TORONTO – The Rams women's hockey team hosted their annual Do It for Daron (DIFD) game in support of mental health against the Western Mustangs. Due to two unanswered goals by the Mustangs, the Rams fell short Saturday afternoon.

"You work so hard to try to get those [scoring] opportunities," said head coach Lisa Haley. "We talked about it after the game in the room and we're not getting the bounces today, but that just means we'll get them when the game's more important."

The Mustangs got possession first off of the puck drop, but it was not long before the Rams took control, outshooting the Mustangs 10-6 by the halfway mark. Despite the scoring opportunities, no goal could be made. The Rams would have some good chances in front of the net but would not be able to connect. Forward Olivia Giardetti (Whitby, Ont.) would get a breakaway opportunity but her shot had too much power and would go high and wide. The score would remain 0-0 at the end of 20 minutes. 

The Rams would get an early opportunity to score in the second period on a two on one, but a weak shot would kill that chance. The score would remain 0-0 as both teams kept going back and forth with no real scoring chance. The Mustangs finally get on the board first with just over one minute left in the period. Forward Emma Suitor would get the goal off of a centering pass in front of the net from forward April Clark. The would head into the third with the one goal lead. 

The last period started off aggressively with both teams checking tightly. The Rams had some more opportunities to tie the game but nothing got past Mustangs goalie Tareya Webster. Forward Madison Lalonde (Blenheim, Ont.) had a chance on a centering pass with an open net in front of her, but she just missed the puck. A couple seconds later forward Brooklyn Gemmill (Cambridge, Ont.) would get a chance off a rebound, but Webster would stuff the puck. The Rams would eventually pull goalie Rachel Seeley (Ottawa, Ont.) with one minute and thirty seconds left with hopes of tying the game, but an empty netter by Clark in the dying seconds of the game would give the Mustangs the 2-0 win. 

Despite the loss, the Rams' penalty kill had an opportunity to shine this game. With five penalties compared to Western's two, the Mustangs had plenty of opportunity to get a power play goal, but the Rams' penalty kill held strong and gave nothing away. 

"We're very proud of our effort on the defensive side of the puck today," said Haley. "Our penalty kill has been on a hot streak, they've been very committed to our system and it's working and that's always a good momentum builder for us."

The Rams are back in action on the road against the Toronto Varsity Blues on Thursday, January 23. Puck drop is at 11:00 a.m. ET and you can catch the game live on OUA.tv.