LONDON, ON – The Western Mustangs earned a 4-2 victory over the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday night at Thompson Arena, using a strong offensive performance through the first two periods to establish a four-goal lead before holding off a late push from the Gryphons in the third.
Western wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, with forward Zander Veccia (#74) opening the scoring at 3:01 of the first period. Assisted by Zac McCann (#96) and Keanan Hodgson (#71), Veccia gave the Mustangs an early advantage. Despite facing several penalties throughout the opening frame, Western continued to generate offensive opportunities and maintain its momentum.
The Mustangs doubled their lead at 13:30 when Nicholas Yearwood (#21) capitalized on a power-play opportunity, with Graeme MacAuley (#24) picking up the assist. Western's ability to find the back of the net on special teams proved important, as the team carried a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
The offensive pressure continued into the second period, with Western taking greater control of puck possession and limiting Guelph's opportunities in the offensive zone. Lawson Sherk (#39) extended the lead to three at 3:27, assisted by Noah Danielson (#29), before Aidan Prueter (#94) added another power-play goal at 11:28. Connor Driscoll (#89) and Veccia (#74) assisted on the play, giving the Mustangs a commanding 4-0 advantage heading into the final period.
The offensive production was spread throughout the lineup, with four different Mustangs finding the back of the net. Head Coach Clarke Singer highlighted how important those contributions are in a competitive league where teams cannot rely on just one line to generate offence.
"In this league, there's a lot of depth and to have everybody contribute like they did tonight is critically important," said Singer. "Sometimes when one line is going, and other lines aren't, it's really tough to win. You have to have contributions from everybody, the D, the forwards, and obviously our goalie was really good tonight again too."
The Gryphons looked to turn the momentum around in the third period, finding more opportunities offensively after spending much of the opening 40 minutes defending. Ethan Casper got Guelph on the board at 4:24 before Luke Johnston added a power-play goal at 8:56, cutting Western's lead to 4-2.
With Guelph pushing to close the gap, the Mustangs faced increased defensive pressure and needed to remain disciplined to protect their lead. Singer acknowledged that maintaining composure was an important focus heading into the matchup, particularly after a previous meeting between the two teams that saw Western spend 43 minutes in the penalty box. He also noted that Guelph entered the game with the second-ranked power play in the league, making discipline an important part of the game plan.
"I thought there were a couple instances where we sort of let the emotion and the intensity of the game get to us a little bit, but overall, I was happy how we managed our emotions throughout the game," said Singer.
Despite the Gryphons finding their offence late, Singer was pleased with the way his team responded to the pressure and finished the game defensively.
"I love the response. I thought the first two periods we were the better team, played a real solid game, but Guelph is a really good team too," said Singer. "I thought after the timeout, we did a good job of managing the rest of the game. Staying above puck, staying disciplined, putting pucks underneath them, and a real good job by the guys there the last 10 minutes."
Western finished the night with 28 shots on goal, while goaltender Liam Sztuska (#1) recorded 24 saves to secure the victory. The Mustangs also converted two of their four power-play opportunities, helping establish the early advantage that ultimately proved decisive.
The win sets up another important matchup for Western as the Mustangs prepare to face the Windsor Lancers, who have already defeated Western twice this season. Singer recognized the challenge ahead, noting that Windsor has consistently been one of the strongest teams in the conference.
"They're perennially one of the best teams on our side," said Singer. "We're going to have to be the top four game, no doubt."
The Mustangs return home to Thompson Arena to take on the Windsor Lancers at 7:00 p.m. Fans can catch the game in person or stream the action live on OUA.tv.
