Box Score

GUELPH, ON – Katherine Bailey scored the equalizer late in the third and her teammate Kelly Gribbons buried the overtime winner as the Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team won their final regular-season home game, and 10th decision in a row, 5-4 over the Nipissing Lakers Sunday afternoon.

The six graduating players on the Gryphons – Marcie Landman, Avery Nooren, Christine Grant, Leigh Shilton, Stephanie Nehring, and Jessica Pinkerton – were honoured before the game, and Nehring got her sixth start of the season between the pipes for the first-place Gryphons against the second-place Lakers.

The Oshawa, ON. native turned aside 18 of 22 shots as she earned her fifth win on the season, and came up strong late in the third when Nipissing went on a five-minute power play after Jessica Pellegrino was ejected for body checking Lakers forward Samantha Strassburger. On the same penalty kill, Nooren made a huge play in the crease to swat a loose puck off the Guelph goal line.



Special teams in general were huge for Guelph, who had just surrendered a three-goal lead, and were behind 4-3 at the time of the five-minute major (and game misconduct to Pellegrino).

The power play went one for two on the day – with Bailey's goal, while on a six on three (Nipissing was two skaters short, and Guelph had the goalie pulled) she went upstairs off a feed by Nooren – but could have easily been two for two, had it not been for Jacqueline Rochefort standing on her head in the Lakers net during a four-on-three power play in the extra frame. Rochefort wound up turning aside 32 of 37 shots the Gryphons put on net.

Many Gryphons turned in solid performances. Nooren stood out again adding two assists to go along with her game-saving clear on the penalty kill in the third. Pinkerton led the goal-scoring charge, finding the twine twice in the early going and added an assist, and Christine Grant also had a multi-point night, assisting on both of Pinkerton's goals.

Nooren, of Aylmer, ON. now has team-best 14 goals and 10 assists for a team-leading 24 points in 23 games, Pinkerton reached 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in as many games, and Grant has six goals and 15 helpers for 21 points in 22 games.

Guelph has one final tune up before starting postseason play (where they have already clinched the top spot in the OUA). It comes against ninth-place Brock in St. Catharines on Saturday February 20. The Gryphons, ranked first overall in the country, are now 16-4-2-1 on the season.