The Western Mustangs’ women’s hockey team visited the Ryerson Rams for an afternoon game in support of the Do it for Daron foundation (DIFD) in support of mental health awareness.

Historically, the Mustangs have always had success against the Rams, with their all-time record being 16-1. However, Ryerson entered the game with an 8-2 record in their last 10 games and were looking to continue their hot streak as the regular season wraps up and playoff time rolls around.

Here is the game recap:

Period 1

The Ryerson Rams fell into penalty trouble in the first period as they had to kill off three Western power plays. While Western did have chances, the Rams did a good job of blocking shots and making their goaltender Rachel Seeley’s life much easier. The strong defense of the Rams kept the Mustangs off the board and the first period finished scoreless.

Period 2

The Rams came out of the gates with better intensity and put four shots onto Tareya Webster in the first minute of the period. Their offensive pressure lead to a power play in which they were unable to capitalize on. Webster was under siege all period long but she stood strong and kept the Rams off the board, stopping all 19 shots thrown her way. Then, with less than two minutes left in the period, April Clark sets up Emma Suitor for the tip in and give the Mustangs the 1-0 lead.

Period 3

Ryerson put everything on Webster but she turned them all 39 shots aside, recording her second shutout of the season. While the Rams did get a lot of shots, many of them were weak and came without any traffic in front of Webster. Rachel Seeley had a very strong game as well, but the team in front of her were unable to give her any goals to work with. The final score was 2-0 Mustangs, with the second goal being the empty netter that acted as the dagger against the Rams.

What to work on

Ryerson: The Rams need to stop taking careless penalties as they play very well at even-strength. They also need to work on getting secondary chances and getting in the goalie’s eyes to make their jobs much harder.

Western: While Western has the best power play in the league (25%), they were unable to capitalize on the plethora of chances they got in the game against the Rams. They’re going to want to work on their puck movement so that cross-seam passes can open up.

NEXT UP: Ryerson’s next game is next Thursday as they visit their cross-town rivals, the Varsity Blues. For Western, they will play next Friday back in Lodnon as they host Laurentian Voyageurs.