KINGSTON, ON — The Western Mustangs fell 4 to 1 to the Queen's Gaels on Saturday night, despite a strong push in the second period and a composed performance from goaltender Ella Brabrook.

Queen's carried the play early, controlling possession and generating the better looks in the opening frame. Western struggled to find shooting lanes, while Brabrook turned aside a key chance on a Gaels power play at 8:23. The pressure eventually broke through late in the period, with Queen's capitalizing on a rebound to take a 1 to 0 lead into intermission.

Western responded with urgency in the middle frame, playing noticeably faster and holding the majority of puck possession. The Mustangs were rewarded at 15:43 when #66 Sara Forwell buried an open-net chance, briefly pulling Western level. But the game swung sharply moments later — Queen's scored shorthanded at 3:10, then struck again just ten seconds after to restore control and go up 3 to 1.

Brabrook opened the third with a sharp save only 12 seconds into a Queen's power play, but Western couldn't generate the offense needed to close the gap. The Mustangs earned a power play of their own midway through the period, but the Gaels blocked lanes well and later iced the puck intentionally to relieve pressure before adding their fourth goal.

Western called a timeout with 3:44 remaining and pulled Brabrook for the extra attacker, but Queen's held firm to close out the game.

The Mustangs will look to rebound quickly as they head to Toronto tomorrow, Sunday, November 16th, to face the TMU Bold at 4:30 p.m. at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Fans can watch the game live on OUA.tv.