Laurier and Guelph meet Thursday night in "The Frosty Mug," live on OUA.tv

BURLINGTON, Ont. – For the third time in the eight year history of "The Frosty Mug," the Laurier Golden Hawks (10-8-4) and Guelph Gryphons (12-8-0) will clash at the Sleeman Centre Thursday night as the playoff race heats up.

Fans can catch all the action between the Golden Hawks and Gryphons streaming live on OUA.tv or watch the game locally on Rogers TV (Channel 368).  Click here to buy tickets to the game.

The annual Gryphons Winter Homecoming event is a chance for students, alumni, families, faculty, staff and corporate partners to re-connect with the University of Guelph and last season a record crowd more than 4,300 fans attended the game, the fifth largest attended men's hockey game in U SPORTS history.

Two of the Gryphons four wins in the event have come at the expense of the Golden Hawks as the hometown team treated their fans to back-to-back wins in 2011 (3-2) and 2012 (5-3).  However, Guelph will be looking to get back in the win column after a 3-2 loss to the Western Mustangs in last year's game put a damper on the festivities.

The Gryphons enter Thursday's game as one of the hottest teams in the OUA West Division with a 7-3 record over their last 10 games.  However, despite the recent run of success, Guelph hasn't been able to put any distance between themselves and the Golden Hawks as the teams are locked in a three-way tie with Windsor for third place in the division.

Guelph will look to Trevor Morbeck (Jackson, WI) to keep up his torrid pace of late as the third-year food, agricultural & resource economics major has 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) in his last eight games.  Morbeck was recently named the Investors Group OUA Male Athlete of the Week after he had four goals and an assist last week as the Gryphons swept their home-and-home series with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. 

In 20 games this season, the Jackson, WI native is second on the team in scoring with 10 goals and 10 assists and trails teammate Rob Lepine (Killaloe, ON) by just a single point.  Lepine currently sits in a six-way tie for fifth in the conference with 12 goals in 19 games this season but has found the back of the net for the Gryphons when it matters most.  The Killaloe, ON native is tied for second in OUA with four game-winning goals.

For the Gryphon offence it begins on the wing with a pair of dynamic playmakers in Seth Swenson (Parker, CO) and Cody Thompson (Mississauga, ON).  Swenson, who played with the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the Western Hockey League, leads the team 17 assists, while Thompson sits just two assists behind Swenson.

The Golden Hawks will look to forward Andrew Fritsch (Brantford, Ont.) as they try to pick up their first Frosty Mug victory over the Gryphons.  After spending the past two seasons with the St. Thomas Tommies, Fritsch transferred to Laurier prior to the season and hasn't missed a beat.  Fritsch, who was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the sixth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, leads Laurier with eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 22 games.

In his fifth and final season, Derek Schoenmakers (Kitchener, Ont.) is averaging just under a point-per-game with 20 points in 21 games played this season.  Mired in a mini three game scoring slump, the Kitchener, Ont. native would surely like nothing more than to lead his Golden Hawks past the Gryphons (and find the back of the net in the process).

Sophomore sensation Christian Mroczkowski (Kitchener, Ont.) continues to impress and in just his second season in purple and gold sits third in team scoring after the aforementioned Fritsch and Schoenmakers.  Mroczkowski, who hails from nearby Kitchener, Ont. and played for the Waterloo Siskins in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, has scored six goals and added eight assists this year.

Laurier have struggled to find the back of the net from the backend this season as rookie Jacob Hetherington (Kingston, Ont.) is the only Golden Hawks defenceman to have scored a goal this season.  However, where they've lacked in the goal scoring department, they've made up for in the assist column as Matt Franczyk (Winnipeg, Man.) and Mac Clutsam (Flamborough, Ont.) have combined for 20 assists.

Goals haven't been as hard to come by for the Gryphons defenders as Mark Raycroft (Woodstock, Ont.) has five goals this season, while Josh McFadden (Guelph, Ont.) and Mac Nichol (Listowel, Ont.) both have three each.  Thursday's game will likely be bittersweet for Nichol as it will be his final game at the Sleeman Centre after playing for the Guelph Storm from 2009-2012 

With starter Scott Stajcer (Cambridge, ON) currently suspended, the Gryphons will turn to Keith Hamilton (Kelowna, BC) to get the start on Thursday night.  In six games this season, Hamilton is 4-2 with a 2.65 goals against average and a .914 save percentage.  Relieving Stajcer on Sunday, Hamilton allowed just one goal against as the Gryphons defeated the Varsity Blues 5-2.  

Laurier will likely counter with Colin Furlong (Cambridge, Ont.) who has been outstanding in goal recently for the Golden Hawks.  Over his last four games, Furlong has a 2.39 goals against average and a .930 save percentage.  Against the UQTR Patriotes last Friday, the Cambridge, Ont. native turned aside 52 shots in a 3-2 Golden Hawks victory.  

Not only does "The Frosty Mug" feature over 30 former CHL players (OHL, WHL & QMJHL) on the ice between the two teams, the event also brings together potential future student-athletes as the four associations who have joined forces with the Gryphons to create "Junior Gryphon" partnerships (GMHA, GGHA, GMFA & GYBA) will be in attendance.

The Quest for the Cup Campus Tour, fuelled by Pioneer, will also be on site at TD Stadium in London to promote OUA student-athletes and competitions with an interactive OUA booth featuring contests, games and prizes, along with displays and promotional materials.