GUELPH, Ont. – It's become one the biggest University of Guelph events over the last decade. And the 10th edition of the Frosty Mug delivered yet again. The Guelph Gryphons men's hockey team put up an incredible fight but fell 3-2 in a shootout with the Laurier Golden Hawks in front of a record Frosty Mug crowd of 4,850 at the Sleeman Centre, the third largest attendance in the history of OUA men's regular season hockey.
Anthony Sorrentino scored the lone goal of the shootout when he beat Guelph goaltender
Andrew Masters on the stick side in the second round. The Gryphons had a chance to extend it but Ryan Valentini's deke and backhand attempt was saved by a diving Tyler Fassl, which enabled Hawks' captain Will Cook to accept the Frosty Mug trophy at the game's end.
The overtime period, the first ever in Frosty Mug history, was wild. Masters made the first big save, flashing his glove just 25 seconds in.
Michael Stevens, who scored the huge tying goal late in the third period to send it to the extra session, had a great chance when he dragged the puck and let go a low shot but Fassl made a good save. The goalie then denied a
Cody Thompson breakaway before his counterpart Masters responded with a game-saving stop with just over a minute left.
It almost ended in the final seconds when second-year forward
Todd Winder came in from the left circle and got a quick shot off but Fassl stopped it again as the Gryphon forward crashed into the net.
Nick Boyer had Guelph's first goal, a critical tally to get the hosts back in the game.
Nick Boyer celebrates a goal at the 2019 Frosty Mug
Masters was outstanding, making 24 saves on the night, including a highlight-reel full of huge stops in the first half of the opening period alone.
The third period had plenty to live up to after a raucous intermission that featured a great performance from the Gryphon figure skating team, a crowd that was in full voice through deafening renditions of "Sweet Caroline" and "Mr. Brightside," and an apparent (successful) marriage proposal on the Sleeman Centre's video scoreboard. And Guelph obliged with a big push to start the period as the "Let's Go Gryphons" chant reverberated through the building.
Guelph had a prime opportunity to find an equalizer midway through the third when Winder took a stick to the face and was cut, giving the hosts a four-minute power play. Captain
Scott Simmonds almost found the top corner when he stretched to get a shot on Fassl, which was as close as Guelph would come on the extended man advantage.
But the goal the Gryphons desired did come with 3:12 left on the clock and in dramatic fashion.
Mark Raycroft (two assists) carried the puck down the right wing and despite taking a high stick, the veteran defenceman continued on the delayed penalty call and centred to Stevens, who beat Fassl on the stick side, causing an eruption in the rink.
Stevens' goal capped a great comeback. Trailing 2-0, the Gryphons threw everything they could at Fassl on a power play late in the second period. The Laurier netminder came up big on a few occasions but as the man advantage expired, Boyer pounced on a loose puck in the slot and buried it into the back of the net at the 14:36 mark.
The atmosphere was electric from the national anthem on, with a massive throng of students, community members and countless Jr Gryphons proudly wearing their red, black and gold gear. And the pumped-up crowd was treated to a furious start to the game as both teams exchanged excellent chances in a wide-open first seven minutes.
Masters had to make a big save on a point-blank chance in the opening minute, which was followed by two great looks from
Andres Kopstals and Simmonds that Fassl denied.
A Frosty Mug record crowd of 4,850 packed the Sleeman Centre
Laurier drew a penalty moments later but the Gryphons' penalty-killing unit, which entered the night ranked third in the OUA (90.5 per cent), got the job done.
And immediately after Fassl made a big stop on a Winder one-timer from the slot, Masters produced a magnificent left-pad save on a blast from Cook. The Laurier captain had another choice opportunity on a breakaway moments later but this time, Masters used the right pad to keep the game scoreless.
Laurier eventually got the opener with just 39.1 seconds remaining in the first period when Jake Henderson got his stick on a point shot that made its way through traffic and past a screened Masters.
The Hawks doubled the lead just 4:07 into the second period when Jeremy Pullara steamed down the right wing and buried a slapshot from the right circle through the five-hole of Masters.
A game that wasn't short on intensity to begin with picked up from that point on, with both Guelph and the visitors showing emotion in post-whistle scrums and desperation each trip up the ice.
Guelph is 6-3-1 over the 10 years of the Frosty Mug.
Gryphon Take
"It was so enjoyable. The crowd is always there for us, always have our back. We made it tight tonight. Obviously, we wanted that extra point but we came up a bit short in the shootout. We're really pleased with the turnout and our students and fellow classmates coming out to support us. This team is resilient, we're never going to give up. We've proven that throughout the course of the season when things have been hard. We're not going to stay down and we'll continue to fight for everything. We're going the right way, we're playing pretty well, apart from a few mistakes. But we'll tidy those up and we'll be fine."
– fifth-year Gryphon captain Scott Simmonds
"It's only my second Frosty Mug but I know the fifth-year guys, it's something they have circled on the calendar. To have five thousand of your best friends in the stands, we get it once a year and we make sure that we put every ounce of effort that we can in the game. It was a good third period by us. We went down a couple but it was good on us to show the conditioning to keep going and not give up. Ultimately, a point in the standings is huge. As much as we would have loved two, you'd much rather have one than zero."
– Gryphon goaltender Andrew Masters
"Andrew was outstanding. He's been outstanding since (Evan) Cormier left for the pros. He;s giving us a chance to win every night and that's all we can ask for from him. Down a couple, it would've been easy to give up but the guys continued to work and create a bunch of chances. I'm very pleased we pulled ourselves back to a tie. The third period and overtime were exciting. Unfortunately, we still have to figure out the shootout. That's been cruel to us all year."
"This was the biggest Frosty Mug. It didn't disappoint anybody that was here, that's for sure. It had a little bit of everything, lots of chances, some big hits, some great penalty killing, and a big comeback to tie the game. For fans to have overtime and a shootout was an extra treat. Another wonderful Frosty Mug."
– head coach Shawn Camp
"The Frosty Mug is unreal. It's like a second Homecoming. It 100 per cent surpasses expectations. Busy, packed, a great time and great atmosphere."
– Carson Schleimer, 2nd year Criminal Justice major from Collingwood, ON at his second consecutive Frosty Mug
Three Stars
First star: Tyler Fassl
Second star: Andrew Masters
Third star: Anthony Sorrentino
The Record
Guelph is 9-10-0-4 (wins-losses-OT losses-SO losses)
Next up
Waterloo, Saturday, Jan. 26, 7:30 pm @ Gryphon Centre Arena
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 |
4,850 |
Jan. 24, 2019 |
WLU @ Guelph (Frosty Mug) |
Sleeman Centre |
Guelph, ON |
| 4 |
4,715 |
Jan. 18, 2018 |
WLU @ Guelph (Frosty Mug) |
Sleeman Centre |
Guelph, ON |
| 5 |
4,670 |
Jan. 19, 2017 |
WLU @ Guelph (Frosty Mug) |
Sleeman Centre |
Guelph, ON |
| 6 |
4,374 |
Jan. 14, 2016 |
Western @ Gue (Frosty Mug) |
Sleeman Centre |
Guelph, ON |
