GUELPH – The Guelph Gryphons men's hockey team can score with the best of them. And the Gryphons flexed their offensive muscles Friday night on home ice. Marc Stevens led the way with four goals to lift Guelph to a wild 9-5 victory over the Laurentian Voyageurs for the team's seventh consecutive win.

Stevens scored his first of the night at 15:38 of the first period on the power play to get the Gryphons on the board after going down 2-0 early. The second-year winger from Turkey Point, ON, who played his junior hockey with the Guelph Storm, gave the hosts their first lead 1:46 into the second period before completing the hat-trick at 16:27 of the second, making the score 5-3. Stevens would add an empty netter late for his team-best 10th goal of the season.

Guelph leads the OUA West with 57 goals.

"We're happy with the win and we're happy with the offence," said head coach Shawn Camp. "But we'll have to tidy up the D."

Camp was impressed with Stevens, who registered his second hat-trick of the season. He also had three in Guelph's 4-1 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues on Aggies Night earlier this month.

"The puck followed him tonight," the coach said. "He got full value for those goals. Marc goes to the net really well and he was rewarded."

It was a huge night on the scoresheet for several Guelph players. Marc's brother Michael Stevens had a goal and two assists, as did captain Scott Simmonds, the reigning Gryphon Male Athlete of the Week. Todd Winder, Trevor Morbeck and Zach McFadden each had a goal, while Reilly O'Connor chipped in three assists. Mark Raycroft and Patrick Kudla added two helpers each.

Andrew Masters got the start in between the pipes and made 24 saves for the win.

While the final result suggested a fun night at the office for the Gryphons, there weren't too many laughs early. Brent Pedersen made it 1-0 Laurentian just 3:52 into the game and Xavier Couture tallied on a power play at 14:06 for a surprise 2-0 lead. But Guelph, thanks to both of the Stevens boys, snatched the momentum back. Marc replied to the second Voyageurs' goal just 92 seconds later and Michael made it 2-2 less than two minutes after his brother got the Gryphons started. Marc scored his second of the night early in the second period to give Guelph a 3-2 lead. But Luke McCaw kept the plucky visitors in it temporarily with a goal at 3:52 of the period. 

That was as close as the Laurentian would get as Guelph pumped in four consecutive goals, including the eventual game-winner from McFadden at 3:50 of the third period.

"Laurentian worked really hard," said Camp. "That's the way they play every night."

Guelph's seven-game win streak is the longest in the OUA at the moment, equaling the run that the McGill Redmen are currently on. The Gryphons sit second in the OUA West with 19 points (9-3-1), just one point behind first-place York (10-4-0), though the Lions have played one more game.

"We're ahead of schedule," Camp said with a smile. "We're typically a second-half kind of team."

Camp said it was good that the Gryphons will get back on the ice Saturday to host the Nipissing Lakers for the annual Hockey Day in Gryphonville game. It will be an opportunity to tighten up their defensive game, which he said will fall on both the goaltenders and skaters.

"It'll be fresh in everyone's minds," Camp said of the five goals allowed to the Voyageurs.