WATERLOO, Ont. - Laurier and Western squared off in an intense 2024 OUA season opener on Friday night, but it was the Mustangs who secured the win in overtime 3-2 at the Waterloo Memorial Rec Complex.
The first period started well, with Laurier welcoming back a few key players from injury.
One of the newest Golden Hawks, Max-Antoine Melancon, got the scoring started in the second period with his first OUA goal.
Melancon received a perfect pass in the slot from Evan Benwell and beat Mustangs goalie Matteo Drobac to give Laurier a 1-0 lead.
The purple and gold's momentum didn't last long, as Laurier was caught abandoning their positions a few too many times. The errors made way for Western to bounce back near the end of the frame, scoring two goals three minutes apart, giving the visitors a 2-1 edge going into the third period.
The Golden Hawks regained their footing in the third, fighting to tie up the game.
Isaac Sooklal - one of the returnees from injury and an OUA all-rookie a season ago - netted one from the blue line to get it back to all-square with eight minutes left in regulation.
Both teams played tough defence the rest of the way, forcing overtime.
The action in the extra frame had fans on the edge of their seats, with back-to-back odd man rushes and unbelievable saves from both goalies.
With just 1:11 left in the seven-minute frame, Western's Christiano Aiello pounced on a long rebound to pot the game-winner into a wide-open cage.
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Game Notes
The Golden Hawks' penalty kill showed promise in the pre-season, only allowing a single power-play goal in five games. The promise was fulfilled last night, going perfect on four different infractions.
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Up Next
The Golden Hawks face the Brock Badgers on Saturday night at 7:00pm at the Waterloo Memorial Rec Complex. Tickets are on sale now!
If you can't be at the game, follow the action on X (formerly Twitter) at @WLUAthletics or live on OUA.tv
