TORONTO, Ont. – A second period goal was all the Mustangs needed to secure a victory over the York Lions, but two more would be added to the scoreboard before the final whistle to give Western a 3-0 win at the Canlan Ice Sports Arena.
 
The Mustangs overtook Guelph in the standings with the win, securing second place in the OUA. They now sit at 13-2-5-2 and are three points behind Queen's. The Lions remain in 11th place, sitting at 6-0-12-3.
 
Western's offence was provided by Alyssa Chiarello, Shailyn Waites, and Evra Levesque.
 
Chiarello netted her sixth of the season, Waites her fourth, and Levesque her 10th. Evra Levesque is now one goal behind team leader April Clark, and tonight marked her second empty-netter.
 
Both teams went scoreless in the first period, with the Lions only narrowly missing the mark.
 
Five minutes into the first frame goaltender Carmen Lasis rushed to the bench on a delayed penalty call while play was in York's defensive end. A Western shot deflected off the shin pad of one of the Lions, and flew down the ice into the empty Mustangs net – but was quickly recalled.
 
Both goalies went on to shut down all shots in the first period, although Western outshot York 10-3.
 
Eight seconds into the Lions' third penalty of the night, the Mustangs proved their special teams are a force to be reckoned with. Chiarello ended the scoring deadlock 15 minutes into the second frame on a power play, with help from teammates Emma Pearson and Levesque.
 
In the most penalty-heavy and final period of the night, the Mustangs skillfully killed a five-on-three situation. Western's defence shut out the Lions, even though York's pressure prevented them from changing.
 
Lion goalie Lauren Dubie was pulled at the end of the third, which resulted in two successive Mustang empty-net goals.
 
With two minutes left on the clock, Waites chased Evra Levesque's puck down the ice, racing beside a York player, and just managed to tap the puck in. Twenty seconds later, Evra Levesque netted the final goal with help from Waites and Edie Levesque, finishing the game 3-0 for Western.
 
The Mustangs will return to the ice on Thursday, February 9 when they host the Lions for a rematch. Fans can catch all the action live, at OUA.tv.