Gryphons “Fight for Kevin” and top spot in OUA in wins over Windsor & Western
The Guelph Gryphons women’s hockey team had a monumental weekend in a number of respects. The Saturday, Nov. 9 game versus Windsor saw the Guelph community rally around the “Fight for Kevin” campaign to raise awareness for Lymphoma cancer while producing a convincing 5-2 victory over the Lancers. Sunday Nov. 10 was a back-and-forth matchup versus the Western Mustangs that saw Guelph prevail with a 4-3 victory.
Jessica Pinkerton, the OUA’s leading scorer and Guelph’s star third-year centre, picked up three goals on the weekend to up her season point totals to 19 (7G 12A). Brooke Siddall picked up the win for the Gryphons versus Windsor on Saturday while Stephanie Nehring tended the net in a win over Western on Sunday to pick up her seventh win for the Gryphons.
Guelph 5-2 Windsor
Guelph’s offensive prowess has produced three of the leading five scorers in the OUA, and it was on display versus Windsor. Guelph dominated the play, controlling the puck for the majority of the first period. With the Gryphons constantly on the puck, the scoring chances were plentiful in the first frame and at 8:46, Kaitlyn Mora scored her third goal of the 2013 campaign on assists from Emily Corbett and Averi Nooren.
Guelph went up 2-0 on a goal by Pinkerton before Nooren buried a goal of her own to put the Gryphons up three going into the second period.
Guelph would add another goal, this time form Christine Grant, prior to Windsor finally getting on the board to pull within three, down 4-1.
That was as close as the Lancers would get to winning; the Gryphons dominated the play from thereon, accumulating a total of 34 shots to Windsor’s 24, helping Brooke Siddall to her first win of the year.
Players from both teams, along with fans, sported lime green clothing and equipment as the hash tag “#FFK” was donned on signs and bracelets in what turned out to be a great showing of solidarity for Siddall’s younger brother, Kevin, who was recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Cancer.
Guelph 4-3 Western
The stresses of planning such a successful event like the “Fight for Kevin” initiative and playing a game the day before didn’t stop the women from coming out firing versus the OUA’s fourth place Mustangs, as Guelph was able to never lose the lead in a 4-3 win over rival Western.
The game solidified Guelph atop a tight field of contenders in the OUA standings, improving their season record to a very impressive 9-2-0.
Pinkerton once again dominated the ice, netting two goals and picking up one assist; while Nehring achieved her seventh win on the season.
The game began in high-flying fashion for the soaring Gryphons; Amanda Parkins rifled a shot top corner in the first minute to put Guelph up 1-0 on Western. Guelph’s defense couldn’t be underestimated in this game, as they didn’t allow a shot on net until the second half of the first period.
Western’s Brianna Iazzolino was called for tripping, and Pinkerton took advantage shortly after, scoring a power play goal to extend the Gryphons lead to 2-0. The go-ahead-goal proved important for Guelph as Western’s Michelle Saunders received a pass from Stacey Scott with less than a minute to go in the first frame; the score was 2-1 going into the second period.
Western’s intensity reached a new level to start the second as they rode the momentum from the period-ending goal by Saunders. Nehring stood strong, stopping the onslaught of shots from the Mustangs, and in a change of possession, Rachel Cassidy, first year left-winger for the Gryphons, fired a slap shot past the Western goalie to put Guelph up 3-1. Western clawed back on a goal from Natasha Panahi, but Pinkerton didn’t allow the game to stay that close; she netted her second goal of the game, and seventh of the year, off passes from Parkins and Grant.
The Mustangs fought within a goal of the Gryphons and that’s as close as they’d get. Guelph, on the back of 25 shots on net, pulled off a huge win over Western to stay in the dogfight for the OUA’s top spot. Guelph’s next game is on Nov.16 at 7:30 against Brock at the Gryphon Centre.