TORONTO, Ont. – A hat-trick from Mustangs forward Kyle Pettit secured the Mustangs' 5-3 triumph over the York Lions Friday night at Canlan Ice Sports.

Ethan Szypula and Mitchell Fitzmorris also contributed to Western's offence. York's goals were scored by Scott Feser, Peter De Coppi and Nik Coric.

Last Saturday, the Mustangs moved one spot ahead of the Lions in the standings after a character 2-1 win, placing them in third. Tonight, the Lions looked for redemption in the hopes of taking back the third place position.  

The game was off to a quick start after Feser received a pass off the wing from Reid Jackman, beating the Mustangs netminder Luke Peressini 30 seconds into the first frame.  

Just 10 seconds later, Szypula stole the puck after a turnover following a centre-ice draw. He shot it through the five-hole of Lions goalie Mack Shields to tie the score up. Western took the lead a few minutes later when Pettit got a lucky bounce off a pair of shin pads and was able to put the puck past the Shields' blocker.

This was the last goal Shields would allow, as he was pulled and replaced by Alex Fotinos.

This goaltender change-up didn't work out well for the Lions because Pettit, with an assist by Spenser Cobbold, netted his second of the night, and then also his third just a few minutes later, securing his hat-trick and a comfortable 4-1 lead for the Mustangs before the first period expired.  

The Lions did not wait long to start their second period comeback; De Coppi beat Peressini's glove on a one-on-one just two and a half minutes in. Six minutes later, Coric found the empty net behind Peressini. His linemate, Feser, took out both Mustangs defencemen in front of the net, opening up some space for Coric to slide the puck past the Western goaltender.

The Mustangs and the Lions opened the third period with only one goal separating them on the score clock. But with three seconds left, Fitzmorris put up an empty-netter and extended Western's lead to two goals. The final score on the clock at the last buzzer read 5-3 for the Mustangs, locking in their third place spot.

Western sits at 13-7-1-1 with the win, and York trails behind them in the standings by three points at 11-8-2-2.

The Mustangs return to the ice on Saturday at 7:30pm when they challenge the Gryphons in Guelph. Fans can catch all the action live at OUA.tv.