Box Score
Frosty Mug 2013 Gallery
In front of an electric home crowd, the Gryphon men's hockey team clinched a 3-2 win over their rivals, the Warriors in the annual Frosty Mug winter homecoming game held at the Sleeman Centre this evening (Jan. 18).
 
The win propels the Gryphons to 13-6-2 on the season, a record strong enough for third place in the OUA West Division, while the Warriors drop to 10-8-4. 
 
More than 2000 fans witnessed a fast-paced, physical game this evening, which featured several end-to-end rushes by both teams. The Warriors battled their way onto the scoreboard first, with a goal from Joe Underwood (Canton, MI), assisted by Matt Amadio (Sault Ste. Marie, ON), and Greg Steffes (Amherstburg, ON) at 9:00, but seconds later, Justin Gvora (Thunder Bay, ON) teamed up with Matt Lyall (Richmond Hill, ON) and rookie, Andrew Bathgate (Georgetown, ON) to net the equalizer for Guelph, tying the score at one goal apiece.
 
Minutes later, a speedy Guelph squad powered down the ice and into the Waterloo zone where Jordan Mock (Dartmouth, NS) scored from the slot on a perfectly executed passing play set up by veterans Jon-Thomas MacDonald and Ed Gale at 14:14 to take a 2-1 lead.
 
The Gryphons exploded onto the ice in the second period, scoring within the first two minutes of play. James Merrett (Vernon, ON) connected with a pass from Nathan Martine (Port Colborne, ON) and Nicklas Huard (North Bay, ON) and buried it in the back of the Waterloo net, to advance the score to 3-1 at 1:13.  With tension building on the ice, Waterloo was hungry for a goal and after several attempts to score, Kirt Hill (Winnipeg, MB) found the back of Guelph's net at 7:09.  Justin Larson (Buckhom, ON) earned the assist on the play.
 
In the third period, Guelph maintained a slight edge on the ice. Physical play resulted in penalties for both sides, but neither team was able to capitalize on the opportunity. With mere seconds to go, Waterloo made a last-ditch effort to tie the game and force overtime, pulling their goalie to add an extra attacker. However, Guelph's Andrew Loverock (Elmvale, ON) played an impressive game between the pipes, making several key saves, stopping 32 of 34 shots, to hold the Warriors to only two goals to earn the win with a final score of 3-2. Waterloo's Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener, ON) also had a solid showing in net, stopping 32 of 35 shots in tonight's match-up.
 
Tonight's game will be aired on Rogers TV tomorrow (Jan. 19) at 2:00 p.m. and on Sunday (Jan. 20) at 9:00 p.m. The Gryphons are back in action tomorrow night when they host the top seeded Mustangs at the Gryphon Centre at 7:30 p.m. The Gryphons will be looking to end the Mustangs 15-game win streak.