London, ON - As soon as the buzzer went for the commencement of the first period, the Mustangs were putting pressure on the Windsor Lancers to score the first goal. Unfortunately, less than two minutes in, Windsor was able to get one past Mustangs goaltender Matteo Drobac - which meant that Windsor took the lead early on. Just four minutes later, a one-timer from Windsor meant that Windsor now had a two-goal advantage against the Mustangs with less than ten minutes of hockey played. The rest of the first period saw a lot of back and forth between the Mustangs and the Lancers, However, no other goals were scored.
Going into the second period, the Mustangs came back with force. Just one minute and eight seconds into the second period, Captain Shane Bulitka opened up the scoring for the Mustangs with a shorthanded goal, assisted by Andrew Bruder.
The Mustangs came back with force, setting up many one-timers and putting immense pressure on the Lancers defence. However, an unfortunate slapshot and puck bounce meant that the Lancers further their lead again, making the score 3-1.
To start off the third period, the Mustangs came with aggression and force, setting the tone of the third period to be physical. Throughout the period, although there were many shots on net, there was also at least one person in the box for the first 10 minutes, with the Mustangs and the Lancers seemingly rotating which team had the power play. Captain Shane Bulitka stated that "our power play tonight was moving the play very well, and we hit a few posts there so we just need to focus on the positives." A well timed tip-in led the Lancers to continue their lead, scoring late into the third period.
Coach Clarke Singer stated that "the bad bounce [on Matteo Drobac one minute in] was a tough way to start the game, and we need to find a way to score a five-on-five goal."
STATS:
SECOND PERIOD:
Shane Bulitka (#11) assisted by Andrew Bruder (#43) @ 1:08
NEXT GAME:
The Mustangs and Lancers renew acquaintances on Saturday night (January 25), this time in Windsor. Puck drop is set for 7:30 pm, fans can catch the action on OUA.tv.
