GUELPH, Ont. – On Sunday afternoon at the Gryphon Soccer Complex the Gryphons men's lacrosse team extended their 2022 season and punched their ticket to the 2022 Baggataway Cup. The Gryphons defeated the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 8-4 in what proved to be a tightly contested play-in game.
 
The Gryphons entered Sunday's (Oct. 30) matchup with a 9-1 record which included 9-1 and 12-3 regular season wins over the Golden Hawks. Sunday's matchup was nothing like those two games however, with both teams playing their best for a shot to advance to the 2022 Baggataway Cup. The Gryphons came out of the gates on a mission, building a 2-0 lead within the first 4 minutes of action off goals from Nicholas Volkov and Robert Baxter. The next 6 minutes would see the Gryphons extend their lead to four following scores from Benjamin Doherty and Bryce Dennis. Dennis, a second-year Oshawa native, would finish the day with a hat-trick after scoring two more times in the second half.
 
The Golden Hawks would find their rhythm in the second quarter, controlling the possession game but Gryphon goalie, Jacob Hayne would maintain the Gryphon lead, making crucial saves on Laurier scoring chances. Hayne and the Gryphons would find themselves leading 4-2 heading into halftime.
 
The third quarter would see both teams trade blows, with the Golden Hawks scoring 5 minutes into the second half to pull with one. The Gryphons would respond with back-to-back goals three minutes apart, both scored by Bryce Dennis to give the Gryphs a 6-3 lead heading into the final frame. After a Laurier goal to open the final 15 minutes, Nicholas Volkov would close out the game scoring twice in the final three minutes to earn the second Gryphon hat-trick of the game.
 
The Gryphons will now travel to Peterborough next weekend (Nov. 4-6) and try to make their way back to the Baggataway Cup final after falling to the Brock Badgers in last year's championship game.