London, ON – The Queen's Gaels women's hockey team fell 5-3 to the Western Mustangs on Friday night at Thompson Arena. Despite a strong special teams effort, the Gaels were unable to slow Western's offensive surge, dropping to 9-17 on the season with one game remaining before playoffs.

Queen's found itself in an early deficit when Western opened the scoring just over three minutes into the game. The Mustangs doubled their lead on the power play late in the period before Sarah Campbell (Commerce & Law) responded with a power-play goal of her own, cutting the wdeficit to 2-1 heading into intermission.

The second period followed a similar script, with Western extending the lead before Queen's answered back. Taya Leonard (Arts & Science) capitalized on a rebound midway through the frame, bringing the Gaels within one. However, Western regained the two-goal advantage before the period expired.

Queen's continued to battle in the third, pressing for a comeback, but Western's defense held firm. Rebecca Thompson (Arts & Science) found the net with a late goal to keep the Gaels within striking distance. With the extra attacker on the ice, Queen's pushed to tie the game, but an empty-net goal from the Mustangs in the final minute sealed the result.

Goaltender Emma Tennant (Mechanical Engineering) made 39 saves in a busy night between the pipes, keeping the Gaels within reach throughout the contest.
Queen's now turns its attention to the regular season finale against the Windsor Lancers on Saturday at Capri Pizzeria Recreation Centre. Puck drop is set for 4:00 p.m., and fans can stream the action live on OUA.tv.

3 Stars of the Game:
1st Star -  Sarah Campbell (Commerce & Law) – Power-play goal, key presence on special teams.
2nd Star -   Taya Leonard (Arts & Science) – Scored in second period, created offensive chances.
3rd Star -   Emma Tennant (Mechanical Engineering) – 39 saves, kept game close despite heavy shot volume.