Last-second win for ‘Stangs; Beefs climb into 2nd; Shelton drafted to PWHL

Gameday in 5: A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (Sept. 11-17) — for London’s teams and athletes.

A last-minute touchdown by Savaughn Magnaye-Jones lifted the Western Mustangs to a comeback win over Queen’s Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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Western Mustangs Football

The Mustangs remained unbeaten (4-0) Saturday — although it took some last-minute magic to do so. At Richardson Stadium in Kingston, Western beat Queen’s 32-27 in a game that came right down to the wire. In the end, it was a Savaughn Magnaye-Jones touchdown with just 13 seconds left on the clock that was the difference.

Western opened the scoring in the game, with quarterback Evan Hillock connecting with Brayden Misseri for a 16-yard touchdown pass. Queen’s came within a point of tying the game early in the second quarter, but a pair of field goals from kicker Brian Garrity had the Mustangs’ up 15-11 at the half. Before Magnaye-Jones’ heroics later, the play of the game for Western came in the third quarter when defensive back Jackson Findlay returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown.

But the Gaels fought their way back, scoring 16 unanswered points and taking their first lead of the game on a goal-line run with just 57 seconds remaining in the contest. With time winding down and the Western offense trying to get into field goal range for a potential winning kick, Hillock did one better, connecting with Magnaye-Jones for a 55-yard, game-winning touchdown. Hillock finished the day 17-for-27 for 273 yards and two touchdowns (and one interception). Running back Keon Edwards racked up 133 yards on 18 carries in the win. 

Up next:

The Mustangs (4-0) are back in action Saturday for their annual Homecoming game. They’ll host Ottawa at Western Alumni Stadium.

Sat. Sept. 23 (1:00pm vs. Ottawa Gee-Gees)

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London Beefeaters

Fresh off a lopsided win over the Quinte Skyhawks, the Beefeaters took down the Hamilton Hurricanes Sunday, 20-13, in a close contest at Tim Hortons Field. The teams both entered the game with 3-2 records, meaning London climbed into second place following the win.

The Beefeaters dominated the scoreboard in the first half, taking a 17-0 lead into the break, with running back Geoffrey Clubine producing both first-half touchdowns. Hamilton put up a fight in the second half, but London was able to hold them off for the 20-13 win. Adam Wojnowski had a pair of field goals for London.

Up next:

The Beefeaters (4-2) are back home this weekend to host the GTA Grizzlies at City Wide Sports Park.

Sat. Sept. 23 (5:00pm vs. GTA Grizzlies)

NASH Cup

The 15th annual Nash Cup squash tournament will take place this week (Sept. 19-23), hosted at the London Squash Club. Action gets underway Tuesday with the first 16 round-robin matches. Players from 19 different countries will be represented at this year’s tournament. Of the 48 total players in the men’s and women’s draws, 25 of them are ranked in the top 100 in the world.

In its second year as a ‘Challenger 20’ event, the winners on both the men’s and women’s sides will take home $20,000 USD. Canada is well represented at the tournament, with David Baillargeon (No. 52) being the highest-ranked Canadian on the men’s side, and Hollie Naughton (No. 19) the highest-ranked woman (Naughton is the NASH Cup’s top seed on the women’s side).

The Western Mustangs will also be represented well by current and former players, with Salah Eltorgman, Mitchell Kahnert, Liam Morrison and Catherine Giachino all having ties to the university. 

PWHL Hockey

At the inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Draft Monday, former London Devilettes player Ella Shelton was selected 4th overall by New York. A defender for Canada's senior national hockey team, she’ll head to training camp in November before the launch of the new league this winter.

Shelton, 25, made her senior team debut at the 2021 World Championships. Since then, she's won two World titles and an Olympic gold medal. She played her junior hockey years with the London Devilettes -- and her collegiate years at Clarkson University.

Brittany Howard, meanwhile, was drafted in the 10th round by Toronto. A former London Devilette herself, Howard, 27, played her college hockey at Robert Morris University and has since played pro for five years. Most recently, she tallied 26 points in 20 games for the Toronto Six of the PHF during the 2022-23 season.

Prior to Monday's PWHL Draft, the first 18 players had been signed by the inaugural six teams in the league (three each). The draft consisted of 15 rounds.