London, ON - Mustangs faced the TMU Bold at home Thursday night, battling it out all the way until the end, with a dramatic win in overtime. Franco Sproviero was the overtime hero for the Mustangs recording 3 points in the win.
"Not the prettiest win but with all the points we gave away this year, we don't mind stealing one tonight." said Associate Coach Patrick Oulette "The group is resilient…. Gave up a two goal lead…. They could have folded but they kept going at it and we got the results we were looking for."
Despite Mustangs having strong starts in their back-to-back wins at home last weekend, TMU came out firing right off the bat, scoring just 30 seconds into the first. This put the Mustangs to work, as they quickly came out looking for the equalizer.
Western was generating offensive pressure, looking to get on the board. 6 minutes in, Bruder won a battle in TMU's corner, with the puck sliding out to Sproviero. Sproviero slid it to Bulitka who was skating through the crease, who was able to tuck it around the Bold goaltender to tie the game at 1. This goal was just the beginning for this line, who continue to click and contribute to Western's recent scoring success.
The tie game did not last long. Just seconds later, back in the TMU zone, the same line was able to contribute for another goal. Franco Sproviero got his first of the game from Bulitka to put the Mustangs up 2-1, taking the lead in just a 22 second span.
First period success for the Mustangs continued. 11 minutes in, Eric Van Impe carried the puck into the TMU zone, stopping to pull the defense in. Just as TMU defenders come at Van Impe, he chips the puck ahead for Kyle Langdon, who bats it down and beats goaltender Ryan Dugas five hole to cap off the first period scoring for the Mustangs. Western would head into the first intermission up 3-1.
The back and forth excitement continued in the second period, with Western forced to handle three penalty kills within the 20 minute frame. Despite the three advantages and 15 shots, TMU were not able to get one past goaltender Jack McNaughton in the second. The score remained 3-2 Mustangs.
The third period featured high intensity, with an important game on the line. TMU was able to strike early in period, to even the score at 3, putting the Mustangs on their heels. The Bold came on strong this period, outshooting Western and really testing goaltender McNaughton. 12 minutes into the third, TMU was able to capitalize on one of their chances, taking a 4-3 lead with less than 8 minutes remaining in the game.
With just over four minutes remaining, Western pulled their goalie for a last attempt to tie the game. An offensive faceoff win by Michael Boushy, was won back to defenseman Eric Van Impe who saw his defense partner Mathew MacDougall pinch up and slid it over. MacDougall walked in and beat TMU goaltender Ryan Dugas high, getting his first OUA goal coming in clutch for the Mustangs. This tied the game at 4-4. The rest of the third was played out in a stalemate, so this game would need more time to be decided.
Western controlled majority of the play in the overtime, on the lookout to end the game. Just two minutes into the overtime, Jake Gravelle brought the puck into the Bold's end, circling back and passing it to Franco Sproviero at the point. Sproviero faked a shot and walked around his man, shooting it on net and beating Dugas far side to complete the comeback. Western was able to capture their third home win in a row, and continue the fight for a playoff spot.
"Gravy (Jake Gravelle) made a nice play to turn back and pass me it at the blue line. Once I got it I saw the guy was flat footed and I could beat him with some speed. Goalie was respecting the back door so a window and fired it. Lucky enough it went in." said Sproviero on the game winner.
Goaltender Jack McNaughton faced 37 shots in the Mustangs extra time win.
Western will be back in action again tomorrow, looking for their fourth straight home win against the Brock Badgers. This will be their final matchup for the year, with Western looking for their first regular season win against the Badgers.
"This was a huge win for us, we have confidence that we're gonna win games ." said Sproviero "We showed some character by coming back but we know we have to keep rolling if we want to make playoffs."
Come support your Mustangs as they continue their playoff pursuit. Puck-drop is at 7pm at Thompson Arena. Tickets are available at WesternMustangs.ca/Tickets or you can watch the action on OUA.tv.
