London, ON – The Western Mustangs hosted the Waterloo Warriors on Friday night at Thompson Arena, falling 5–2 in a physical matchup.
"I thought we outplayed them in the last couple of periods, but we just couldn't find a way to get that third goal." Head Coach Clark Singer said.
Waterloo struck early, opening the scoring just over three minutes into and take a 1-0 lead.
Shortly after, the Warriors took a tripping penalty at 3:55, giving Western an early power-play chance, but the Mustangs couldn't find the net. Western kept up the pressure and maintained good puck control for much of the period.
With two minutes left in first, both teams were called for penalties leading to four-on-four play. Just 30 seconds later, Lawson Sherk was sent off for holding, giving Waterloo a four-on-three advantage. The Warriors capitalized, scoring on the power play at 18:31 to make it 2-0.
Waterloo added another goal with 30 seconds left in the period to extend their lead to 3-0 heading into intermission.
The Mustangs regrouped early in the second. At 3:24, Drew Wawrow (#7) put Western on the board, scoring their first goal of the night, assisted by Shawn Ramsay and Aidan Prueter, cutting the lead to 3-1.
The physical play continued, with penalties called on both sides midway through the frame. Waterloo was sent off for holding, but just 25 seconds later Zach Power received a slashing minor, leading to more four-on-four action.
Late in the period, Western's Lawson Sherk was called for interference after Waterloo went off for high-sticking. Neither team could capitalize with the ice opening up again, and the period ended 3–1 for Waterloo.
Western came out strong to start the third. Just under two minutes in, Owen Saye (#17) scored, assisted by Eric Van Impe and Brett Willits, pulling the Mustangs within one at 3-2.
Waterloo answered back late in the period with two quick goals at 14:12 and 14:49, pushing their lead to 5-2.
The Mustangs had one final chance when Waterloo was called for high-sticking at 15:01, but Western couldn't convert on the power play. The Warriors held on to take the win.
"We've got one of the top teams in the country coming in tomorrow, so we'll need to be a lot better at the start." Head Coach Clark Singer said.
Western is back in action Saturday afternoon, hosting the Laurier Golden Hawks at 3:00 p.m. at Thompson Arena.
