London, ON – The Western Mustangs opened their home schedule on Saturday afternoon with a strong 7-3 win over the York Lions at Thompson Arena.
"We have three staples: faceoff detail, forecheck, and playing hard in our own end. I thought we checked all those boxes tonight," said Head Coach Clarke Singer.
The Mustangs started aggressively, keeping the puck deep in York's zone for the opening minutes. Five minutes in, York broke out and scored the first goal of the game to take an early 1-0 lead.
At 7:07, York was called for cross-checking, giving Western their first power play of the game. The Mustangs made it count as captain Shane Bulitka scored on the powerplay, assisted by Owen Saye and Nathan Sauder, tying the game at 1-1.
"It was our first home game, and you never want to give up the first one. It was a good bounce back." Captain Bulitka said post game.
Western kept up the pressure, controlling the puck in York's end. Midway through the frame, goaltender Jack McNaughton made a big save, stopping a shot right on the goal line to keep the game even.
With six minutes left, Nicholas Yearwood scored to put Western ahead 2-1, assisted by Shawn Ramsey and Zach Power. York answered at 15:41 to tie the game 2-2.
The Mustangs responded right away; just over a minute later, Christiano Aiello regained the lead for Western with assist from Yearwood and Power, making it 3-2.
York was sent off for high-sticking at 17:52, giving the Mustangs another power play, but Western couldn't convert before the buzzer. The first period ended 3-2 in favor of Western.
York started the second period with a holding penalty at 3:16, sending Western to an early power play. Only a minute later, Bulitka struck again for his second of the game, assisted by Saye and Lawson Sherk, extending the Mustangs' lead to 4-2.
The physical play picked up midway through the period. At 10:10, several roughing calls came and Power and Yearwood were sent off for Western, while Hunter Brown and Sandhu served time for York.
At 14:42, York got a tripping penalty and this pit the Mustangs back on the man advantage. While Western didn't score on that power play, they kept the pressure on, and shortly after, Tye McSorley scored at 16:49, assisted by Yearwood and Wawrow, making it 5-2.
Western controlled the pace for the rest of the frame and entered the third period with a three-goal lead.
Two minutes into the third, rookie Shawn Ramsey scored his first Mustang goal, assisted by Power and Yearwood, extending the lead to 6-2.
At 3:31, Ben Campeau was called for hooking, giving York their first power play of the night. The Mustangs' penalty kill stayed strong, keeping the puck out of the net.
With just under seven minutes left, things got heated. Owen MacNeil from Western and Lucas Eagle from York both received roughing minors, while Brendan McCarthy added a charging penalty for York. The sequence gave Western a power play, but York scored shorthanded at 15:26 to make it 6-3.
The Mustangs closed out strong, and at 16:53, Aiello added his second of the game with an empty-net goal, assisted by Aidan Prueter and Eric Van Impe, sealing the 7-3 victory.
"We didn't sit on the lead going into the third, we came out and outplayed them." said Head Coach Clarke Singer
Western outshot York 52-15, staying in control for most of the game and showing composure in a physical matchup.
Mustangs return to Thompson Arena on Friday, October 24, for a 7:00 p.m. face off against the Waterloo Warriors.
