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2019 FROSTY MUG

TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT!! SOLD OUT EVENT!!!

Date:  Thursday, January 24, 2019 Time:  7pm Location:  Sleeman Centre (Guelph, ON) Opponent:  Laurier Golden Hawks Broadcast:  Watch live online at oua.tv Sponsored by: Champion Mortgage

  

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GUELPH, Ont. – Game day is always a little different than the normal routine when the Guelph Gryphons men's hockey team is prepping for the Frosty Mug. It begins with the traditional game-day skate at the Sleeman Centre to get a feel for the building and the smaller ice surface.

As the opening faceoff approaches, the anticipation reaches a new level for a regular season game as the Gryphon players know that almost 5,000 raucous fans, decked out in red, black and gold, will be providing the inspiration to make them perform at their best.
 
"It's a different atmosphere because there is so much enthusiasm with the students and the community," Guelph head coach Shawn Camp said in the leadup to the 10th Frosty Mug. "Our players feel it. They soak it up and it gives them such a lift.
 
"That's the thing we love about this game – it's such a big event."
 
Veteran forward Tryg Strand, who will be playing in his final Frosty Mug, is amazed by how much it has evolved since he participated in it for the first time back in 2015.

The game, which drew a record crowd of 4,715 in 2018, is unique for a regular season contest.
 
"As a fifth-year guy you try and soak in and enjoy every game, but obviously the Frosty Mug is one that's a little more special," said Strand. "The frenzy of energy that's in that building makes it one of the best atmospheres that a lot of us have ever played in, which is why it has so much hype for us. And not only is it fun for us but you can see how much fun everyone is having in the stands so you can't ask for much more than that." 
 
It's appropriate that the 10th edition of this special event is between the Gryphons and nearby rival Laurier. There have been many great battles against various teams in the previous nine games but the Hawks have always brought the best out of Guelph. And for a Gryphon roster that took a major leap forward last week, two points would mean much more than a symbolic victory in front of a big crowd.
 
"We're playing the right way coming into such a critical game," said Camp.

"And it has so much meaning in terms of the standings. It is such a logjam in our division again but this year might even be one of the craziest. There are so many teams tightly packed that a great weekend can leapfrog you over three or four teams and a bad weekend can drop you three or four spots. It's absolutely critical that we have another great effort."

Guelph lines up against a Laurier team that has been performing well of late and will undoubtedly look to avenge a thorough 5-0 defeat in last year's Frosty Mug, when the hosts overwhelmed them by pumping in three first-period goals. The Hawks have won three of their past four, scoring 19 goals in a stretch that includes a solid victory at Western and a sweep of last weekend's games in Thunder Bay against Lakehead. 
 
The Gryphons are also playing some of their best hockey of the season, recommitting to doing the simple things like managing the puck, moving their feet and limiting turnovers, in addition to seeing the power play come to life.

Guelph has created chances all year, registering an OUA-best 39 shots per game. But unlike last season when the goals were plentiful, they had not initially cashed in. The team's puck luck seemed to change last week and Camp's players were rewarded for their hard work and resilience with a couple important wins. The first came on the road against the No. 10 Ryerson Rams. Guelph trailed by two and stormed back to take a 3-2 lead before a massive Andrew Masters save led to Ryan Valentini's breakaway and OT game-winner. Two nights later, the Gryphons lit up Western for five third-period goals in a 7-1 thrashing of the third-place Mustangs. 
 
"It helps that we now have some bodies back in our lineup to give us some of the depth that we've always thought we've had," Camp said, referring to veteran players like Strand, Seth Swenson, Michael Stevens and rookie Connor Bramwell, who all missed chunks of time. "Now we're starting to see that balance on our lines, the chemistry because guys are getting the chance to stay together. For so much of the season, we've been juggling lines and we remained competitive because we had such depth. With getting guys back, it's the veteran team that we hoped we would be and we're playing very well as a group.
 
"It feels like it's coming together."
 
Strand and his teammates would love nothing more than to keep the good times rolling in front of the biggest crowd of the season. 
 
"We struggled to find our stride in the first half but since coming back from the break, and in the past two games, we have finally found our groove," said Strand. "A big part of that is we have accepted the responsibility to stay with the game plan for the full 60 minutes. 
 
"With how tight the OUA West standings are, every game until playoffs is huge. So to have the chance to play one of those games in front of 5,000 of our peers cheering us on is a major advantage."
 

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2018 FROSTY MUG RECAP  
 

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FROSTY FACTS

Gryphons all-time record in The Frosty Mug: 6-3-0
 

EDITION	DATE	ATTENDANCE	RESULT / SCORE	LINKS
Inaugural Frosty Mug	January 23, 2010	*NA	LOSS: Waterloo 3 - Gryphons 1	Recap
2nd Annual Frosty Mug	January 21, 2011	1,125	WON: Gryphons 3 - Laurier 2	Recap
3rd Annual Frosty Mug	January 20, 2012	1,512	WON: Gryphons 5 - Laurier 3	Recap
4th Annual Frosty Mug	January 18, 2013	2,357	WON: Gryphons 3 - Waterloo 2	Recap
5th Annual Frosty Mug	January 17, 2014	2,587	LOSS: York 2 - Gryphons 1	Recap
6th Annual Frosty Mug	January 16, 2015	3,699	WON: Gryphons 6 - Brock 4	Recap, Video Highlights
7th Annual Frosty Mug	January 14, 2016	4,374	LOSS: Western 3 - Gryphons 2	Recap, Photo Gallery, Video Highlights
8th Annual Frosty Mug	January 19, 2017	4,670	WON: Gryphons 2 - Laurier 1	Recap, Photo Gallery, Video Highlights
9th Annual Frosty Mug	January 18, 2018	4,715	WON: Gryphons 5 - Laurier 0	Recap, Photo Gallery, Video Highlights
10th Annual Frosty Mug	January 24, 2019	7pm	vs Laurier Golden Hawks

Largest Crowds for an OUA Men's Hockey Conference Game: 

Rank	Attendance	Date	Opponents	Venue	Location
1	5,346	Oct. 21, 2007	McGill vs Concordia (Corey Cup)	Bell Centre	Montreal, QC
2	5,230	Jan. 29, 2005	Lakehead @ Western	John Labatt Centre	London, ON
3	4,715	Jan. 18, 2018	Laurier @ Guelph (Frosty Mug)	Sleeman Centre	Guelph, ON
4	4,670	Jan. 19, 2017	Laurier @ Guelph (Frosty Mug)	Sleeman Centre	Guelph, ON
5	4,374	Jan. 14, 2016	Western @ Guelph (Frosty Mug)	Sleeman Centre	Guelph, ON