London, ON –The Mustangs had a dominating first period but were unable to come out on top against the Nipissing Lakers, as they lost 4-1 in the first of their back-to-back games against the Lakers.
Western came out and showed a lot of urgency in the first period of the game. They started tonight's competition with two early powerplays, and although they didn't execute on the man advantage, it gave the team momentum for the remainder of the period.
The Mustangs created some great passing sequences and generated a lot of chances, as they outshot Nipissing 19-12 through twenty minutes.
A breakout play led to the game's first goal and gave Western a 1-0 lead. Once getting into the offensive zone, the puck was picked up in the corner by Tye McSorrely, who passed it out in front of the Lakers net to Owen Saye to deflect in.
The second period was more physical and consisted of twenty-four penalty minutes. Nipissing played much more aggressively, forcing Mustangs goalie Jack McNaughton to make some incredible saves.
Western was able to find the back of the net once again, but unfortunately, the goal was disallowed due to a crease violation.
The Lakers finally got the puck past McNaughton midway through the period to tie the score up at one heading into the second intermission.
Nipissing stepped up their compete level immensely in the final period of the contest. They completed every hit and won the puck battles, allowing them to dominate the rest of the game.
The Lakers scored three more times in the third to guarantee them the two points in the first of back-to-back games in London this weekend.
" I didn't think we had a lot of gas in the third period; it seemed like we had the puck, and we were getting it on the net, but we didn't have a lot of traffic or drive," said Mustangs Head Coach Clarke Singer. "Nipissing played a smart game, so we will have to play a smarter one tomorrow."
Western will take on the Lakers again tomorrow night (Jan 13) at Thompson Arena. The game will begin at 7 PM. Mustang fans can buy their tickets at WesternMustangs.ca/tickets. Western students get FREE admission to all regular season on-campus games with their Western ONECard.
