Gryphons Beat Laurier in Front of Record Crowd at 8th annual "Frosty Mug"
GUELPH, ON -- There are some games that a team feels downright obligated to win. For the University of Guelph men's hockey team, the annual Frosty Mug falls into that category. Buoyed by their energized supporters, the Gryphons kept up their end, defeating the Laurier Golden Hawks 2-1 in front of an electric Frosty Mug record crowd of 4,670 at the Sleeman Centre Thursday night.
GUELPH, ON -- There are some games that a team feels downright obligated to win. For the University of Guelph men's hockey team, the annual Frosty Mug falls into that category. Buoyed by their energized supporters, the Gryphons kept up their end, defeating the Laurier Golden Hawks 2-1 in front of an electric Frosty Mug record crowd of 4,670 at the Sleeman Centre Thursday night.
Manny Gialedakis tallied the game-winning goal in one of Guelph's best all-around outings of this OUA season.
"It was a good night," head coach Shawn Camp with a wide smile after his team's eighth win in nine games. "We got off to a great start.
"And the crowd was unbelievable. It's like having an extra player on the ice. They gave us such a lift throughout the game, especially at the end when it was tight. The crowd really appreciated the effort. Guelph fans are the best."
Gialedakis would cement the win with a good bit of skill at 13:06 of the second period. The Woodbridge, Ont. native grabbed a puck out of the air, got it on the ice and quickly beat Laurier goaltender Colin Furlong, sending the packed house into a frenzy. For Gialedakis, the experience was something he'll always remember.
"I saw Trevor Morbeck come off the wall and it felt like he had the puck for at least 10 seconds before he flipped it up into the air," Gialedakis said. "I did my best to grab it as a wide receiver, with my left hand, put it down and I think I blacked out. I smacked it and just beat him on the blocker side. I'm not going to take any credit.
"This was a long time coming," he added. "Getting a chance to watch this last year as a red shirt and now coming full circle to play in it, words can't describe the feeling. The atmosphere in Guelph is unbelievable. The students really rally for one another."
Rookie Marc Stevens also scored Guelph (13-8-0), while Keith Hamilton got the call in net and came up big with 22 saves.
Hamilton, a fourth-year player from Kelowna, B.C., performed well, his best stop coming when he desperately dove to his right to get his hands on a puck late in the third period as the Hawks pressed for an equalizer with an extra attacker. Number one goaltender Scott Stajcer was serving the first of a three-game suspension for a match penalty in last Sunday's 5-2 win in Toronto.
"There were obviously nerves," Hamilton said. "Every year, this game gets bigger. It's great. It shows the support of the students. And the guys settled in nicely which helped me and made a huge difference."
Camp fully expected Hamilton to rise to the occasion.
"Keith's having a great year," the coach said. "We can play any of our goalies and not miss a beat."
The Winter Homecoming crowd was in a lather early and the hosts gave them reason to increase the volume with the opening goal just 2:46 into the first period. Mac Nichol slid a beautiful feed across to Stevens, who teed it up and buried the puck past a sprawling Furlong right as a Laurier skater left the penalty box. Nichol's assist was his fourth point ever in Frosty Mug competition, tying him with Ken Peroff for second most ever, behind only Justin Gvora (five).
Guelph maintained the pressure and was dominant in the opening period. The intense atmosphere spilled over into start of the second, which included a few shoving matches around the faceoff circle before the puck was even dropped.
Despite being outplayed, Laurier (10-9-4) kept the game close and took full advantage when the Gryphons were called for a high-sticking double minor. Erik Pushka tied the game 1-1 when he beat Hamilton at 6:37 of the second.
But Gialedakis would answer later in the period, with the red-hot Morbeck assisting on the play.
The Gryphons did a good job of limiting clear-cut scoring chances. This was a team effort and indicative of Guelph's "next man up" theme in 2016/17.
"That's been how we've operated with our whole roster," said Camp. "We're taking guys in and out of the lineup every night now, giving them a chance to go and they're all doing a great job. It's everybody.
"There's great cohesion with our group. When you're playing like this and getting those results, it's a good feeling."
Guelph has won five of the eight Frosty Mug games played at the Sleeman Centre, including two consecutive years against Laurier in 2010 and 2011.
The 4,670 fans in attendance eclipsed last year's record crowd of 4,374, which at the time was the fifth largest hockey crowd in U SPORTS history.
The Gryphons get back on the ice this Saturday when they host Waterloo at 7:30 pm.
Source: Guelph Gryphons
