LONDON, Ont. – The Western Mustangs returned to Thompson Arena Friday night to take on the Ryerson Rams. The game came after a trip to Ottawa that saw the Mustangs pick up their first win of the season against the University of Ottawa before dropping a game to Carleton 3-2 in overtime.
The Rams would score first, 6:13 into the first period. A cross-crease pass from the boards found the stick of Ryerson forward Hayden McCool who converted a tap-in goal.
Ryerson would have the chance to add to this lead later in the period when Western was called for a double minor, giving the Rams a four-minute powerplay.
The Mustang penalty-killers were up to the task and Western earned a powerplay chance of their own moments later, looking to tie the game before the end of the period. The chance proved unsuccessful as the period ended with the Mustangs trailing 1-0.
While Ryerson carried play through most of the first period, outshooting Western 11-3, the Mustangs started better in the second period with a few scoring chances early. Western's dominance in the offensive zone led to a powerplay opportunity 4:12 into the second frame.
Though the opportunity was unsuccessful, the Mustangs would tie the game up minutes later. Ethan Szypula scored the game-tying goal with assists from Franco Sproviero and Sean Montgomery.
The game would not be tied long, however. Ryerson retook the lead on a slapshot from the point. Ryerson added to their lead with 3:21 to play in the second. The goal came on an odd-man rush where the Mustangs goaltender, Luke Peresinni, didn't have much of a chance.
The wheels fell off in the third period, as the Ryerson Rams scored a flurry of goals. The Western penalty-killing got plenty of work with the Mustangs taking 7 minors in the final frame. Though the Western penalty kill played well, discipline was still a deciding factor in the game.
After the contest, coach Clarke Singer spoke about the issues with discipline during the game saying, "We didn't do what we wanted from a discipline standpoint…We took too many penalties tonight, odd-man rushes, turned the puck over too much."
Down 6-1, the Mustangs finally responded late in the third period with a short-handed goal. The marker came from Sean Montgomery. The goal was assisted by Franco Sproviero. Montgomery, Sproviero, and Ethan Szypula have come together for a potent scoring combination early in this season. After the game, Montgomery spoke about the chemistry the trio has been building.
"We are all on the same page. It's real easy to play with those guys. They get the puck moving, and we just need to keep building even more chemistry."
The goal would serve as the last of the contest, with the Mustangs falling to the Rams 6-2.
Western will return Saturday night, looking for their first home victory of the season as they play York University.
