London, ON- Mustangs begin their season with a 3-1 win over the Queens Gaels to gain their first win in an exciting home opener tilt.

The first period saw lots of back and forth play, with goaltender Kaitlyn Booth making some clutch saves to keep it a 0-0 game for the first twenty minutes.

In the second period, Gaels came on strong but weren't able to capitalize on any chances. With six minutes remaining, Sarah Irwin carried the puck into Queen's end on a 3-on-2, slid it over to Janneke Watt who took a shot and Jenna MacLean was able to score on the rebound, making it 1-0 Mustangs. MacLean gave the Mustangs the lead and lots of momentum with just over 5 minutes to go in the second.

The third period brought lots more excitement. Just five minutes into the first, Madelaine DesRosiers stole a puck, turned up ice and fed Elizabeth Gauthier who caught the Queens defense changing and took off with speed towards the Gael's net. Gauthier picked a spot and sniped it low glove to make it 2-0.

Second year Gauthier noted "I already had my shot picked that I was going low glove, I knew where to go on that one."

This gave the Mustangs momentum to have a strong third period push, and they were buzzing around Queen's end. With five minutes left, Western was on the powerplay and had an extra attacker due to a delayed penalty. With the two man advantage, Brooke DiCicco walked around the net and took a shot, and the rebound popped out to Elizabeth Gauthier in the slot who was able to put it away for her second of the night! This put the Mustangs up 3-0 with just over seven minutes to go.

At 18:48 in the final minutes of the game, Queens, with an extra attacker, was able to take advantage and Rebecca Thompson notched their first of the game to make it 3-1. Western was able to close out the final minute and finished the game with a 3-1 win.

Head Coach Candice Moxley declared "I thought our team came out ready to play, we had great energy for the entire 60 minutes, we created good chances and were able to come out with a win. Couldn't ask for a better start for us."

Two-goal scorer Gauthier also exclaimed "I thought we had a lot of energy. This was the best way to start the season off, with a high energy win. Can't wait for the next one."

Western continues their home stand tomorrow for an afternoon game against Ontario Tech Ridgebacks. Puck-drop is at 3pm at Thompson Arena.