The University of Guelph Gryphons ringette team took home gold last weekend at the London Ringette Tournament, going 2-0-1 through round robin play to make it to the finals. Guelph defeated Toronto in the tournament finals in a tight 4-3 game. The Gryphons improved on the previous weekend’s silver medal and achieved their first gold medal since last October.
Despite missing two key players, Guelph opened the tournament with a strong 8-0 win against Woodstock on Friday night. Scoring just 31 seconds into the game, the Gryphons were winning 7-0 going into the 2nd period. Leaders were Erin Ivens with two goals and three assists and Nicole Giordano with five assists. Steph Smith had a goal and three assists, Morgan Faulds had two goals, and Sarah Palmeter, Stacey Forbes, and Michaela Ondrejicka each scored one. Although the girls weren’t challenged hard in this game, it was understood that Saturday would present two much stronger teams.
Indeed, Toronto gave Guelph everything they could handle in game two, knocking the Gryphons off of their game and forcing a 1-1 tie. Jessica Johnston scored for Guelph early in the 1st period, and the score would remain 1-0 for almost the entire game, which lacked flow and Guelph’s usual dominating speed. With only 4 seconds left in the 2nd period, Toronto gained possession of the ring in their offensive zone. Screening Guelph goalie Kim Lamb, Toronto used a heavy shooter to score from the free pass circle with less than one second left on the clock. Although the tie still gained Guelph a point, they were not pleased with their performance.
In the third game against London, Guelph finally found their stride and skated to a 4-1 win. With goals from Giordano, Ondrejicka, and two from Johnston, the Gryphons finally used their speed, opened up the ice and stretched out their breakout passes in order to earn their place in Sunday’s championship game.
In the final game, Guelph once again faced Toronto, a rematch they welcomed after the previous day’s tie, which was still not sitting well with players or coaches. With two goals and an assist from Johnston and two goals by Shannon O’Dwyer, the Gryphons managed to come out on top of a back-and-forth 4-3 match. The teams exchanged goals throughout the 2nd period, with Guelph going up by one goal three times only to have Toronto tie it up again. However, Johnston’s goal scored with only 22.7 seconds left, followed by a complete defensive shutdown, earned Guelph the win and the gold.
Finally taking the top prize in a tournament gives the Gryphons hope for their most important tournament, the University Challenge Cup. When universities from across Canada come to North Bay to compete in January, the Gryphons will be ready and hope to feel gold around their necks once again.