London ON- The Mustangs battled hard in the second of their back-to-back games this week, ultimately falling short of the Toronto Varsity Blues, losing 7-3 Thursday night.
Western came out strong in the first period, dominating puck possession and creating good goal-scoring opportunities. However, Toronto was able to get the icebreaker early in the game.
The team struggled in the second period, conceding three unanswered goals, leaving them off the score sheet through 40 minutes and making their ability to fight back over the remainder of the evening difficult.
"We did not defend very well; you can't give up three or four. We seem to be chasing the game all the time," said Mustangs head coach Clarke Singer. "I'm not sure if it was just legs because we played last night but it was a disappointing overall effort."
The Mustangs cut the lead in half in the third, getting two quick goals past Varsity Blues goaltender, Jett Alexander. Josh Leblanc's powerful backhand shot put Western on the board early in the period.
Three minutes later, on the man advantage, Eric Van Impe put a hard shot on net from the point, and Mustangs forward Reed Morison was the first to find the rebound, tapping in Western's second goal of the night.
Late in the game, the Mustangs were able to capitalize on the power play once again. Zach Power buried the puck after receiving a cross seem pass from Shane Bulitka.
"We've got a great group despite the results," said Singer. "We just need to do a better job at playing between the whistles more consistently."
The Mustangs are back In action next Friday (Oct 27) for a 7 PM start when the Carleton Ravens come to Thompson Arena. Mustang fans can buy their tickets at
WesternMustangs.ca/tickets and Western students get FREE admission to all regular season on-campus games with the Western ONECard.
