WATERLOO, ON – The Guelph Gryphons and Waterloo Warriors met up Saturday night at the Columbia Icefield Arena as two of the hottest teams in the OUA. The Gryphons entered the game winners of 10 of their last 12 regular season games. The Warriors came into the night riding a five-game win streak. When the dust settled, it would be the Warriors who came out on top of a penalty-filled, 3-1 game. With the loss, the Gryphons fall to 11-7-0 on the season, while the Warriors improve to 10-8-0.

With discipline an issue all night long between these two heated rivals, the Gryphons would find themselves trailing 1-0 after the opening period of play thanks to a power play gaol from Waterloo's Colin Behenna.  In the second period, the Gryphons were able to tie things at 1-1 when rookie Dylan Gilbert went top shelf for his sixth goal of the season. Despite the fact that the Gryphons had racked up 22 minutes of penalties and as a result were outshot 26-17 through the first 40 minutes, the game was tied at 1-1 heading to the final period of play.

Just over six minutes into the third period, Waterloo would re-take the lead on a goal from Andrew Smith. With around two and a half minutes remaining, Waterloo would extend their lead to 3-1 on a goal from Riley Sonnenburg. The Gryphons, who played shorthanded three more times in the final period, were unable to mount a comeback as they would go on to lose 3-1. Prior to this result, the Gryphons had held most of the bragging rights in the latest head-to-head meetings with the Warriors. Earlier this season, the Gryphons won 1-0 over Waterloo and also eliminated the Warriors from the playoffs last season when the teams met in the OUA West Quarter-finals.

U of G goalie Andrew D'Agostini made 29 saves in the loss. While discipline was an issue for the Gryphons, the U of G penalty kill units deserve credit after killing off eight of the nine power play opportunities for the Warriors. The Gryphons were outshot 32-25 on the night, including an 18-8 margin in the second period.

The Gryphons will now shift their focus to one of the marquee events on the entire Gryphon sporting calendar. On Thursday, January 14, the Gryphons will head to the Sleeman Centre in downtown Guelph to play host to the Western Mustangs in the 7th edition of The Frosty Mug. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm and tickets are still available. The game will also be televised live on Rogers TV Cable 20.