THUNDER BAY, Ont. – Learning to win with a young team can be a test of patience for many coaches. The 2019-2020 hockey Gryphons have been a quick study group in the OUA preseason.
Playing in Thunder Bay against the Lakehead Thunderwolves in a pair of back-to-back preseason games (Sept. 27 & 28), the Gryphons men's hockey team managed to earn a hard-fought sweep with 4-1 and 4-3 victories over the host Thunderwolves.
On Friday night (Sept. 27) playing behind veteran goaltender
Andrew Masters (Kitchener, Ont.) the fast-skating Gryphs held a 2-1 lead in the third period on goals from
Zach Poirier (Mountain, Ont.) assisted by
Ryan Da Silva (Newmarket, Ont.) and
Ted Nichol (Listowel, Ont.). When Lakehead pulled goalie Nic Reynard in favorr of an extra attacker in the third period, the Gryphons added two empty-netters from Da Silva (assists to
Ryan Valentini and
Giordano Finoro).
The Gryphons used a pesky penalty kill to hold Lakehead to 0-for-4 on power play opportunities while Andrew Masters finished the night with 33 saves on 34 shots.
On Saturday night, the Gryphons turned to rookie goaltender
Brendan Cregan (Bedford, N.S.) who turned in a solid performance in the 4-3 win. He received offensive support from Da Silva, who scored on the power play (assisted by
Stephen Templeton and
Andrew Dodson) to give Guelph a 1-0 lead. That was followed by another power play goal, this time from
Todd Winder (Uxbridge, Ont.), with assists from Da Silva and Templeton.
Winder would score his second of the night in the second period on a nifty setup by Templeton. The Gryphs would score their third power play goal of the game in the third period when
Marc Stevens (Turkey Point, Ont.) banged in a rebound from Valentini and Finoro. That built the lead to 4-1. Lakehead would score two in the third to tighten the score but the young Gryphons finished strong for the win. Cregan stopped 42 of 45 shots on the night.
The Gryphons complete the preseason with a perfect 4-0 record and will open the 2019-2020 regular season Fri. Oct. 3 at the University of Toronto against the Varsity Blues.
The Gryphons continue their six-game road trip on Sat. Oct. 5 at the University of Vermont Catamounts and finish Sun. Oct. 6 at the University of New Hampshire Wildcats.
