Home » Sports » Hockey » Mustangs trample Paladins in season opener

Mustangs trample Paladins in season opener

October 14, 2011
By Pat Robinson

The Western Mustangs opened their season with a bang on last Friday as they completely dominated the Royal Military College Paladins by a score of 5-2. Even the lopsided score didn’t do the Mustangs’ play justice as they out shot their opponents 48-21.

The Mustangs drew first blood early in the first period, when Chris Rocca put the Mustangs on the board.  Rocca netted the puck after a scramble in front of the RMC goaltender to score the go-ahead goal.

The Paladins would not lay down as they responded to the goal when Colin O’Rourke picked up a rebound and slipped the puck past the Mustangs rookie netminder, Alain Valiquette. With the score tied 1-1 after 20 minutes of play, the stage was set for the second period to play a big role in the outcome of the game.

The Mustangs made a large splash fuelled by two players that opened the floodgates in the second period. First, Mustangs forward Steve Reese scored 3:52 into the second, giving Western the lead. The biggest impact in the Mustangs victory came from first-year winger, Zach Harnden who scored back-to-back goals in the second. Scoring at the 4:45 and the 6:29 marks respectively, Harnden was able to propel the Mustangs to a commanding lead.

Pat Powers, Mustangs assistant coach, gave his praise to the rookie after the game.

“Zach is tenacious on the puck and has a very high talent level—we expect big things from him this year,” Powers said.

After helping the purple and white run away with the game, Harnden was quick to praise his line mates for his success.

“Keaton and Reese are really strong players and made it easy to find space on the ice with how much attention team’s give them,” Harnden said.

Fourth-year Keaton Turkiewicz had a strong game, assisting both goals by Harnden.  His performance also received high accolades from Powers after the game.

“Keaton is a leader on this team and he kept his feet moving all night which helped Zach have a big game,” Powers noted.

The Paladins third-year goaltender Andrew Flemming played a great game. Despite the lopsided score, Flemming was a big reason the game did not get more out of hand.

“He was tremendous for the Paladins and we were preaching to our players after the first when we were tied with RMC to stick with the game plan and fight the frustration,” Powers said about Flemming’s performance.

Powers’ thoughts on Flemming’s performance are echoed by Adam Shell, RMC’s head coach.

“He was very good for the whole game, and definitely after the first gave us a chance to win with the score being tied.  I have full confidence in his ability to be a difference maker in games for us this year,” Shell commented.

The Mustangs hit the road next week as they battle the University of Nipissing on October 14 and then the University of Toronto on the 15.

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