GUELPH, Ont. – On Thursday night (Nov. 24) the Guelph Gryphons men's hockey team fell to the U of T Varsity Blues 5-1 at the Gryphon Centre Arena. Coming off of back-to-back wins the Gryphons were looking to make it three in a row but after trailing 5-0 through two periods they were unable to overcome the Varsity Blue lead.

The first period opened with the Gryphons finding themselves on the back foot early. Following some strong chances from Toronto they would eventually beat Gryphon goaltender Tanner Wickware with a tough angle shot to gain the lead just under five minutes into the game. A Gryphon penalty seconds after the opening goal would limit any chance of a Gryphon response. A few minutes later the Varsity Blues would make it a two-goal game after a Gryphon turnover. The first period out come to an end with the Gryphons trailing the visiting team 2-0.
 
The second period saw the Varsity Blues extend their lead over the Gryphons with a three-goal period to head into the final period up 5-0. The first goal of the period came at 16:30 after a fast Toronto attack found an open skater across the middle to make it 3-0. A successful penalty kill would lead to a breakaway chance that the Varsity Blues would take advantage of making it a 4-0 game. With just over 5 minutes left in the second frame the visiting team would make it 5-0 on the powerplay.
 
Gryphon forward Giordano Biondi gave the home team their first goal of the game just over five minutes into the first after he found the rebound off a Liam Ham shot to make it a 5-1 game. Penalty troubles in the remaining minutes of the game would not allow the Gryphons to attempt their comeback attempt, ultimately falling 5-1.
 
The Gryphons (4-4-3) will look to bounce back on Saturday night when they head to Waterloo to take on the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. Puck drop is set for 7:30pm at Sun Life Financial Arena with the game also available for viewing at www.oua.tv.