The Wilfrid Laurier University men’s hockey team fell short against the University of Guelph Gryphons on Saturday, Jan. 18, with a final score of 5-2.
The game started off physical, with both teams throwing big hits and 12 combined penalty minutes in only the first period.
Laurier’s team captain Patrick Brown, a fourth-year arts student, received a two-minute penalty for interference just under four minutes into the game. The Golden Hawks managed to finish the penalty kill without any opposing goals, only for Guelph forward Nolan Dann to score seconds after Brown left the penalty box.
However, the Gryphon’s lead didn’t last long, with first-year communications major Justin O’Donnell scoring Laurier’s first goal of the night a mere seven seconds later.
With the score tied at 1-1, the first period came to an end. The second period was stronger for the Golden Hawks with first-year arts student Ryan Pryce scoring Laurier’s second and final goal of the night just over two minutes into the period.
First-year communications studies major Lucas Chard got the assist on Pryce’s goal, commenting on the period and the Gryphons performance.
“They were pretty good, they’re a fast team so they kind of just came at us in waves but I think we had a good second period, we just have to build off that and play a full 60,” he said.
The Golden Hawks were in the lead for just under two minutes, until Guelph forward Nolan Degurse scored their second goal of the game. Laurier continued to fight to regain their lead, but the Gryphons had a strong offense.
“The whole game they were quick on transitions,” said second-year kinesiology and physical education student Callum Chisholm. “When we turned the puck over they were quick to come back at us and sometimes that caused us to struggle with our gaps and our D zone play and it showed in the score.”
The second period ended with a second goal from Guelph’s Nolan Degurse and the Gryphons regained their lead.
The third period had a slow start. Both teams were skating up and down the ice, back and forth without any goals and very little shots on net from either team until a fight broke out about six minutes into the period.
The referees quickly stopped the fight and both teams were given a two-minute penalty. A few minutes after the penalties ended, Degurse scored his third goal of the game giving the Gryphons a 4-2 lead.
The Golden Hawks put up a fight, but they couldn’t get the Gryphons out of their zone. With just under seven minutes left in the game, Guelph took their fiftieth shot on Laurier goaltender Paris O’Brien, a first year Languages student.
Laurier struggled to keep up with the Gryphons, allowing them a fifth goal with under five minutes left in the game. The Golden Hawks were outshot, with O’Brien saving 50 out of Guelph’s 55 total shots while Laurier’s offence managed to get 31 shots on net.
The game came to a disappointing end for the Golden Hawks, with Guelph taking the win.
Their senior day game will be against the University of Windsor on Saturday, February 15, at home in Sun Life Financial Arena, Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.
Photo by Jasmine Abel
