GUELPH, Ont. - Trailing by a goal heading into the final period of play, the Guelph Gryphons put together a near perfect twenty minutes to secure a 4-2 victory over the visiting Lakehead Thunderwolves Saturday night at the Gryphon Centre.

Using three third period goals, a strong defensive zone structure and discipline, the Gryphons very quickly turned a 2-1 deficit in to a 4-2 win and a three point weekend.

Just one day ago, when these two teams met for the first team in the 2019-20 OUA regular season, both offences were on fire with twelve goals being scored. However, with that result came a focus on the defensive end for the Gryphons and one that they executed extremely well on Saturday.

In the opening frame, it was the home side tallying the lone goal of the period. Working into the offensive zone, Connor Bramwell dropped a no-look pass to Marc Stevens who then fired home the first goal of the contest.

Leading 1-0 heading into the second period and controlling much of the action, the Gryphons quickly found the tables turning on themselves. It only took 35 seconds into the period for the visitors to score the equalizer. Then after much of the period played out as a 1-1 hockey game, the Thunderwolves took their first lead of the game with 3:37 to go in the frame.

However, as they have shown all season, the Gryphons proved that a little bit of adveristy would not be a big deal for them. Scoring twice in the first 4:24 of the period, getting goals from Ryan Valentini and Todd Winder, Guelph quickly retook the lead and never looked back. Putting most of the pressure on Lakehead the rest of the way, the Gryphons tallied a power-play marker from Bramwell with just over six minutes to play before killing off the rest of the clock en route to the win.

Making his first start at home with the Gryphons, goalie Brendan Cregan made 24 saves on 26 shots in the Guelph goal.

"The guys responded so well," said Gryphon's head coach Shawn Camp. "We have been a group where we don't panic when we are behind and we trust what we are doing. The guys executed so well in the third period and took the game away from Lakehead."

With the victory, the Gryphons will now turn their attention to a Queen's Cup rematch when they take on the Queen's Gaels Wednesday night at the Gryphon Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30.