GUELPH – There isn't much that surprises the Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team. The two-time defending McCaw Cup winners have been in every situation imaginable. So they were more than ready for the postseason to begin. Guelph played with the look of a championship contender in a thorough 2-1 win over the Brock Badgers in the first game of the OUA Quarter-final best-of-three series Wednesday night at the Gryphon Centre Arena.
This is the time to shine and the Gryphons did just that for most of the night, outshooting the Badgers 32-14 and controlling the play.
"We've been saying that this is a hockey player's Christmas this time of year," said captain Kaitlin Lowy, who scored the opening goal. "It's a grind to get through 24 games and seed ourselves well for the playoffs – and now, the fun stuff begins. We just get to play with our hearts. All the work is behind us, we're prepared. We play because of these moments."
Defenceman Katie Mikkelsen had Guelph's other goal, which proved to be the game-winner.
"It's playoff hockey so one-goal games are what you have to expect," said head coach Rachel Flanagan. "When a team pushes, you have to be able to survive and get back to your game. I think we did that pretty well tonight."
Guelph started strong and took a 1-0 lead at 18:35 of the first period when veteran forward Kelly Gribbons found her linemate Lowy, who buried a shot past Jensen Murphy. Lowy was tied atop the OUA with 15 goals during the regular season.
Brock answered just 35 seconds later on a goal that came with some controversy. Kat Whiteye got credit for a tip that Flanagan thought may have been a high stick.
It didn't matter as Guelph took full advantage of a Brock penalty for delay of game early in the second period. Mikkelsen got control of the puck on the ensuing power play, and unloaded a blast from the point that Jensen couldn't handle just 2:27 in.
Despite the disparity in shots and puck possession, Brock did have an opportunity for a late equalizer. With Jensen pulled for an extra attacker, the Badgers forced Lamenta to make a sprawling stop in the final minute. There was a late faceoff in the Gryphons' zone but Gribbons coolly won it and Guelph ran out the rest of the clock to preserve the all-important first win of the postseason.
"We're pretty experienced," Flanagan said of the poise in the faceoff circle late, while also noting that she and the staff propose potential scenarios so the players are never shocked by something on the ice. 
"Everyone on this team has been in high-pressure situations so I felt good about where we're at. It's a playoff game and you have to be ready for anything."
Game two of the series is set for Saturday afternoon in St. Catharines. The puck drops at 2:15 pm.
Lowy is expecting another battle.
"We've had a tough series with Brock all year and the playoffs are deep," the captain said. "One through 8 is really strong so we know every game is going to be a bloodbath. That's what we expected tonight, that's what we got but our work ethic propelled us."
