Late comeback leads Mustangs to double OT win over Golden Hawks
WATERLOO, Ont. – A late comeback attempt from the Mustangs was capped off by a goal from Rylan Bechtel at 3:02 of the second overtime period to give Western a 4-3 win over the Laurier Golden Hawks on Wednesday afternoon at the Sun Life Financial Arena in Laurier's annual School Day game.
WATERLOO, Ont. – A late comeback attempt from the Mustangs was capped off by a goal from Rylan Bechtel at 3:02 of the second overtime period to give Western a 4-3 win over the Laurier Golden Hawks on Wednesday afternoon at the Sun Life Financial Arena in Laurier's annual School Day game.
The win moves Western to 6-8-2 on the season, good for eighth in the OUA West. Laurier falls to 7-7-3 on the year and sit three points above the Mustangs in a tie for fifth.
Down 3-1 late in the third period, the game seemed to be going as many have for Western this season as they mustered lots of shots but could not finish. However, goals by Matt Marantz and Luke Karaim late in the third period sent the purple and white to overtime with momentum, and Bechtel scored to win it with just under two minutes remaining in double overtime.
Greg Dodds got the win in net for the Mustangs, making 35 saves in the victory, while Colin Furlong made 40 stops for the Golden Hawks.
After being outshot 17-12 in the first period, Western held a 32-19 advantage the remainder of the game and for a while it looked like they were going to take another hard-luck loss.
Of course, if you put enough shots on net, eventually some will go in, and that's exactly what happened for Western in the second period after a scoreless first.
After seven minutes of pure offensive domination and a 7-0 shot advantage, Ray Heuther scored on shot eight when he muscled his way to the net before squeaking a backhander into the back of the cage.
Unfortunately for the Mustangs, Laurier managed to rebound after their slow start. Game play evened out, and eventually so did the score, as Lucas Batt picked up his first goal and point of the season when he stuffed home a rebound of his own with less than seven minutes remaining in the frame.
Ninety seconds into the third period, the Golden Hawks jumped out ahead when Kyle Morrison received a cross-ice pass from Erik Pushka on the powerplay and fired a wrister glove side.
Laurier thought it added insurance later in the period when a beautiful chip pass from his own zone by Mitch Wright landed right on Cole Porter's stick, setting up a breakaway and a goal.
But then the comeback was on. Marantz got things started with 3:30 left as he stuffed home a rebound off a Karaim opportunity.
Two minutes later, Karaim was able to get things done for himself with the goalie pulled. He found the puck and shot through traffic to send the game to extra time.
The first overtime period was a defensive battle as neither team managed more than three shots, but once 3-on-3 began in the second overtime, play opened up.
As is typically the case, a nice save by the goaltender sent Western on a 2-on-1 the other way. Bechtel passed off to Heuther who was stoned, but Bechtel quickly scooped up the rebound and scored, sending the Western bench into a frenzy.
The Mustangs will look to create even more breathing room in the standings tomorrow as they play at Waterloo. The Warriors are still just three points behind Western for a playoff spot. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and fans can tune into all the action live on OUA.tv
Source: Western Mustangs
