LONDON, Ont. --April Clark earned a hat trick to secure the Western Mustangs' 6-0 win against the Laurentian Voyageurs Saturday afternoon at Thompson Arena. 

"The girls worked hard for that win tonight, and it was good to see some of the things that we worked on in practice show up in the game tonight," said Mustangs' head coach Candice Moxley. "After watching film on Laurentian, they get aggressive in the offensive zone, so they'll send four in. We knew what to expect at that point, so every time we came up with the puck it was just 'hey, we just have to get going north quickly' and win those races up ice." 

Clark's hat trick raised her total goal count to 16, protecting her lead as the OUA's top scorer by six points. Rachel Armstrong scored twice, and Anthea Lasis marked her third of the season.  

On the second shot of the game, Clark netted Western's first goal. Four minutes into the first frame, she received a pass from Beatrice Dufour and pulled the Voyageurs' goalie Karen Collins to her post. Collins went down, and Clark flipped the puck over her and into the net. 

The Mustangs protected their lead for the rest of the period, only allowing Laurentian's first shot on Carmen Lasis ten minutes in.  

"Our team I would consider one of the fastest in the OUA," said Clark. "We've got great speed on forward and D, so that really contributes to our plays." 

Three minutes into the second frame, Clark scored on the power play with help from teammates Evra Levesque and Dufour. One minute later, she netted a top shelf goal unassisted to earn a hat trick. 

"I just kind of shot across my body," said Clark. "My teammates made a great cycle to me and luckily it went in." 

Fresh off the penalty kill, Armstrong marked Western's fourth unassisted. Her shot bounced off Collins' shoulder and into the net eight minutes into the second.  

"I mean it was a full team effort," said Armstrong. "Good forecheck by [Evra Levesque], and the girl cut the net, and she lost control of the puck right to me. I just got my head up to do a quick one timer." 

Sydnee Baker fed Anthea Lasis the puck with six minutes left in the period. She shot from the middle of the circle across the goalie's body to hit the top right corner.  

In the final frame, Laurentian increased their offensive pressure, outshooting Western 4-1 in the first three minutes in an attempt to get on the scoreboard. 

The Voyageurs' efforts were unsuccessful, and Armstrong netted the last goal of the day with two minutes of play left. She walked it across the crease and backhanded it over Collins, securing a 6-0 shut out.  

With the win, Western sits in a tie for first with Guelph and has a record of 9-2-0-4. 

Laurentian remains third last in the OUA at 3-9-1-3.  

"We knew Laurentian's a hardworking team, where tomorrow there's going to be some more speed and talent and skill," said Moxley. "We need to make sure that we show up defensively because they are a top team in our league. These are the games that you get excited for, so it will be a good battle tomorrow for our girls." 

The Mustangs face Nipissing tomorrow afternoon at 2:30pm at Thompson Arena. Fans can catch the action live at OUA.tv