Lakers look for revenge against No. 4 Mustangs in OUA.tv Marquee Matchup

BURLINGTON, Ont. – The Nipissing Lakers (8-1-4-4) women's hockey team head to London, Ont. on Saturday looking to steal three valuable points from the defending OUA and CIS champions, the No. 4 nationally ranked Western Mustangs (10-1-4-0). 

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00pm at Thompson Arena on the campus of Western University. 

Coming off their first McCaw Cup win in program history, the Mustangs appear poised to make a championship run once again this season.  Currently sitting second in the standings, Western trails the No. 1 ranked Guelph Gryphons by eight points with two games in hand. 

After splitting their first six games of the season, many started to wonder whether or not the Mustangs would have it in them to repeat.  However, winners of three straight and eight of their last nine games, it's safe to say that they've silenced all those critics. 

Trailing Western in the standings by just two points, Nipissing would like nothing more than knock off the Mustangs in their own barn and sweep their season series in the process. 

It was a similar start to the season for the Lakers, who also split their first six games.  After dropping their first three, including a heartbreaking 2-1 OT loss to open the season to the rival Laurentian Voyageurs, Nipissing rattled off three straight wins to climb back to the .500 mark early in the year. 

A close 3-2 OT loss to Queen's on Oct. 24 brought an end to the run but the Lakers bounced back the following weekend, defeating the defending champs 1-0 at the Memorial Gardens in North Bay, Ont.

Jade Gauthier (Callander, Ont.) found the back of the net midway through the second period and that was all the offence the Lakers would need as Nipissing goaltender Jacqueline Rochefort (Ajax, Ont.) was perfect in net, turning aside all 23 shots she faced in the victory. 

For Nipissing, the win was likely bittersweet as it was the Mustangs who ended their season a year ago, sweeping them in the opening round of the playoffs. 

Just as she did last season, the Mustangs success begins in net with OUA first-team all-star Kelly Campbell (St. Thomas, Ont.).  Coming off a season in which she went 16-4 record with a .950 save percentage and a 1.30 goals allowed average, Campbell has shown no signs of slowing down.  Appearing in 13 of 15 games for Western, the St. Thomas, Ont. native sits second in OUA in save percentage (.958) and third in goals against average (1.25). 

Likely opposing Campbell on Saturday, Rochefort is quietly turning in an MVP caliber season for the Lakers.  The third-year psychology major has been a workhorse for Nipissing, leading OUA goaltenders in games played (16) and minutes (964:41) and is ranked third and fourth, respectively, with a 1.24 GAA and a .954 SV%. 

While it begins defensively in net for Western, it certainly doesn't end there as the Mustangs are one of the best defensive teams in OUA.  Led by 2014-15 OUA first and second-team all-stars Katelyn Gosling (London, Ont.) and Brianna Iazzolino (Thunder Bay, Ont.), the Mustangs have surrendered only 17 goals against in 15 games. 

Gosling, who helped lead Hockey Canada's Women's Development team to a gold medal at the 2016 Nations Cup earlier this month, has scored two goals and added six assists in 15 games.  With seven points in 14 games, Iazzolino sits third on the Mustangs in points by a defenceman behind Anthea Lasis (Toronto, Ont.) with nine and Gosling. 

Forward Kendra Broad (Petrolia, Ont) was a first-team all-star a year ago and with 14 points in as many games, the Master of Arts - Sports Management student-athlete sits tied for 8^th in league scoring and will likely be in the conversation again come March. 

Western is currently averaging 2.67 goals per game, the third best mark in the conference., with forwards Tia Kipfer (Stratford, Ont.) and Stacey Scott (London, Ont.) tied for the team lead with seven goals in 15 games.

For the Lakers, goals have been a little harder to come by this season, finding the back of the net just 31 times in 17 games.  The trio of defenceman Kayla Carter (Ottawa, Ont.) and forwards Brooklyn Irwin (Ayton, Ont.) and Samantha Strassburger (Schreiber, Ont.) are tied for the team lead with four goals apiece.  Last season, Strassburger paced the Nipissing attack with 11 goals in 24 games. 

The future is bright in the "Gateway to the North" as 2014-15 OUA all-rookie selections Kaley Tienhaara (Thunder Bay, Ont.) and Zosia Davis (Cobden, Ont.) are great building blocks for a Lakers team looking to take the next step.  Tienhaara is tied for the team lead in points with eight, while Davis has been a stalwart defender for Nipissing. 

The Lakers play a physical brand of hockey but doing so sometimes comes at a cost as Nipissing leads OUA in penalty minutes.  While they'll certainly be playing on the edge Saturday, the Mustangs could make them pay for any time spent in the box. 

Western leads the conference with 11 powerplay goals, converting at a rate of 16.7 % which ranks them second in OUA.  However, the Mustangs need to be cautious on the advantage as the sneaky Lakers have found the back of the net four times while shorthanded.

If you can't make it to Thompson Arena for the game, catch all the action Saturday evening streaming live on OUA.tv beginning at 7:00 p.m.  Fans can also listen to the game on 94.9 CHRW.