St. Catharines, ON – The Western Mustangs wrapped up their road weekend with a hard-fought 3-2 loss to the Brock Badgers on Saturday night.

Both teams came out fast, trading early chances and looking for the opening goal. Brock struck first four minutes into the game after a string of shot attempts to take a 1-0 lead.

Western answered midway through the frame when Lawson Sherk buried a rebound to tie the game 1-1, assisted by Eric Van Impe and Owen Saye. Just three minutes later, Zach Power fired his fifth goal of the season from the slot, set up by Van Impe and Jacob Dietz, giving the Mustangs a 2-1 lead after one.

The Mustangs opened the second period on the penalty kill after a delay call but kept Brock off the board. Midway through the frame, both teams were sent off for penalties, leading to four-on-four play. The rest of the period featured heavy physical play and multiple stoppages as the officials sorted through penalties and discussions with both benches.

Western held strong on the penalty kill early in the third, with goaltender Jack McNaughton standing tall in net. Brock tied the game midway through the period, then took the lead 3-2 with five minutes remaining.

After a strong push in the final minutes and an outstanding 40-plus save performance from McNaughton, the Mustangs couldn't find the equalizer before the buzzer.

The Mustangs return to Thompson Arena on Friday, November 14, for a 7:00 p.m. matchup against the TMU Bold.