GUELPH, Ont. – For the eighth time in program history the Guelph Gryphons are Ontario champions in women's hockey. On Saturday, March 14, 2026, in front of a sold-out crowd of 1,250 fans at the University of Guelph's Gryphon Centre Arena, the Gryphons women's hockey team skated to a 2-1 win over the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in the 2026 McCaw Cup (OUA championship game).
Katherine Heard, the Gryphons team Captain and 2025-26 OUA West MVP, scored the game-winning goal midway through the 3rd period to break a 1-1 tie, with Heard's shot trickling past Gee-Gees goalie Clara Grenier and in to give the Gryphons a 2-1 lead. Guelph would hold on from there, with U of G goalie
Martina Fedel turning away 28 of the 29 shots sent her way in the game, helping the Gryphons secure their eighth OUA title in program history and first since the 2018-19 season.
After a scoreless opening period, the host Gryphons opened the scoring midway through the 2nd period on a highlight reel goal from second-year forward,
Jessica Teskey, set up by
Myriam Parnell. Parnell was able to toe-drag past an Ottawa defender and slide a pass over to Teskey, who did the rest from there, firing a shot just under the crossbar and in to give the Gryphons a 1-0 lead. For Teskey, a sport and event management major at the University of Guelph and an Ottawa native, it marked her first goal of the season (regular season and postseason combined), brining the capacity crowd at the Gryphon Centre to their feet. The Gee-Gees, who entered the game in search of the first OUA title in program history, would tie things up at 1-1 thanks to fourth-year forward Alex Ferguson's breakaway goal at the 6:10 mark of the 3rd period. But just over three minutes later, the Gryphons would take the lead for good, when
Katherine Heard's wrist shot from the high slot trickled past Clara Grenier and in for what would prove to be the McCaw Cup-winning goal.
"We were just working so hard to try to get pucks on net, because Ottawa has a great goalie," said fifth-year senior
Katherine Heard post-game, who was playing in the final home game of her varsity career. "But it felt like slow motion watching that puck roll in. It was an awesome feeling. It's the best way to go out. That's the type of ending that you hope for as a player."
Heard was serenated with 'MVP' chants from the crowd following the goal. The Gryphons held on defensively the rest of the way, including a crucial penalty kill late in the 3rd period to help secure the OUA banner.
"We knew Ottawa was going to be a really relentless team, and we knew we were going to have to work one step at a time, one shift at a time," said Gryphons head coach,
Katie Mora, who is now in her third season as head coach of the University of Guelph women's hockey program after spending the previous seven as the team's associate coach. "We talk a lot about legacy and how can our athletes go about becoming the best teammates they can be. But now, not only can they call themselves great teammates, they can also call themselves champions. It is a special feeling to know that you are part of a group has now etched their names in a piece of Gryphon history."
The Gryphons have now been crowned OUA champions on eight occasions (2025-26, 2018-19, 2016-17, 2015-16, 1997-98, 1994-95, 1973-74, 1971-72). Both the Gryphons and Gee-Gees will now advance to the 2026 U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championships, with the national championship tournament set to take place in Elmira, Ontario (March 19-22). Seedings and overall schedule for the national championship tournament will be announced on Sunday, March 15. Guelph will head to Elmira in search of the program's second ever national title, with the Gryphons crowned U SPORTS champions during the 2018-19 season.
