London, ON - The Western Mustangs closed out their home schedule Saturday night by honouring their graduating senior class, but came up short on the scoreboard in a 5–2 loss to the Lakehead Thunderwolves at Thompson Arena.
"This is the largest senior graduating class I've had at Western, and there are a lot of really good people in that group," Coach Singer said. "At the end of the day, it's not about the goals, wins, or losses — it's about the people you share it with."
Before puck drop, Western recognized ten seniors in their final home appearance of the season. The night was marked by emotion, physical play, and long stretches of special teams.
The opening period turned intense almost immediately. Just 36 seconds in, coincidental roughing minors created the first four-on-four situation of the night. Lakehead capitalized early, opening the scoring at 1:03, then adding a second goal at 6:45 to take a 2-0 lead.
Western had chances to settle the game despite penalty trouble. A boarding minor to Lakehead at 8:39 gave the Mustangs a power-play, but they were unable to convert. The Mustangs later killed off a slashing penalty to Lawson Sherk at 10:13, keeping the deficit at two heading into the intermission.
Lakehead extended the lead early in the second period, scoring at 3:08 and again at 8:38 to make it 4-0. Despite the setback, Western continued to push and was rewarded midway through the frame.
At 14:14, Zach Power broke through for the Mustangs, finishing a play set up by Christiano Aiello and Eric Van Impe to cut the score to 4-1. The goal reflected Western's persistence after sustained pressure in the offensive zone.
The period remained chippy, with a series of roughing penalties on both sides, but Lakehead added a power-play goal late at 17:27, sending the game into the third period at 5-1.
Western opened the final frame with renewed energy. After killing off another penalty at 7:22, the Mustangs went back to work on the power play. At 12:36, Owen Saye scored on the man advantage, assisted by Shane Bulitka and Zac McCann, trimming the deficit to 5-2.
The Mustangs continued to battle through a physical final stretch that included multiple penalties and misconducts, but no further goals were added.
In net, Jack McNaughton faced a steady workload, making 16 saves, while Western finished the night 1-for-7 on the power play and outshot Lakehead 30–21 overall. The Mustangs were assessed 28 penalty minutes, underscoring the physical nature of the contest.
The Mustangs now head back on the road to face the Guelph Gryphons on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Guelph, Ont. Fans can watch the action on OUA.tv.
