London, ON – The Mustangs started their weekend at Thompson Arena against the Guelph Gryphons and ended up falling 1-0 in overtime.

Head Coach Candice Moxley said, "It was a hard-fought, low-scoring game, but we've seen that all year. Our team battled to take it into overtime, and I'm really proud of this group."

The game started with high energy as the Mustangs came out strong, almost opening the scoring within the first minute of play. After the fast start, the pace slowed as both teams settled into a more strategic game. Guelph applied pressure midway through the period, generating a few quality scoring chances, but Western's defense held strong.

Western's #17 Alana Tymochko had a standout moment, where she broke into the Guelph zone alone and fired an excellent shot on goal, but the Gryphons' goalie made an important glove save to keep the game scoreless.

It was a clean period with no penalties, and the scoreboard remained unchanged at 0-0 heading into the second frame.

In the second period, Western took the game's first penalty five minutes in, giving Guelph a power-play opportunity. However, the Gryphons didn't capitalize. Shortly after, a tripping miscue by Michelle Gao from Guelph set up the Mustangs' first power play, but they were unable to convert.

The Mustangs had a couple of great chances to take the lead that they couldn't put away despite having Guelph on their heels. Ella Brabrook made more than a handful of saves to keep the team in the game, totaling 11 saves in the period.

In third period, the Mustangs were doing everything but scoring that much-needed first goal. They played with high energy midway through the frame, creating several close chances, but Guelph's goaltender was solid in net.

As the clock wound down, the game became even more tense. With three minutes left, the Mustangs regrouped and nearly broke the tie, but another key save by Guelph's goalie kept the scoreboard unchanged. The game remained scoreless in the end, sending the matchup into overtime.

Overtime
With the tension at its peak, Guelph found the breakthrough goal in overtime, securing the 1-0 victory over Western. The Mustangs fought hard throughout the contest, but the Gryphons capitalized on their opportunity to take the win. Ella Brabrook had a first-star performance with 23 saves in a match that looked a lot like playoff hockey.

Brabrook said post-game, "It's definitely a big mental game. It's tough coming in, especially if you don't play all the time, but you get to a point where you just want to have fun and stop the puck. I've done it my whole life, so being here, it's really fun to keep going."

Next Game: The Mustangs will bounce back tomorrow at 7:00 PM when they take on Brock at home.