GUELPH, Ont. – It was almost as if Mother Nature knew the OUA hockey season was getting underway on the University of Guelph campus. The temperature plunged in the afternoon, a reminder that the sport of choice in the Canadian winter was here.
And the season opener started out well for the No. 7-ranked Guelph Gryphons. Despite scoring two late goals, Guelph ultimately fell 4-3 to the Ryerson Rams Thursday night at Gryphon Centre Arena.
Cody Thompson scored the opener before
Todd Winder and captain
Scott Simmonds added two late markers to cut into a three-goal lead. Goaltender
Evan Cormier made 31 saves in his Gryphon debut between the pipes.
Matt Mistele put Ryerson up 4-1 with 2:19 left in the game but the Gryphons tried to mount a rally. Winder showed off the skill that earned him OUA West Rookie of the Year honours last season, wiring a shot from the the slot past Rams' goalie Taylor Dupuis at the 18:29 mark.
Mark Raycroft shoots from the point
Simmonds added another to make it a one-goal game but there was a mere 1.4 seconds left on the clock.
The hosts got the jump with the opening goal but the potent Rams scored four unanswered to pull away before the late Guelph flurry.
No. 8 Ryerson came out of the second intermission looking hungry and scored twice in a span of less than four minutes. Mathew Santos registered a goal just 1:33 in to give the visitors a 2-1 lead and Marcus Hinds stretched the margin to two goals at the 5:20 mark when he got loose in the low slot and beat Cormier top shelf.
The Gryphons came out flying and almost got on the scoreboard in the opening minute when Winder was sprung but his quick attempt on Dupuis's five-hole was denied. Guelph would eventually get the opener on its first power play of the season midway through the period. Thompson went hard to the net and pounced on a rebound, burying a shot past a sprawling Dupuis. Connor Bramwell and Seth Swenson picked up assists.
The Rams, who scored 10 times in their OUA opener against Waterloo, would equalize late in the second period when forward Vince Figliomeni parked himself by the right post and tucked the puck in behind Cormier.
Turning point
Ryerson's third goal was a bit of a shock. Minutes after the Rams took their first lead of the game, Hinds quieted the crowd with an amazing wrister into the top corner that Cormier had no chance of stopping. Guelph had a couple decent scoring chances after that but Dupuis came up big, including a great save in the dying minutes on a rush down the right wing. Ryerson added its fourth on the next trip up ice, which proved critical with the two late Gryphon goals.
Gryphon Take
"Lots of lesson to be learned early in the season. We're a good team when we go north/south. When we go east/west, we're not as efficient. It's early in the year and we have to be simple. When we're simple, then our skill comes out."
"They (Ryerson) are a very offensive team. They're so explosive and so skilled, if you make mistakes against them, they'll bury them."
"The fourth goal ended up being the goal that hurt us the most because we battled back so hard. We just ran out of time. We had some really good efforts tonight. Sometimes the effort gets lost in the result. We have to play a little smarter and we'll be fine." –
head coach Shawn Camp
The Record
Guelph is 0-1-0-0.
Next up
@ York, Saturday, Oct. 15, 7 pm
