Just under seven months after they captured the first OUA and CIS Championship titles in program history, the Western Mustangs women’s hockey team is set to return to the ice, this time to defend their provincial and national crowns.
Opening up the 2015-16 season with a six-game pre-season tour, the Mustangs will launch their official campaign on Oct. 3 against Guelph. The game is a rematch of the OUA Championship when Western defeated the Gryphons 2-0.
The Mustangs will then close out the weekend with a game against Waterloo – a team that hasn’t been able to take down the Mustangs since 2011.
With the top three scoring skaters returning to the ice together with superstar goalie Kelly Campbell, the Mustangs have a good chance to repeat their success from last year.
Already a two-time CIS First Team All-Canadian, two-time OUA First Team All-Star, and two time Western Female Athlete of the Year, Campbell promises to be a steady presence once again for the Mustangs. Meanwhile, Kendra Broad, the top-scoring member of the team, returns for her second season at Western after recording 19 goals and 18 assists on the way to the gold medal.
Supporting Campbell on the back-end is two-time CIS All-Canadian defenceman and Canada’s National Women’s Program strength and conditioning camp attendee Katelyn Gosling, who will suit up for her final campaign in purple and white after recording four goals and 18 assists throughout her penultimate season.
Despite losing some key pieces from last year, the men’s team is also looking solid on the defensive end.
OUA All-Star backstop Greg Dodds will return for his third year after an injury took him out of the net during playoffs. Peter Delmas, a former second round pick of the Colorado Avalanche, will challenge Dodds for the starting spot in the Mustangs crease in 2015-16. Only eligible to suit up for the purple and white for one season due to his professional experience in both the ECHL and American Hockey League, Delmas comes to Western after splitting time between the Gwinnett Gladiators, Wheeling Nailers, and Hamilton Bulldogs during his last few seasons in the professional ranks.
No matter whether it’s Dodds or Delmas between the pipes, it’s clear that goaltending will be one of the Mustangs’ biggest strengths this season.
And they will be supported by a strong core of veteran defensive players, including Stephen Gaskin and Colin MacDonald. A young group of forwards will be tasked with providing goals for Western, with sophomores Cody Brown, Dylan Corson, and Trent Ouellete coming back thirsty for more.
The upcoming season could be described as a rebuilding year for the Mustangs, with the majority of the team’s veteran leaders not slated to return, but it’s hard to discount a team with so much talent and potential.
The team will return to the ice on Oct. 9 traveling to face off against Brock, while making their 2015-16 Thompson Arena debut on Oct. 16.
