Box Score Montreal, QC – The Mustangs competed in their first game of the new year this evening against the McGill Redbirds. The Redbirds ultimately came out on top, winning 5-4.
The first period of the game showed both teams trading chances back and forth. Although McGill was generating much better opportunities for themselves and outshot the Mustangs 17-4. The Redbirds managed to get one past Western's netminder Dylan Myskiw in the dying seconds of the period to give them the lead through twenty.
The game opened up much more in the second period, and just forty seconds in, McGill scored to double their lead. Although moments later, Western's forward Zac McCann shot the puck off the post and in to get his team on the board and cut the Redbirds lead in half.
McGill quickly took back their two-goal lead and continued to create some good opportunities in the second, including many odd-man rushes.
The Mustangs had trouble getting possession, but they made the most of the Redbird's errors and scored two goals to tie the game up at three in the later half of the second.
Christiano Aiello picked the puck up in the neutral zone, carried it across the blue line and dropped it back for Reed Morison, who then berried it into the back of the net.
Matthew MacDougall then found the equalizer towards the end of the period. MacDougall picked off a pass and stickhandled into the offensive zone before shooting it from the point and through the goalie's legs.
Unfortunately, those Mustang goals did not go unanswered, and McGill found the back of the net twice more to regain the lead before heading into the second intermission.
Western didn't see much offensive zone action in the third period. However, they finally broke down the Redbird's strong penalty kill unit and scored a powerplay goal to get back within one. Zach Power was first to a rebound and scored the Mustang's fourth goal of the night.
Western was rewarded another powerplay late in the third and pulled Myskiw from the net, giving them a two-man advantage, but they could not get the puck past McGill's goalie a fifth time in tonight's competition.
The Mustangs will look to get their first win of 2024 as they travel to take on the Trois-Rivières Patriotes tomorrow (Jan 6) at 4 PM. Mustang fans can watch the action on OUA.tv.
