Women’s hockey extends win streak to four against York
The Guelph Gryphons and the York Lions faced off on Nov. 2 in a game highlighted with solid goaltending and strong defensive play – two of the less glamorous aspects of hockey. Mississauga native Christine Grant scored the only goal of the match to give Guelph the 1-0 win in the shootout. It was the Gryphons fourth win in a row, improving their record to 7-2-0 on the season. With the loss, the Lions fell to 3-4-1.
Megan Lee of the York Lions was without a doubt the star of the game, stopping a total of 38 shots. The Lions would only register 16 shots on Gryphon goaltender, Stephanie Nehring, a testament to the Guelph defense.
The Gryphons came out of the gates ready to play, taking possession quickly and forcing their game on the Lions. York kept up in stride, but struggled early on with turnovers. A game that saw it’s fair share of penalties had it’s first handed to the Lions’ Megan Finlay for holding at the 3:05 mark of the first period. The Gryphons had a strong two minutes, but Orillia native Lee stood tall, making an incredible glove save on Kaitlyn Mora to keep the game scoreless.
The second period continued with the Gryphons in control, even with Jessica Pinkerton finishing up a roughing penalty given out at the end of the first. A breakaway opportunity came early in the period for Guelph and Kelly Gribbons tried to capitalize on the chance, but Lee stood strong in net, keeping the game tied at zero.
The Gryphons persisted in their dominance, specifically in the shot department, but just couldn’t capitalize on scoring chances. In the second period alone, Guelph was on the powerplay for nine minutes with no goals to show for it. The Lions defensemen are to be credited with successfully boxing out the Gryphon set up, showcasing their strong penalty kill.
Both Lee and Nehring would continue to steal the show, neither allowing a goal through in the back and forth action for the remainder of regulation and five minutes of overtime.
In the shootout, Grant was the lone goal scorer finally solving Lee as the fifth shooter for the Gryphons, making it a 1-0 final in favour of Guelph.
The Gryphons have three upcoming home games in which they will look to improve their four-game winning streak. The first test comes on Nov. 9 when the Windsor Lancers roll into town for a 2 p.m. puck drop. The Western Mustangs (Nov. 10) and the Brock Badgers (Nov. 16) follow.