Photo Courtesy: Navaneeth Mohan - 94.9 Radio Western

GOJHL Playoffs

(2) London leads (7) St. Thomas 3-1

 The St. Thomas Stars staved off elimination on Tuesday, forcing a Game #5 of their series against the London Nationals with a 5-2 win on home ice. Lucas Mastroianni stepped up for the Stars with a goal and two assists, while Brady Elder and Eric Langridge both chipped in two assists each. Game #5 of the series will be played on Thursday evening at the Western Fair Sports Centre.

(6) Komoka leads (3) Chatham 3-1

 The Komoka Kings continued their strong postseason play, pushing the issue against the Chatham Maroons with a 6-3 win on Tuesday. Cameron Welch scored the eventual game-winning goal early into the third period, while the Kings’ leading scorer in the regular season, Joel Mazzilli recorded a goal and two assists. The Kings will have a chance to complete the first round upset on Thursday evening in Chatham for Game #5.

(1) Leamington leads (8) Strathroy 3-1

 After their Game #1 loss, the Leamington Flyers have responded with three straight wins to push the Strathroy Rockets to the brink after the 6-2 Flyers win on Tuesday night in Game #4. Leamington would score four unanswered goals to start the game off, which buried the Rockets early on. Dylan Weston had two goals in Game #4, while the Flyers’ powerplay recorded three goals. Game #5 will be played on Thursday evening with Leamington able to close out the series on home ice.

(5) LaSalle beats (4) Sarnia 4-0

The LaSalle Vipers were the only team in the GOJHL West playoff bracket who enjoyed a sweep of their first round series, beating the Sarnia Legionnaires 4-2 in Game #4 on Wednesday evening. LaSalle jumped out to a quick lead in the first period with goals from Aaron Shaw and Brett Vorshuk. Vorshuk would add an empty netter in the third or his second of the evening, giving him four goals and five assists in the series.

Western Mustangs

Hockey

The Western Mustangs men’s hockey team have one more shot at the U Sports National Championship tournament with a game in Ottawa against the Carleton Ravens. The OUA Bronze Medal-winner earns a wild card spot in the tournament, with Carleton being the finalist from the OUA East, while Western holds the same role out of the West. The Ravens are coming off a two-game sweep against the Queen’s Gaels in the East final. In Game #2 of that series, the Ravens lost 4-1 despite directing 50 shots on goal. Carleton beat the UQTR Patriotes in two games in the quarter finals, then took down the defending-champion McGill Redman in three games in the semi-finals. The Ravens have been led by Josh Burnside in the playoffs, who has two goals and four assists in their seven postseason games. Burnside had just three goals and 18 assists from the blueline in the regular season, and was named an OUA East second-team all-star alongside teammate Alexandre Boivin. The Ravens’ leader during the regular season was former Windsor Spitfire Jake Smith, who had 17 goals and 18 assists during the regular season to lead his team with 35 points. In between the pipes, the Ravens have third-year goaltender Francois Brassard, who had the fifth-best GAA at 2.33 and .918 save percentage and was named an OUA East first-team all-star. The Ravens and the Mustangs did not meet in the regular season. The last time they played one another was at the beginning of the 2017-18 season where the Ravens won a game in London 4-3. The Carleton Ravens last played in a bronze medal game in 2016, beating the Guelph Gryphons 4-1 to go to the National Championship tournament where they were eliminated in one game. The last time the Mustangs played in a bronze medal game was in 2010, where they lost to the UQTR Patriotes 4-3. Western was last in the National Championship in 2016. The Mustangs are 1-5 all-time against the Ravens, with their only win coming in their first-ever matchup in 2009. Western has been led these playoffs by Stephen Desrocher who has two goals and five assists in eight games. Luke Peressini and Jonathan Laser were both named OUA West second team all-stars, with Ethan Szypula making the OUA West all-rookie team, while the Ravens’ Darian Skeoch was named an all-rookie on the East side. The OUA Bronze Medal Game will be played on Friday evening at 7pm from the Carleton Ice House in Ottawa, Ontario.

Volleyball

The Western Mustangs women’s volleyball team is preparing for their Final Four match against the powerhouse Ryerson Rams. The Rams were 17-2 during the regular season, with one of their losses coming to the Western Mustangs on November 17^th. Ryerson boasts the highest hitting percentage (.280), the most assists per set (11.41) and the most kills per set (12.36). They are led by the OUA East Player of the Year, Theanna Vernon, who led the province in hitting percentage (.410) and blocks per set (1.56). They also have the OUA East rookie of the year, Lauren Wong, who finished as one of the top setters in the league averaging 9.7 assists per set. The Mustangs will rely heavily on the OUA West first-team all-star, Kelsey Veltman, who had the second-most kills in the OUA (261). The Rams and the Mustangs played in this match two of the past three years, with Ryerson winning both times. The one time Western did not play the Rams in the Final Four in 2017, they made it to the National Championship tournament. The Western Mustangs have won four straight OUA medals—none of which are gold. The Final Four will be played in Waterloo this weekend, with the semis happening on Friday night and the medal matches taking place on Saturday.