SUDBURY, Ont. – The goal to clinch top spot in the OUA was already checked off. But the Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team expects to keep their level of play high with the postseason approaching. No. 7 Guelph started slow before picking up the pace and ultimately pulling out a 2-1 victory over the Laurentian Voyageurs on Stephanie Gava's overtime winner with seconds left in the extra session.
 
Gava was denied on a third-period breakaway by Laurentian goalie Shanna Dolighan with the score tied 1-1 but the Human Kinetics student from Mississauga, ON made up for the miss by converting a Karli Shell pass down low with the shootout looming.
 
Rookie forward Lauren Ianni also scored for Guelph. Aurore Beaulieu got the start in net and the third-year Calgary, AB native made 29 saves, improving to a perfect 8-0 on the year.
 
Beaulieu entered the day with a sparkling .942 save percentage and 1.57 goals against average, not far off the OUA-leading numbers of Gryphon No. 1 Valerie Lamenta (.952 and .126). The talented Gryphon backup was called on to make a couple solid saves in the overtime, which Guelph started down a player after getting whistled for a high stick with four seconds left in regulation. The Gryphons killed the penalty and then made a push before Gava ended it.
 
Guelph clinched top spot in the OUA with a 4-2 win at Nipissing Friday, securing home ice throughout the playoffs. The team took a while to get into the game as Laurentian peppered Beaulieu with 18 shots in the first period alone. The hosts finally broke through at the 11:40 mark of the second period when Morgan McCann went hard to the net and got one behind the Gryphon goaltender.
 
That appeared to be a wake-up call for the visitors, who were outplayed to that point. Ianni tied it 1-1 less than four minutes later with and it was pretty much all Guelph after that.
 
The Gryphons held Laurentian to just 12 shots in the final two periods and overtime combined. 
 
Gryphon Take  
"We got a good game from Aurore and found a way to win in a back-to-back weekend. These kinds of experiences will help us down the stretch." – head coach Rachel Flanagan
 
The Record
Guelph is 16-2-2-3
 
Next up
Toronto, Saturday, Feb. 16, 2 pm @ Gryphon Centre Arena Senior Day