GUELPH, ON -- The Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team has been rumbling through the OUA regular season schedule, yet Sunday afternoon's matchup with the visiting Windsor Lancers meant much more than points on the line. Guelph did extend its win streak to eight games with a decisive 5-2 victory over the Lancers at Gryphon Centre Arena. But the lime green tape used by both teams signified the true importance of an event billed as the 3rd annual "Fight For Kevin" game. The game was played to remember Kevin Siddall, the younger brother of former Gryphon goalie Brooke Siddall, who tragically lost his battle with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma on Feb. 4, 2014 at the age of 14.

"I'm far removed from the team now," said an emotional Siddall, who was on hand to drop the puck for the ceremonial face off between captains. "They don't even know me. I played with about five or six of the girls in that room. I thought this game would be a one-off.

"It's amazing. And it's touching, especially given the timing for my family."

Siddall said her brother was both smart and athletic, a kid wise beyond his years in a family filled with sports junkies. And while he was passionate about playing hockey and baseball, Kevin was a huge fan of Gryphon hockey. So he would have loved what happened early Sunday, though there may have been some nail biting in the third period.

The Gryphons methodically built a 3-0 lead but the Windsor offence, held in check all game, came alive midway through the final period. Taylor Conte wristed a shot past Stephanie Nehring at 7:13 to get the Lancers on the board and less than two minutes later, Hillary Hettwer scored on a deflection to cut the Guelph lead to one.

But the Lancers rally was quickly snuffed out as Brittany St. James put Guelph back in control minutes later. Windsor turned the puck over and St. James beat Windsor's Ingrid Sandven high on the blocker side at 13:07. Averi Nooren added a power-play goal in the final minute to wrap up a strong performance.

"We talked about Brooke's legacy, the way she played and how her family had dealt with things," said coach Rachel Flanagan. "We owed it to her to play hard every shift. We had a great start because of that and we played with emotion."

Kelly Gribbons, Christine Grant and Leigh Shilton also scored for Guelph (15-2-3-1), while Jessica Pinkerton and Katherine Bailey each chipped in two assists. Stephanie Nehring faced just 12 shots but came up with some key stops after Windsor got back into the game.

"Steph responded and beared down," Flanagan said of the stretch after Windsor scored twice, noting that a few defensive breakdowns left the goaltender in a vulnerable position.

The Gryphons rode that emotional wave and came out flying, taking a 1-0 lead at the 7:59 mark of the first period when Gribbons wired a slap shot high over Sandven's blocker, the third-year forward's 8th of the season and 20th point.

Guelph stretched the lead to 2-0 late in the first when Grant (two points) grabbed a rebound, patiently waited until Sandven went down and beat the Windsor goalie high. It was a dominant opening 20 minutes for the Gryphons, who out shot the Lancers 11-2. And not much changed in the second period. Shilton made it 3-0 when she battled in the left circle and beat Sandven with a quick shot through traffic at the 10:59 mark.

Guelph has been stingy defensively of late. They entered the day on a seven-game win streak in which they had shutout opponents four times during that stretch and allowed just six total goals. Windsor (7-11-1-2) featured a line with the top three scorers in the OUA in Krystin Lawrence (29 points), Erinn Noseworthy (27 points) and Shawna Lesperance (27 points, including a league-high 17 goals) and while the trio was shut down, Flanagan knew the Lancers would take their chances when they came.

"It was good to face some adversity," the coach said. "We have to remember that we can't just walk in and win games. It takes effort."

NOTES:

- Funds raised at Sunday's game go to Childcan, a charity that supports children and families impacted by childhood cancer
- Nooren (13-8-21) leads all Gryphons in goals and points. Gribbons is second on the team with 20 points
- Pinkerton's assists were her 10th and 11th of the season and her 19 points trails only Gribbons and Nooren
- Guelph out shot Windsor 30-12