London, ON- Mustangs came out hard against the TMU Bold, but couldn't complete pull out a win, losing 4-1 in Toronto on their first road game of 2023. The Mustangs will look to turn the tables and finish out the road trip on a high against Guelph on Saturday. This was the Mustangs first matchup with the Bold, and will have two more contests with them through the back half of the season.

The first period brought lots of special teams and scoring action. Western's Captain Kyle Pettit would be the first to kick this off, taking a tripping penalty four and a half minutes into the game. The Mustangs completed a successful penalty kill, a key part of their game they have been working on. 

This kill created momentum for the visiting Mustangs and off a long stretch pass from Jack Tucker, Reed Morison walked into the TMU end and beat Bold's Edwards high glove to score his fourth of the season and put the Mustangs on the board first.

Western's Jake Gravelle took a tripping penalty with six and a half minutes remaining in the first, putting the Bold on their second powerplay of the period. Toronto was able to set up and capitalize on this powerplay off a screened shot from the point from Toronto's Kevin Gursoy to tie the game at 1. The first would end in a 1-1 stalemate, it was anyone's game.

The opposing Bold came out strong in the second, outshooting the Mustangs and controlling lots of the play, putting the Mustangs on their heels. Eight minutes into the second, the Bold were able to capitalize on these strong chances to take the lead and go up 2-1 in the second, leaving the Mustangs scoreless in the second frame. 

This Ryan Wells goal in the second period would end up being labelled the game winning goal. Toronto outshot the Mustangs 15-7 and were able to hold the Mustangs at 1.

The third period consisted of lots of back and forth chances, with Western creating chances and looking to tie it back up. The period went scoreless until late in the third when Toronto was able to notch an insurance goal with 3 and a half minutes remaining to put the Bold up 3-1. With just 40 seconds left, Toronto was able to capitalize on an empty Western net, making the final score 4-1 Bold. Final shots were 32-23 in favour of Toronto.

Western will look to change the tide at their next game on Saturday in Guelph. Both previous matchups against the Gryphons have been close one goal games. Puck-drop is at 5pm and can be watched on OUA.tv.