Mustangs and Gryphons ready for a McCaw Cup rematch on Saturday

BURLINGTON, Ont. – The quest for the McCaw Cup will come to a conclusion Saturday, Mar. 12, as the No. 1 natioanlly ranked Guelph Gryphons and No. 3 Western Mustangs will each be looking to engrave their names on the prized trophy as OUA women's hockey champions.

The puck will drop at 2:00 p.m. for the single game championship at Gryphon Centre Arena in a rematch of last season's McCaw Cup final.

Although the Gryphons entered the postseason with the No. 1 seed in the nation, the path to the McCaw Cup final has been anything but easy.

After narrowly avoiding an upset in the first game of their quarter-final series, winning in overtime 2-1, the Gryphons dropped the second game against the Laurentian Voyageurs, ending a 12 game winning streak. The Gryphons then dodged a scare in the rubber match, as they were down at one point to the No. 8 Voyageurs, but ultimately clinched the series with a 4-2 win.

The series win set up a semifinal matchup against the No. 7 Laurier Golden Hawks. In game one, a pair of second period goals left the teams tied entering the third period, but an early goal in the frame by forward Mackenzie Wong (Surrey, B.C.) proved to be enough, as the Gryphons would hold on to win 2-1. Game two saw the Gryphons once again require a decision in overtime, with Kaitlin Lowy (Toronto, Ont.) eventually playing the role of hero by scoring the winner, giving Guelph another 2-1 win and punching their ticket to the McCaw Cup final.

Forward Christine Grant (Mississauga, Ont.) has proved to be a weapon for the Gryphons throughout the postseason, as her six points and three goals rank first and second, respectively, in OUA playoffs. Jessica Pinkerton (Oshawa, Ont.), who is fresh off being named an OUA second-team all-star, has also played a big role recently for the Gryphons, as she shares the postseason points lead with Grant, which includes four assists, good for second best in postseason.

The 2015-16 Player of the Year and first-team all-star Valerie Lamenta (Montreal, Que.) has also played an integral role in Guelph's playoff run, as she owns the fifth best goals against average (1.52) and fourth best save percentage (.930) in the league.

The Mustangs entered the 2015-16 season as defending McCaw Cup champions, and the results of their quarter-final series showed they were ready to pull off a repeat.

They were matched up against the No. 6 Waterloo Warriors, and left unscathed upon, shutting out the Warriors in two games en route to the series sweep, outscoring them 5-0 in the process.

Their semifinal showdown against the No. 5 Nipissing Lakers proved to be a different story, as the Mustangs would end up going the distance in this series. The two squads split the first two games, each claiming victory by a score of 4-2, setting up a do-or-die third game.

The final game of the series remained in stalemate for five consecutive periods, with either team unable to score a single goal. This would soon change in the third overtime, as Lyndsay Kirkham (Cranbrook, B.C.) broke the deadlock, ending the game and sending her team back to the McCaw Cup final.

Much of the Mustangs' playoff success can be attributed to netminder Kelly Campbell (St. Thomas, Ont.), who has been a brick wall between the pipes, as she owns the top goals against average (1.06) and save percentage (.959) in OUA playoffs, while collecting three shutouts along the way.

Forwards Evra Levesque (Wawa, Ont.) and Amanda Pereira (Oakville, Ont.), who are tied for the league in playoff points with six, have also been instrumental in an effective Western playoff run, with the former also leading the postseason with four goals.

The two teams first matched up against one another in the first game of the season back on Oct. 3, with the Gryphons winning by a score of 3-0. Kelly Gribbons (Port Elgin, Ont.) was the star of the game, coming away with a goal and two assists.

The second and final showdown between the two was played on Nov. 28, and saw the Mustangs even up the season series, winning 3-2 in a shootout. Anthea Lasis (Toronto, Ont.) led the way for the Mustangs, potting two goals, while Grant and Averi Nooren (Aylmer, Ont.), who was recently named an OUA first-team all-star, each found the back of the net in the loss.

Catch all the action from the McCaw Cup streaming live Saturday on OUA.tv or locally in Guelph on Rogers TV Cable 20 or in London on Rogers TV Cable 13.