Gryphons wins 12th straight game and capture third gold medal of season in 7-5 win over the Nipissing Lakers
The University of Guelph Gryphons ringette team went undefeated for a second straight tournament last weekend to win gold in the University Ringette League (URL) division of the 34th Annual Guelph Ringette Tournament. Winning all four games, Guelph improved their record this season to 19-4-1, and took home their third gold medal, with a 7-5 win over the Nipissing Lakers.
The Gryphons started off the weekend with a strong performance against Laurentian, winning handily by a score of 9-2. With a hat trick and two assists by Jessica Johnston, and two goals and three assists from Erin Ivens, Guelph – coming off a gold at the University Challenge Cup (UCC), proved once again they were the team to beat.
Guelph met Brock in their second game, which also proved to be their most physical, as Brock amassed 22 minutes in penalties. Fortunately, the Gryphons were able to resist retaliation, and on the back of a goal and three assists by Steph Smith, won the game 11-4.
Sunday morning saw the battered and bruised Guelph team facing their strongest competition, the Nipissing Lakers, in a preview of the afternoon’s championship game. Since Guelph beat Nipissing in the UCC gold medal game on their home ice in North Bay over the winter holidays, the Lakers have been gunning for the Gryphons. After the UCC, Nipissing coach Jeff Francom looked ahead to this tournament, saying, “We get a chance for some payback when we play against Guelph in their home arena.” However, Guelph had different plans, and came back from a 2-1 deficit at intermission to win the game by a score of 4-2.
Later that afternoon, Guelph played Nipissing for the second time, with gold hanging in the balance yet again. Guelph coaches, players, and fans were all nervous at the end of a first period that saw Nipissing control ring possession, dominate the blue line, and net three goals to go up 3-1 heading into the second. Facing adversity, the Gryphons pulled it together, scoring less than a minute into the second frame and never let up after that, winning the game 7-5. Goals were scored by Smith, Ivens, Shannon O’Dwyer and Morgan Faulds. Johnston also added a pair, bringing her point total to twelve in only four games, including seven goals.
Next up for the Gryphons is a final tournament in Niagara Falls, which will be a championship weekend for the inaugural season of the URL. With the Gryphons only URL losses coming to the Western Mustangs, they stand a good chance to improve their record and come out on top of the league.