GUELPH, ON - The best thing you can say about Senior Night on Thursday at the Gryphon Centre is that it's over.
 
The Guelph Gryphons put up a disappointing performance to close out the OUA men's hockey regular season, falling 11-4 to the visiting Ryerson Rams.
 
"No. Nothing at all," head coach Shawn Camp said when asked if he could find anything positive about his team's showing.
 
"It was our worst performance, or non-performance, of the season."
 
The Gryphs actually led this game 3-2 at the end of the first period, with Manny Gialedakis scoring twice in the final three minutes to erase an early 2-1 deficit. Seth Swenson got Guelph's first goal.
 
"It was flattering that we were ahead after one," Camp said.
 
The lead didn't last. Ryerson scored four times in the first four minutes of the second period to go ahead 6-3. Stephen Hiff got one back for Guelph later in the frame, but the score was 7-4 after 40 minutes.
 
The Rams did not let up in the third, scoring four more times to put the game far out of reach. Aaron Armstrong, the probable OUA scoring champion, led the Ryerson attack with two goals and four assists. John Carpino and team captain Michael Fine also each scored twice while Devon Paliani, Daniel Poliziani, Daniel Clairmont, Erick DeLaurentis and Fabrizio Ricci added one goal apiece.
 
Graduating senior netminders Keith Hamilton and Scott Stajcer had a rough night in the Guelph nets. Hamilton took the loss, allowing six goals on 18 shots. Stajcer gave up five goals on 17 shots.
 
Brodie Barrick got the win in relief for the Rams, coming off the bench to stop 24 of 25 shots. Starter Taylor Dupuis gave up three goals on 15 shots in the first period.
 
It was Guelph's second loss this week to the first-place Rams, and third consecutive loss overall. It ensures the Gryphs will finish in fourth place in the OUA West Division.
 
A win would have pushed them past Laurier into third place, at least temporarily, but the team finishes with a 15-12-1 record and 31 points. The Golden Hawks, with 32 points, still have one game left to play.
 
The Gryphs now await their first-round playoff opponent. Windsor, Brock, Waterloo and Lakehead are battling for fifth through eighth places in the West; all four teams have two games left this weekend, and are separated from each other by only two points.
 
Camp said Thursday's game was definitely not how they wanted to close out the regular season.
 
"But that's where we're at right now," he said. "There's no excuses for that. But we'll regroup. We'll be better next week, when it matters.
 
"It doesn't matter who we play. Whoever we play, we'll just have to be better."
 
Five graduating players were honoured for Senior Night prior to the game – goalies Hamilton and Stajcer, defencemen Thomas Kohler and Peter Soligo, and centre Rob Lepine. All except Stajcer were in the starting lineup.
 
The Gryphs also graciously paid tribute to Ryerson seniors Fine and Clairmont, who were also playing in their last regular season games.