GUELPH, Ont. – Time is winding down on the 2018-19 OUA season but for three Gryphon teams, there is everything to play for this week.
Men's Volleyball
OUA Quarter-finals
No. 4 OUA West Guelph Gryphons (8-9) vs No. 1 OUA East Queen's Gaels (15-3)
Saturday, March 2 - 3pm
Athletics & Recreation Centre, Kingston, ON
Zach Newman will remember his fifth and final year in red, black, and gold as an "absolute rollercoaster." In a season where the Gryphons have had stretches both good and bad, the Guelph veteran began the journey manning his usual left side position. But for quite a while now, Newman has shifted to the right – out of necessity. Few OUA teams have had to deal with a barrage of injuries that led to a shift in approach because of the many holes that required filling. Star Kendrick Kerr, who was expected back for the second half of the season, never got healthy, and towering Aussie Sam Nothnagel, one of the glue guys on the team, suffered a serious knee injury that ended his year.
There were other issues, like an ankle problem for rookie Arjun Selhi and even Newman himself played through injury. The Gryphons persevered and made the playoffs, thanks in part to courageous play from regulars who had to learn entirely new roles.
"We completely revamped our lineup, moving guys around to different positions and most impressively having two rookies in Gideon (Dresser) and Arjun coming in and making an immediate difference," said Newman, a Leadership and Organizational Management major from Kitchener, ON.
"At that point, we experienced a real season high going on a five-game win streak, as well as overcoming Queens."
Guelph's fantastic run of play was one of the stories of the OUA season, including the gratifying 3-1 upset of Queen's at home back in January. The Gryphons have struggled won the stretch but will have the opportunity to advance and Newman is happy to see the team a little healthier when they line up against the OUA East leaders in Kingston. Guelph can probably expect an entirely different Gaels team than the one that came to the GGAC.
"The atmosphere will be different, being in their home gym this time around and what's at stake makes this a completely different ball game," Newman said, noting that the Gryphons can't get overconfident based on the last meeting. "Once you're there at a playoff game, the previous games don't matter anymore and it all comes down to the next three to five sets. This week is going to a lot of intense practices mostly focusing on our ability to put in aggressive serves to knock them out of system and executing our defensive strategy to react to their big swingers."
Newman feels happy that the team made the postseason and that he personally has an opportunity to play a little more university volleyball. As the year wore on, he reflected on his career and felt he had made the best possible choice to come play for Guelph and head coach Cal Wigston.
"This match means a lot to me and I know I have the guys around me that will show up to play during game time so that we can extend our season," said Newman. "The relationships I have built over the years and the experiences I have had made me into who I am today. I could not have asked for a better group of guys to play with each season I've been here."
Gryphon Individual Statistics
Gryphon Team Statistics
Gaels Individual Statistics
Gaels Team Statistics
Women's Hockey
OUA Semi-finals
No. 1 Guelph Gryphons vs No. 5 Ryerson Rams
Game 1 (best-of-three series), Wednesday, February 27 - 7:30pm, Gryphon Centre Arena, Guelph, ON
Game 2 Friday, March 1, 7:15pm in Toronto, ON
Game 3 (if necessary), Sunday, March 3 - 2pm in Guelph, ON
To say the Gryphons women's hockey team is motivated would be a bit of an understatement. Guelph made an exit from the 2018 OUA playoffs sooner than they would've liked and the team played the entire regular season as if there was something to prove, leading the conference in both goals scored (79) and fewest allowed (33). And once the postseason came around, there was no let up as the Gryphons swept the Brock Badgers in their OUA quarter-final series without allowing a goal.
"The atmosphere has been really good," said star fifth-year goaltender Val Lamenta, who was in between the pipes for the back-to-back shutouts.
"We came back very focused from our Christmas break and everyone was looking forward to the playoffs. These are some big games and our team rises to the big occasions."
Lamenta said that last year was a learning experience for the group. She acknowledged that the league keeps getting better every year, creating more parity. And as was the case in previous seasons, including the two consecutive McCaw Cup victories in 2016 and 2017, head coach Rachel Flanagan will focus on a theme for the players to internalize throughout the campaign. Lamenta said the mantra in 2018/19 has been "Tap In," which is a reminder for every team member to both give and receive feedback.
"We have a very deep roster and everyone brings something special and valuable," said the former U SPORTS Player of the Year. "We can always rely on our teammates."
Guelph will need that togetherness if they hope to make another appearance in a McCaw Cup with Ryerson being a tough, physical opponent. Lamenta knows the Rams are skilled offensively and coming off a big series win over Queen's. The experienced Gryphons have their own firepower , with captain Kaitlin Lowy and fourth-year forward Claire Merrick combining for seven points in the two playoff games so far.
Guelph will graduate a big group of players this year, including the foundational pieces in Lowy and Lamenta. They are determined to make sure their collegiate careers don't end this round.
"If we bring our best hockey, we will like the outcome," said Lamenta. "We have a veteran team and all of us are extremely motivated to make it to the and bring Judy (the McCaw Cup trophy) and a national championship home."
Postseason Individual Statistics
Postseason Team Statistics
Men's Hockey
OUA West Final
No. 4 Guelph Gryphons vs No. 3 Western Mustangs
Game 1 (best-of-three series), Thursday, February 28 - 7pm, Thompson Arena, London, ON
Game 2 Saturday, March 2 - 7:30pm in Guelph, ON
Game 3 (if necessary), Sunday, March 3 - 7pm in London, ON
Peaking at the right time has a lot to do with which team ends the OUA season holding the Queen's Cup. And the Gryphons men's hockey team have certainly been peaking in recent weeks as they head into the OUA West Finals.
After sweeping Windsor in the first round, the Gryphons earned a gritty 4-3 victory in game 3 of their OUA West semi-final series to eliminate the No. 1-seeded Ryerson Rams. The Gryphons now sit two wins away from playing for an OUA title.
"The group collectively is very positive," said fifth-year captain
Scott Simmonds. "We have made the commitment to give one percent more from every player and staff member in order to be better each game. We're excited to continue this playoff push together."
That last win to eliminate Ryerson was a result of a four-goal outburst in the second period, including two from Simmonds, who was seeing his first action in the series after serving a two-game suspension.
It showed the resolve of a team that has a number of experienced players who know what it takes to win in the OUA playoffs, in addition to a wealth of talented, young contributors, led by Todd Winder and his OUA playoff-leading six goals and 11 points.
Trailing 1-0 to the Rams after 20 minutes, and facing a playoff exit, the Gryphons dug deep.
"In the first intermission we talked about raising our game, and we came out with some great sustained pressure that would eventually lead to four goals," said Simmonds, who thanked his teammates for taking care of winning game 1 in order for him to get a chance to play again this season. "They played hard in both games to start the series and showed real character when coming back in game 2. There was a lot of excitement for me to be back in there and I was thankful that I could contribute to a solid team win.
"No one on our team is interested in playing our last game and we are ready for the next challenge."
In this 2019 postseason run, that will be Western. The No. 3-seeded Mustangs won the first meeting between the two teams in London in early January and two weeks later, Guelph equaled its highest goal tally of the season in a one-sided 7-1 victory. With a berth in the Queen's Cup on the line, it's a series that will have no shortage of intensity.
"We know Western beat a good team in Brock in the previous round and that they are playing great hockey," said Simmonds. "We need to go into their rink and play a solid road game by setting the pace and not sitting back to see what they will bring. We understand the implications of this series and we're excited to raise our game even further."
Postseason Individual Statistics
Postseason Team Statistics
