TORONTO, ON — The Western Mustangs faced a tough matchup on Friday night, falling 6–1 to the Toronto Varsity Blues at Varsity Arena. Toronto set the tone early and carried the pace throughout, while Western struggled to generate the consistent looks they needed despite a stronger finish in the third.

The opening period leaned heavily in Toronto's favour. Western created several rebound opportunities around the crease, but nothing found its way through. Toronto capitalized on their chances at the other end, striking three times before the intermission to take control of the game.

The second period brought major changes for Western, including a switch in goal with Ella Brabrook stepping in. The frame felt completely different in tempo, but Toronto continued to convert, adding three more—one at 11:14, another at 8:14, and a breakaway finish at 3:27. Western earned a power play late in the period, but Toronto consistently disrupted zone entries and limited any clean setup. High-quality chances were hard to come by, and by the end of the period, Toronto held a commanding 6–0 lead.

Western showed more life in the third, pushing back and eventually outshooting Toronto in the final minutes. A power play at 18:20 didn't yield momentum, but the Mustangs kept working and were rewarded when Lacey Larmand (#94) buried one at 13:36 to put Western on the board. Brabrook added a sharp save at 3:38, continuing a solid effort in relief. However, the early deficit proved too much to overcome.

The result breaks Toronto's seven-game drought and makes the uphill climb in the standings even steeper for Western. Despite the difficult night, the Mustangs' late push showed resilience they'll look to build on moving forward.

Western is back in action on Saturday, February 7th at 7:00 PM when they travel to Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens to take on the Nipissing Lakers.