Box Score The Western Mustangs' women's hockey team lost by just one goal in the final minutes of play against the Queen's Gaels on Friday night in Kingston, Ontario.
 
The intensity throughout the game was incredibly well-matched between the two teams. With it being just mere games away from the end of the regular season, both teams had everything to fight for, as they, along with Ryerson, are in an extremely tight race for the final two spots in the playoffs.
 
The first and second periods didn't see any scoring from either team. Western was whistled twice in the first period for head contact and cross-checking, which Kira Memet and Emma Thomas sat for respectively, though they got their chance on the player advantage as well as Gaels forward Hailey Wilson was penalized for head contact as well. That would be the only opportunity of the game for the first placed power play in the league to see any ice time, as Western didn't go on the player advantage again for the rest of the game.
 
In the second, the Sydney Baker and Renae Nevills took a tripping and cross-checking penalty respectively. However, thought the Mustangs were on the penalty kill, their tenacity outmatched the offence of the Gaels, which not only maintained the intensity for the Mustangs throughout, but also thoroughly stifled the Gaels' offence.
 
It wasn't until the last minute and a half of the final period that the puck saw the back of the net – unfortunately, it wasn't the net that the Mustangs were hoping for. At the 1:18 mark, Gales forward Scout Watkins Southward skated in tight against Western netminder Tareya Webster and lifted the puck over Webster's blocker, sealing the deal for Queen's to take the three points in their home barn.
 
With Ryerson securing a point in OT tonight against the Laurentian Voyageurs, the Western Mustangs will now sit just one place out of a playoff spot with three games to go in the regular season. They'll take on Ontario Tech tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 PM in Oshawa. The game can be streamed at oua.tv – you won't want to miss it.