No. 1 Gryphons edge Warriors 3-2
Guelph, ON – They are the No. 1 ranked women's university hockey team in all of Canada. The streaking Guelph Gryphons played like it for much of Thursday night but they had to survive a real third-period test from a gritty Waterloo team en route to their eighth straight win in a tight 3-2 victory over the Warriors at the Gryphon Centre Arena.
Guelph, ON – They are the No. 1 ranked women's university hockey team in all of Canada. The streaking Guelph Gryphons played like it for much of Thursday night but they had to survive a real third-period test from a gritty Waterloo team en route to their eighth straight win in a tight 3-2 victory over the Warriors at the Gryphon Centre Arena.
Waterloo managed just eight shots on goal in the first 40 minutes of play but Paula LaGamba and Stephanie Digness put a scare into the Gryphons with goals in the third period. LaGamba got loose in front of Valerie Lamenta and beat the Guelph goalie just 13 seconds into the third to cut the Guelph lead to 2-1. The goal surprised the hosts after they dominated the first two periods but Jessica Pinkerton (two points) scored at 16:06 to restore the two-goal cushion. Captain Leigh Shilton, the reigning Gryphon Women's Athlete of the Week, rushed up ice and fed Pinkerton in front before the fifth-year Oshawa native took a couple swipes and banged it behind Waterloo goaltender Stephanie Sluys.
The goal proved critical as Digness scored on a howitzer from the point with just 90 seconds left in regulation. The Warriors pulled Sluys for an extra attacker but could not tie it up.
Mallory Young and Averi Nooren also scored for Guelph (8-2-2-0), while Lamenta stopped 17 of 19 shots. Nooren has been on fire this season and sits tied with LaGamba atop the OUA in goals (eight) and is alone in first in the points race (14).
Guelph wasted little time jumping out to a 2-0 lead by the 11:20 mark of the first period. The Gryphons created a couple early chances and were rewarded at the 6:02 mark when Young's point shot was partially stopped by Sluys before trickling over the line. It was her first goal of the season, with Laura Crowdis and Pinkerton picking up assists on the play.
Nooren, a fourth-year Child, Youth & Family student from Aylmer, made it 2-0 at 11:20 after breaking in on Sluys and lifting one high on the Waterloo goaltender. Kelly Gribbons had an assist for her 12th point (5-7-12), second on the team behind Nooren.
Lamenta made her 10th start and despite the two goals allowed in the third period, has been near unbeatable since taking over in the Guelph net. She entered the game second in the OUA in both goals against average (0.77) and save percentage (.968), trailing only her Waterloo counterpart Sluys. The second-year Mechanical Engineering student from Montreal didn't have the busiest night but some key saves, especially with her quick glove, kept the Gryphons comfortable as they held on to a lead for most of the game.
The Gryphons are tops in the league in both goals scored (38) and fewest allowed (13, tied with Western).
Guelph wraps up the 2015 portion of the OUA schedule this Saturday when they travel to London to take on the Western Mustangs. Game time is 7:00 pm.
Source: Guelph Gryphons
