GUELPH, ON - With the 2016-17 OUA Men's Hockey Playoffs set to get underway, the Gryphons enter the postseason as the No. 4 seed in the OUA West. Their first round opponent is the fifth-seeded Brock Badgers with Game 1 of the best-of-three scheduled for Thursday night at the Gryphon Centre.
OUA WEST QUARTER-FINALS
| Game 1 |
Thursday, Feb. 16 - 7:30pm |
Brock @ Guelph (Gryphon Centre) |
|
| Game 2 |
Friday, Feb. 17 - 7:15pm |
Guelph @ Brock (Seymour Hannah Arena) |
|
| Game 3 (if necessary) |
Sunday, Feb. 19 - 7:30pm |
Brock @ Guelph (Gryphon Centre) |
|
Watch games live online at
www.oua.tv
PREVIEW
To say that these two teams do not like each other would be a huge understatement. In fact, that was made clear
before the season even started. Way
back on September 16, these two teams met up in St. Catharines in the opening game of their preseason schedules. The game, which was played in front of a crowd of 3,532 as part of Brock's Homecoming, saw several players on both sides ejected as tempers boiled over on more than one occasion. The teams were able to control their emotions by the time their regular season meetings rolled around, with each team picking up a win during their two head-to-head meetings.
The Gryphons finished the regular season with a 15-12-1 record and scored 102 goals along the way. Only the first-place Ryerson Rams scored more goals (136) in the 10-team OUA West Division. Not only have the Gryphons scored a lot of goals this season, the production has come from all over. 20 different players have found the back of the net with Rob Lepine leading the way with 15 goals on the season. The Gryphons will be looking to use that balanced attack to pressure a Brock team that has struggled defensively at times this season. Badgers goalies have been forced to make 984 saves this season, the highest total by any team in the OUA.
The Gryphons have had recent success in the OUA playoffs, winning the Queen's Cup two years ago and haveing advanced to the OUA West Finals in each of the past two seasons. Brock meanwhile is back in the playoffs after having missed out on the postseason a year ago when they posted a 6-15-7 record.
QUICK FACTS
Regular Season Records:
Guelph 15-12-1
Brock 14-13-1
Head-to-Head Regular Season Record in 2016-17:
1-1 (Gryphons won 7-2 back on Oct. 15 in Guelph, the Badgers won 3-2 on Oct. 29 in St. Catharines)
Players to Watch:
Guelph: F Rob Lepine – 27 GP, 15 G, 16 A, 31 PTS
Brock: F Andrew Radjenovic – 25 GP, 12 G, 19 A, 31 PTS
NOTE: A total of 16 teams (8 in the West Division, 8 in the East Division) qualify for the OUA Playoffs. The top three teams in the OUA will qualify for the
University Cup which takes place March 16-19 in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
For a full preview of all of the OUA's first-round playoff matchups,
click here.
