General 2/27/2023 12:46:00 PM

WHKY PREVIEW: Gryphons Set to Take on Varsity Blues in OUA Semifinals

Women's Hockey: OUA Semifinals

Guelph Gryphons (No. 2 seed in the OUA West) vs U of T Varsity Blues (No. 1 see in OUA East)

Game 1: Wednesday, March 1 - 7pm (Guelph @ Toronto) | Varsity Arena | Stream | Twitter Updates
Game 2: Saturday, March 4 - 2:30pm (Toronto @ Guelph) | Gryphon Centre | Stream | Twitter Updates
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, March 5 - 4pm (Guelph @ Toronto) | Varaity Arena | Stream | Twitter Updates

Ticket information for the upcoming Gryphons women's hockey home game (Saturday, March 4, 2023):

Women's Hockey OUA Semifinals (Game 2 | best-of-three series)
Guelph Gryphons vs Toronto Varsity Blues
Date: Saturday, March 4, 2023
Time: 2:30pm
Location: Gryphon Centre Arena (University of Guelph)

*** The Gryphons online ticketing system is temporarily suspended ***

Ticketing:

In-person ticket purchases only (gates open at 1:30pm on Saturday, March 4, 2023 at the Gryphon Centre)
Debit, credit and cash accepted
$10 adult
$5 youth (ages 4-to-17)
FREE for kids ages 3-and-under
FREE for University of Guelph students / staff / faculty (with proof of valid student card or employee card)

GUELPH, Ont. - The University of Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team is set to take on the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in the semifinal round of the 2023 McCaw Cup Playoffs, with the two teams dropping the puck on the best-of-three series on Wednesday (Mar. 1) in Toronto. The series will also be a matchup of two U SPORTS Top 10 teams with the Gryphons ranked No. 10 in the most recent edition of the rankings and the Varsity Blues ranked No. 2 in U SPORTS. The winner of the series will not only earn the chance to compete for an OUA Championship, but they will also qualify for the 2023 U SPORTS Championship being held in Montréal from March 16-19.

The Gryphons earned a spot in the semifinal round by way of a 2-1 series win over the Windsor Lancers in the opening round of the playoffs. Gryphons vs York

After suffering a heartbreaking Game 1 loss to the Lancers in double overtime, the U of G women's hockey team responded with an impressive 3-0 shutout win in Game 2 in Windsor on Saturday (Feb. 25). The very next day, the Gryphons and Lancers played the second longest game in U of G women's hockey history, which ended in a quadruple overtime win for the Gryphons over the Lancers. In the marathon elimination game, Gryphon captain Hannah Tait scored in the 135th minute of on-ice action, on Guelph's 73rd shot on net, to punch the Gryphons ticket to the next round.

The Varsity Blues meanwhile experienced a much different quarterfinal series, defeating the Toronto Metropolitan Bold in two games. Game 1 saw the Varsity Blues find themselves down early with a 1st period TMU score. After playing nearly 40 minutes of hockey trailing the Bold, U of T would tie it up early in the 3rd period. With the teams tied 1-1 in the final minute of regulation the nations No. 2-ranked team would avoid overtime, scoring with just :15 seconds left to take a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 saw the two teams locked in a 2-2 stalemate to start the 3rd period before a pair of goals in the final six minutes secured the opening round sweep for the Varsity Blues.

This year the Gryphons and Varsity Blues met twice during the regular season with the first meeting coming back on November 11 in Toronto. In a tightly-contested game, the teams combined for just 28 shots on net. GUELPH, ON - NOVEMBER 11th: The Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team takes on the Windsor Lancers on Friday, November 11th at the Gryphon Centre Arena in Guelph, Ontario.

GUELPH, ON - NOVEMBER 11th: The Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team takes on the Windsor Lancers on Friday, November 11th at the Gryphon Centre Arena in Guelph, Ontario.

The Gryphons pulled out a 1-0 regulation win thanks to a 3rd period goal from Tori Verbeek and a 15-save shutout from Martina Fedel, her second of the season at the time. The two teams went nearly three months before their second matchup, coming on February 1, with just five games remaining in the regular season. The Gryphons jumped out to a 2-goal 1st period lead before the Varsity Blues responded with goals in the 2nd and 3rd periods to force overtime. :36 seconds into extra time Toronto would take the win. The U of G women's team can claim victory in the season series despite the 1-0-1 record, having taken 4 of the possible 6 points in the pair of meetings.

The semifinal series will feature some of the top players in the conference at their respective positions. Starting between the pipes, a trio of goalies will be featured between the two sides. On one end of the ice, Gryphon goalie Martina Fedel will look to produce another impressive series performance after playing 13 periods of shutout hockey against the Lancers. In the regular season Fedel posted a record of 15-6-1, earning the most wins of any OUA goalie and 2nd most in the nation. The Trento, Italy native also led the OUA with six shutouts during the regular season while posting a 1.48 goals against average. The Varsity Blues net will feature a pair of standout goaltenders in Madeline Albert and Erica Fryer. The two netminders both rank in the top 10 of the OUA for wins (4th & 6th), goals against average (1st & 2nd), and save percentage (1st & 3rd).

At the offensive end of the ice, the Gryphons and Varsity Blues boast plenty of talent, including a pair of top 10 point scorers in Tori Verbeek (GUE) and Nikki McDonald (TOR). Verbeek led the Gryphons with 22 total points (11 G, 11 A) this season and has 3 points (0 G, 3 A) so far in the 2023 playoffs, including a game-winning assist in Guelph's 4OT series-clinching win over the Lancers. McDonald meanwhile produced 24 points (11 G, 13 A) throughout the 2022-23 campaign and has 1 point (0 G, 1 A) in 2 playoff games so far. The series will also featured a trio of women with international experience who attended the 2023 FISU games. GUELPH, ON - FEBRUARY 1ST: The Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team takes on the U of T Varsity Blues on Wednesday, February 1st at the Gryphon Centre in Guelph, Ontario.

GUELPH, ON - FEBRUARY 1ST: The Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team takes on the U of T Varsity Blues on Wednesday, February 1st at the Gryphon Centre in Guelph, Ontario.

On the Gryphons, Chihiro Suzuki represented the silver medal-winning Japanese team while Gryphon captain Hannah Tait represented Canada on the gold-medal winning team. While playing in the red and white, Tait played alongside Varsity Blue Céline Frappier.

Since the 2010-11 season the Gryphons lead their series with the Varsity Blues 13-4-5. Much like their two meetings this season the two teams are used to playing close games, averaging just 2.41 goals with the largest margin of victory being a 5-1 Guelph win back on January 8, 2011. The last time Guelph and Toronto met in the playoffs however was in the quarterfinal round of the 2019-20 season where the Varsity Blues moved on to the next round with a 2-0 series victory coming by way of a pair of overtime wins (3-2 & 2-1).

The OUA semifinal series is set to get underway this Wednesday (Mar. 1) with the Gryphons headed down highway 401 for Game 1 at Varsity Arena in Toronto with puck drop set for 7pm. The other semifinal in the OUA playoffs also features a U SPORTS Top 10 matchup, with the No. 8-ranked Waterloo Warriors taking on the No. 9-ranked Nipissing Lakers.

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