GUELPH, Ont. – It was déjà vu on home ice as the Gryphons once again defeated the Windsor Lancers in overtime for the second night in a row. With less than 24-hours since their Friday night (Nov. 19) matchup, both teams returned to the Gryphon Centre ice for another OT thriller.
The Lancers were looking for revenge after their Friday night overtime loss as they came out of the gate swinging with a goal on the first shift of the game from forward Paige McArthur. Despite the early setback, the Gryphons battled back to take control of the play for most of the period. Spending significant time in the offensive zone, they were unable to convert on a goal to tie the game. With some timely saves from third-year goaltender
Kathryn Raymond to keep the Lancers at 1, the Gryphs went into the second down 1-0.
The Gryphons were hungry for their first goal in the second period. One of their best scoring chances came from 4th-year forward
Nicole MacKinnon who hit the post on a breakaway. With an effective forecheck to keep the Lancers largely in their zone, the Gryphons eventually found the back of the net to end the Lancers goaltender's shutout bid.
As the Gryphons went on the power play, Laurentian University transfer
Chihiro Suzuki scored her first of the season to put the Gryphons on the board and tie the game at the 14:18 minute mark in the second period.
Remaining tied 1-1 into the third the Gryphons controlled the play for a majority of the remainder of the period. A great performance from
Kathryn Raymond (Brampton, ON) helped shut down the Lancers after their lone goal at the beginning of the first. Guelph saw numerous scoring chances throughout the contest as they doubled the Lancers in shots with 30-15. Despite their offensive push, they were unable to close out the win before the end of regulation, sending the Gryphons to overtime for the fourth time this season (all four coming on home ice).
The Gryphons started overtime with a bang. Wasting no time, right-winger
Hannah Tait buried home the puck after an assist from third-year teammate
Rylee Davison. Tait's second goal of the season came just 0:36 into overtime and secured two points for the Gryphons.
With today's win, the Gryphons take both games in the back-to-back series against the Lancers. They now sit second in the OUA women's hockey league, with a 4-1-1-0 record. Their next match-up is against the Brock Badgers on the road in St. Catharines on Thursday (Nov. 25) at 7:15 pm. The broadcast can be seen live online at OUA.tv.
