Guelph, ON - The Guelph Gryphons Men's Hockey team got a real taste for winning late in the 2014/15 season. A run through the OUA playoffs produced a Queen's Cup and a subsequent bronze-medal finish at the CIS University Cup in Halifax. Those winning ways were slow to arrive this season but the defending OUA champions got back on track Saturday night at the Gryphon Centre with a tight 1-0 victory over the rival Waterloo Warriors, thanks to a pair of youngsters.
   

Cody Thompson, a first-year winger from Mississauga, ON, scored the only goal of the game for Guelph (1-2-0), notching the first of his young OUA career. And second-year goaltender Andrew D'Agostini was brilliant, turning away all 40 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season.
 

D'Agostini, the Top Goalie at the CIS Championships last March, had a notably busy start to the second period and made key saves that kept the game scoreless. His efforts allowed Guelph to go down the ice and take a 1-0 lead when Thompson went to the net and buried a rebound from a Nick Trecapelli shot at 3:52 of the period. Trecapelli has assisted on all three Guelph goals this season.
 

Guelph played with much more confidence after Thompson got them on the board. D'Agostini kept the level extremely high and the Gryphons seemed more precise breaking out of their own zone and finding open teammates.
 

Guelph did get fortunate when a Waterloo goal was waved off early in the third period after D'Agostini's net was dislodged. The Warriors then went on the power play with about eight minutes left in regulation but the Gryphon penalty killers played desperate, clogging lanes and fighting hard for the puck.

 

D'Agostini saved some of his best work for the third period, including a big stop on Mitch Elliot late in the game after the Waterloo forward broke in alone and tried to beat the standout goaltender low.

 

The Gryphon Centre crowd was hoping that a sentimental look back to the recent past would help kick start a team in search of its first win of the season. There was a pre-game ceremony to honour last year's squad and the championship banner was unveiled to applause, commemorating Guelph's first league title since 1997. Last year's captain Dan Broussard and outgoing Athletic Director Tom Kendall were on hand to drop the puck for the ceremonial face off.

 

But the 2015/16 Gryphons still seemed to be finding their way early in the home opener after scoring just two goals total in losses to Windsor and Ryerson. It was an erratic start by the hosts, who managed to get deep into the Waterloo zone but were unable to put many shots on goal. Guelph finally registered their first on Mike Morrison 8:06 in. A few turnovers almost proved costly as D'Agostini was forced to come up large on a Waterloo power play, denying two Warrior chances from in close midway through the opening period.

 

Waterloo outshot Guelph 40-19 on the night but the Gryphons came out on top in the only category that matters with a slim 1-0 victory over their local rivals.

 

The Gryphons are next in action on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 pm when they host the Ryerson Rams. That will mark the second meeting this season between the two teams after Ryerson beat Guelph 2-1 in Toronto last Thursday.