Guelph, ON – The Western Mustangs opened the 2026 calendar year with a resilient 3-2 win over the Guelph Gryphons on Friday night, showing timely scoring in their first road game of the new semester. 

The opening frame was tight, with both teams testing each other early. Western looked to generate chances right away, firing pucks on net and settling into the pace of play. 

Eight minutes in, the Mustangs took their first penalty of the night, giving Guelph a power-play opportunity, but Western's penalty kill held strong and kept the game scoreless. 

Moments later, Western earned a power play of their own but couldn't convert. Guelph was then whistled for another penalty immediately after, giving the Mustangs back-to-back man-advantage opportunities. A third Guelph penalty created a brief five-on-three for Western, followed by four-on-three and four-on-four situations, but strong defensive play on both sides kept the score 0-0 through twenty minutes. 

Guelph broke the deadlock early in the second, scoring at the 4:01 mark to take a 1-0 lead. 

Western responded quickly. At 7:17, Christiano Aiello tied the game during four-on-four play, finishing a setup from Zach Power to make it 1-1. 

Western took their first lead of the night midway through the third. At 8:00, Aidan Prueter scored shorthanded, his second short-handed goal of the season, burying a shot from Drew Wawrow to give Western a 2–1 advantage. 

The Mustangs continued to push, and at 14:40, Eric Van Impe added an important insurance goal, assisted by Aiello and Power to extend the lead to 3–1. 

Guelph pulled one back late at 19:03, but Western held firm in the final moments to close out the win. 

In goal, Jack McNaughton was steady throughout, stopping 23 of 25 shots to earn the victory.