GUELPH, Ont. – Wednesday night at Gryphon Centre Arena, the No. 9-ranked Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team suffered a 4-3 shootout loss to the visiting Brock Badgers. The Gryphons, who remain atop the OUA standings, outshot the Badgers 45-25 on the night and had all three of their goals in regulation scored by first-year players. In the shootout, Gabby Smyth scored for the Gryphons in the opening round, but the hosts were unlucky from there, with a pair of shooters beating Brock goalie Jensen Murphy but not the post. Brock rookie Cassidy Maplethorpe would score the shootout winner in the fourth round, outwaiting Val Lamenta before going top corner to steal two points for the visiting Badgers who improve to 5-3-3-2 on the season and sit 6th in the OUA standings. For the Gryphons meanwhile, the loss snaps a four-game win streak and drops the Gryphons to 9-2-1-2 (wins | losses | OT/SO wins | OT/SO losses) on the season.
 
Brock's fourth-year goalie Jensen Murphy was busy all night, making 42 saves in the win. The Kingston native leads the OUA in saves (474) and ranks 2nd in the conference in save percentage (.944), behind only Guelph's Valerie Lamenta, who made 21 saves on the night. Gryphon rookies Gabriele Underwood, Nicole MacKinnon and Madison Melo all found the back of the net, with Underwood and Mackinnon both scoring in the 1st period for the first goals of their OUA careers, while Melo's 3rd period tally marked her second of the season and helped force overtime.
 
The Gryphons will return to action Saturday night at the University of Waterloo where they will look to remain undefeated on the road this season after winning each of their first seven games away from the Gryphon Centre.