GUELPH, Ont. – Throughout the 2020 fall semester, the University of Guelph Department of Athletics will be highlighting various members from our Gryphon varsity teams as part of our "BioSteel Student-Athlete Spotlight." This week's edition features Andrew Masters, a management economics and finance major from the Gryphons men's hockey team.
IN THE CLASSROOM & COMMUNITY:
This past spring, Andrew Masters completed his undergrad, earning Academic All-Canadian honours while completing his degree in management, economics and finance.
Andrew Masters helping coach local youth as part of Gryphon summer hockey camps
The Kitchener native then decided to continue his education at the University of Guelph, and is now pursuing his
Masters in Leadership. Andrew has also worked alongside other Masters students as part of the University of Guelph's
International Institute for Sport Business and Leadership, where he has conducted research on salary analysis of the big four North American professional sports leagues (NHL, NBA, MLB & NFL). "My education was never going to stop at my bachelors," says the now 25-year-old Kitchener native. "U of G is definitely an emerging school in the sport business landscape in Canada, so it was a perfect fit for me since I was passionate about finding something that ties in my sport experience with some professional leadership roles."
Outside of his studies and athletics, Andrew also has found time to give back to the community through his work at the
Matt Smith Goaltending School. Once or twice a week, Andrew would make the drive to Waterloo or Cambridge to work with aspiring goalies on refining their skills. The ages of the kids Andrew works with ranges from pre-tykes who "can barely get their own pads on" all the way up to kids in grades 10 or 11. Masters has also regularly contributed to the Gryphon hockey camps during the summer months, where he interacts with children aged 6-to-13 at the Gryphon Centre arena.
ATHLETICS:
Just six months and 23 days ago, Andrew Masters was completing one of the greatest, single-game performances ever recorded by a goalie on the Gryphons men's hockey team. On Saturday, March 7, 2020, in front of a soldout crowd at the Gryphon Centre, Masters turned away 50 of the 51 shots sent his way to lead the Gryphons to a thrilling, 2-1 triple overtime victory over the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA championship game (109th Queen's Cup).
The standout performance earned Masters MVP honours of the OUA gold medal game and helped Guelph secure the seventh OUA banner in program history. It was also part of a memorable month of March for Masters, with the third-year goalie picking up a pair of season-defining wins.
On Sunday, March 1, Masters helped the Gryphons book a spot in the title game by making 17 saves in a 4-3 win over the Western Mustangs in a decisive Game 3 of the OUA West Finals series. For Masters, the March 1 matchup versus Western marked his first start in over a month (Jan. 30) after teammate Brendan Cregan handled the starting duties through the first seven games of Guelph's memorable playoff run. However, following a goaltending change in Game 2 of the Western series, Masters was called upon to help the Gryphons add to their championship history, and the Kitchener native delivered in a big way. For Masters, the journey to Guelph was a long and winding one. Prior to arriving at U of G, Masters estimates he was released by 22 junior teams before finally making a Junior A squad as a 20-year-old with the Georgetown Raiders. After spending one year in the NCAA with the Miami of Ohio Redhawks, Masters arrived at the University of Guelph and was named to the OUA West All-Rookie Team in 2017-18. After helping lead the Gryphons to a Queen's Cup appearance during the 2018-19 campaign, where they suffered a loss to the Queen's Gaels in the OUA gold medal game, Masters once again played a key role in helping Guelph return to the biggest stage in OUA men's hockey, this time finishing the job by helping Guelph secure their first OUA banner since 2014-15.
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