Box Score
Photo by: Christian Bender

Waterloo could not solve Western netminder Kelly Campbell as the Warriors dropped game one of the OUA quarter-finals 1-0 to the Mustangs on Thursday night in London.

The win puts Western up 1-0 in the best-of-three series and gives the Mustangs the opportunity to eliminate the Warriors on Saturday in Waterloo and advance to the OUA Semi-Finals.
 
It was a rookie that provided the only scoring in the contest as Evra Levesque scored in her first ever OUA playoff game late in the opening period.  Her seeing-eye shot from the slot got by the shoulder of Warrior keeper Rebecca Bouwhuis (Orillia) and that was all the offence the home side needed in the victory. 
 
The low score of the game may have been somewhat surprising as both teams came into the series as two of the highest scoring offences in the league, but the physical nature of playoff hockey turned the game into a defensive battle.
 
True to this form, both teams started a bit tentatively in the first period. Neither team took very many risks, with both remaining very conservative on the forecheck in order to have numbers back to defend the transition game. Waterloo, however, was able to muddy several Mustangs breakout attempts, which put Western on its heels for several stretches in the opening period.
 
The second period saw the physicality escalate. Western got very involved on the forecheck and controlled the play for the majority of the period. The Mustangs were given a power play chance late in the frame but were unable to capitalize and the score remained 1-0 going into the third.
 
The third period saw the Warriors press hard for the tying goal. The Mustangs blocked several shots and had solid defensive zone coverage in order to secure the victory. Due to the extended pressure, the Mustangs were outshot in the period 8-3, however Campbell was more than up to the task, stopping every puck sent her way to preserve the shutout and the win.  Bouwhuis stopped 18 of 19 shots for the black and gold.

Game two goes Saturday at 2:30pm in the CIF Arena.  Be sure to get your tickets or you can watch online at OUA.tv.