GUELPH, Ont. – There was no shortage of youthful exuberance at the Gryphon Centre Arena Wednesday morning. The Guelph Gryphons men's hockey team had plenty of support with hundreds of fired up local kids in attendance for an early School Day Game on the U of G campus. But the Gryphons, despite a great comeback in the third period, were unable to muster their first win of the season and lost 4-3 in a shootout to the rival Brock Badgers.
 
Captain Scott Simmonds scored a huge goal with 2:18 left in the third period to tie the game 3-3 and send it to overtime. Simmonds corralled a puck in the crease and sent it in behind Brock goaltender Logan Thompson to equalize after Guelph had trailed 3-1 entering the final period.
 
There was confusion after that as the game was supposed to go directly to 3-on-3 overtime but the teams were initially instructed to go 4-on-4. That five minutes of play failed to produce a winner so after some more deliberation by officials, it went to a shootout.

 
Brock's Cosimo Fontana had the lone goal of the shootout on the very first attempt, beating Guelph netminder Evan Cormier to help the visitors hang on for the win.
 
Gryphon rookie Connor Bramwell registered his first OUA goal, while Nick Boyer also scored. Cormier made 29 saves.
 
Bramwell's goal was big as he took a pass in the low left circle, made an adjustment and then squeezed a beautiful shot past Thompson to cut Brock's lead to 2-1 at 16:19 of the second period. Bramwell looked like he had a power-play marker moments later when he was sprung for a breakaway and roofed another past Thompson but Simmonds was called for a charging penalty in the lead up and the goal was waved off.
 
That was a critical call in the game as Brock went down the ice during four-on-four play, with Fontana scoring at the back post to make it 3-1 Badgers.
 
The Gryphons got one back 1:42 into the third when Boyer gathered a rebound at the left post and lifted a shot past Thompson, setting the stage for Simmonds's equalizer.
 
The Badgers came out with focus and would take control early as Frank Pucci gave the visitors a 1-0 lead just 4:47 into the game. Cormier made a pair of solid saves but a rebound would fall to Pucci, who promptly buried a shot into the Guelph net. The Gryphons began to pick up the intensity after the goal and ended up outshooting Brock 15-9 after 20 minutes.
 
Adam Berg made it 2-0 for the Badgers with a big shorthanded goal at 11:02 of the second period. With the Gryphons power-play unit putting pressure on Thompson, Brock got the puck and broke up ice. Berg trailed and received a nice feed in the slot, lifting the puck high on Cormier's glove side.

 
Gryphon Take
"It was a great third period. It showed the resolve and character of our team, that we have it. When we work together, like we did in the third, we can make good things happen."
 
"It's making sure that we play together as a team, that we do all the little things together and play the right way. When we're cute, we're not very good. And when we're direct about our game, we're very efficient. We took another little step today. We're still not there but we'll be better on the weekend." – head coach Shawn Camp

 
The Record
Guelph is 0-1-2.

 
Next up
@ Queen's, Friday, Oct. 19, 7:30 pm