The men's lacrosse Gryphons opened their 2010 campaign on the road Sunday night with a convincing 10-6 win over Western.
Despite falling behind 1-0 early in the game, 4 different Gryphons rattled off 5 unanswered goals to put the Gryphons up 5-1 midway through the second quarter. A lapse in Guelph's discipline gave Wester a 30 second man advantage, but tough Gryphon defence easily killed the penalty. However, the momentum started to swing in Western's favour as they controlled possession of the ball in Guelph's end. Frustrated at the lack of offensive opportunities, Guelph began to rush their possessions, resulting in turnovers and more Western possession. Eventually, Guelph's disciplined lapsed again; giving up two one minute penalties which Western was able to capitalize on. At halftime, Guelph's lead had been cut to 5-3.
Gryphon draw-man Nick Smith, won the opening face-off of the second half and just over a minute into the frame, Gryphon attackman and team Captain, Justin Wilson-Kirby (Oakville, ON) gave the Gryphons a lift with a great individual effort. Kirby dodged behind the Western net, rolled left, then right, found a shooting lane and ripped a laser off the far post and in.
"We got that kind of effort all night" said Gryphon coach Sam Kosakowski. "Every time Western got some momentum, we responded by scoring a goal or two." And Kirby's goal was just what the Gryphons needed. The team controlled the bulk of the play in the third quarter but gave up a goal with 6 minutes left in the quarter. And, despite taking 3 more penalties, Guelph responded with two of their own, one from rookie midfielder Andrew Stoner (Orangeville, ON) and another from midfielder Nick Smith off a great feed from Connor Deuchars.
Up 8-4 going into the final quarter, Guelph took chunks of time off the clock, keeping the Western defence running around and their offence far away from the ball. In a desperate and predictable move, Western called for a stick check following Wilson-Kirby's 4th goal of the game. His stick was legal and Guelph maintained possession following the goal. The teams traded goals in the in the 4th but Guelph was just too strong for Western.
"It was a tremendous team effort", said Kosakowski "We were short 5 starters and looked to the depth of our team to step in and play". Anchored by some fantastic goaltending from second year goalie Jeremy Snider (Kitchener, ON), some great defence by a short staffed defensive unit the Gryphons got a well-deserved win. Seven players contributed to the score sheet, led by Wilson-Kirby with 4. Jordan Costa (Mississauga, ON), Rusty Poulton (Toronto, ON), Nick Smith (Mississauga ,ON) all had a goal each, as did Eric Hubert (Mississauga, ON) who also recorded 3 assists. Curtis Knight (Oshawa, ON) and Andrew Stoner (Orangeville, ON) both contributed their first goals as Guelph Gryphons.
The Gryphons will build on their strong start and head into a difficult week two. They will host Laurentian on Friday, September 17 and Sunday September 19th. In between, on Saturday September 18, the Gryphons will face off against their biggest rival, Brock in the in the marquee matchup of the Great Canadian Lax Bash. The Lax Bash will take place at Lamport Stadium in Toronto. Game time for the Gryphons is 8:30 pm.
