Gryphons capture first McCaw Cup since 1998 with 5-1 win over Mustangs

GUELPH, ON - The Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team was all business Saturday afternoon. And that cool approach earned the top-ranked team in the country the hardware they so desperately desired. The Gryphons overwhelmed the Western Mustangs 5-1 at the Gryphon Centre Arena to secure the university's first McCaw Cup win since 1998. 
 
The Gryphons were calm and focused prior to the game but they exploded once the puck was dropped and essentially decided the contest with a near flawless first period. Guelph came at Western in waves and scored three times, while effectively limiting opportunities for the defending McCaw Cup and national champs.
 
That fast start ultimately propelled the Gryphons to reaching a season-long goal.
 
"It's amazing," said captain Jessica Pinkerton, who had two assists and received the Player of the Game award. "All of us have worked so hard all year and for it to finally come together and it to go our way, it's just incredible."
 
While the objective was to get their hands on the McCaw Cup, the players and staff were ready for anything against a Western team with such a history of success.
 
"We knew that we had to come in and have our very best effort today," said OUA Coach of the Year Rachel Flanagan. "We talked about some scenarios. What if we come out really hard and they get a goal? What if we come out and get three goals? How will we keep going? The girls really bought into that today and recognized they had to bring their very best but they had to stick to the game plan. It wasn't enough to just work hard. They had to understand the game plan, understand their opponent, respect their opponent and get the job done that way."
 
Kaitlin Lowy led the way with two goals. Christine Grant (two points) and first team OUA All-Stars Leigh Shilton and Averi Nooren (two points) also scored for the Gryphons, while OUA Player of the Year Valerie Lamenta made 14 saves.
 
Lowy has been a playoff hero for the Gryphons. The second-year Toronto native helped Guelph book a spot in the McCaw Cup with her overtime winner in the deciding game of the OUA semi-final with Laurier. And she carried that into the championship game.
 
Lowy scored her first of the day at 10:23 of the first after crashing the net and burying a rebound behind goalie Kelly Campbell. Her second at 14:18 of the second period was a big one. With Lamenta slapping her stick on the ice to signify the end of a Western penalty, Lowy teed up a point shot and beat Campbell with a low blast through traffic to reestablish a three-goal cushion. Nooren added a fifth for Guelph a few minutes later when she roofed one on another power play, a dagger for the Mustangs.
 
"It's incredible," said Lowy. "I'm really proud of this group. We really deserved it."
 
Guelph dominated in every aspect of the game. The hosts outshot Western 27-15 and scored on 3 of 5 power-play opportunities.
 
Katelyn Gosling, another first team OUA All-Star, scored the lone goal for Western.
 
Flanagan thought that an earlier playoff defeat to Laurentian was a positive for the Gryphons.
 
"They did us a huge favour handing us that loss," said the coach. "We had to respond, we had to be better and we had to remember what it was like to lose a game and that feeling that went with it."
 
Guelph's hunger for the game was obvious from from the opening face off. The Gryphons pushed the pace and spent and much of the first 10 minutes in the Western zone, while preventing the visitors from registering a shot on goal until the midway point of the first. 
 
Guelph tested Campbell early and the work began to pay off as Lowy and Grant scored 1:16 apart. After Lowy got Guelph on the board, Grant added another moments later when she went to the far post and put away a great feed from Pinkerton.
 
Lowy's opener marked the first time in the OUA playoffs that Guelph scored the first goal of a game.
 
The top-ranked team in the nation refused to sit back. In the dying moments of a Guelph power play, Shilton, who led all Canadian defenders in scoring, cruised into the slot and beat Campbell with a low shot for a commanding 3-0 lead.
 
But the defending McCaw Cup champions didn't exactly roll over. The Mustangs took full advantage of a Guelph penalty and scored with 1:23 left in the opening period on a high, hard point shot from Gosling.
 
"We were definitely due," Lowy said. "After they scored to make it 3-1, we knew we couldn't take the foot off the pedal. It was a relentless pursuit for the whole 60 minutes. We got better as the game went on and that's how you win a championship."
 
Western head coach David Barrett said his team was in good spirits heading into the game. The hole they found themselves in proved too much to overcome.
 
"Being down 3-0 is a challenge," said Barrett. "They got the jump on us and played much better in the first period than we did. They were full value for their 3-0 lead."
 
It was an impressive feat for the defending CIS champs to make it back to the McCaw Cup after a challenging OUA season. 
 
"Coming off of winning nationals last year, we had a lot of players come back who maybe weren't satisfied with just winning nationals, they had to do some more," said Barrett. "And we had a bunch of younger players come in who didn't know how to fit into our team. They're coming into a national championship team and kind of walking on eggshells. 
 
"Over the season, we battled through some adversity, some injuries and I thought we really came together as a team. We didn't really show it today, which is unfortunate with a good crowd. But I'm very proud of the way we've come together as a group and I'm hoping that we have a better showing when we head out to Calgary."
 
For the tight-knit Gryphons, the win was particularly gratifying.
 
"I love every one of them," Pinkerton said of her teammates. "We're so close and it's just amazing. I wouldn't want to share this with anyone else."