
 
A Mustang penalty late in the second period – the first for either team – briefly gave a flash of hope to fans of the Varsity Blues that the scoring stalemate would come to end, but it was Western who would be first on the board.
 
O'Connor sent the puck top shelf over the shoulder of Albert after the faceoff. The goal came less than ten seconds after Toronto gained the man advantage, giving the Mustangs their fourth shorthanded goal since the 2017-18 season began in October.
 
"There was really good execution off the faceoff on the PK," said O'Connor. "I got it back to B and she made a nice pass over to Evra. She took her time skating up, made a beautiful board pass to me, and I just skated it down and took a shot."
 
Chiarello scored the Mustangs second marker midway through the third, beating Albert with nearly the same shot to send the puck over her shoulder.
 
The final six minutes of the frame saw a sudden offensive burst from the Varsity Blues, who would find the back of the net twice to send the game into overtime. Both goals were scored with heavy traffic in front of the net, with Berndsen capitalizing on the rebound from a previously blocked shot.
 
"Our defensive zone was strong, especially in periods four and five, but it was an area that in the last ten minutes of the third period really let us down," noted Paton about Toronto's late offensive burst.
 
More than 34 minutes of play would pass before another goal was scored, as the game moved into double overtime. Both goalies were perfect in the first overtime, each facing seven shots.
 
Despite the Varsity Blues outshooting the Mustangs 9-2 in the final twelve minutes of the game, Western was the first to score thanks to a quick shot from Waites.
 
"I got a great pass from Renae down at the wall and I just took a breath to turn the corner, and Shai was wide open in front of the net," said Chiarello about the goal. "I passed it off to her, and she made a great finish."
 
"We're tired, but it's definitely rewarding to get the win out of it," said O'Connor about the double OT win. "We'd keep going if it meant we would get the win – it was really nice."
 
The Mustangs will be back on the ice on Friday evening for game two of the first round series. Toronto is set to host, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m., and fans can tune in to all the action live on OUA.tv and Radio Western 94.9 FM