GUELPH, Ont. - On Saturday, September 16, 2023, the Guelph Gryphons field hockey team will kick off their 2023 OUA regular season when they head to Kingston, Ontario to take on the Queen's Gaels. The last time the Gryphons and Gaels met was just one week ago when the two teams faced off in preseason action, with Queen's taking a 2-1 win. Prior to their exhibition match the two teams also met in the final game of the 2022 regular season, a match in which the Gryphons earned a 6-1 victory. Following the 2022 regular season, the Gryphon fell to the eventual OUA Champion, York Lions, 1-0 in the OUA semifinal round of the postseason. The Gryphons will be looking to return to the playoffs which begin with the conference quarterfinals on October 18.
The 2023 field hockey season will then culminate with the OUA championship game on October 28. The conference champion will also earn the right to host the 2023 U SPORTS Field Hockey Championships, which will see the Canada West champion head to Ontario to face the OUA champion in a best-two-of-three series, November 2-5, to determine a national champion.
"We had a significant graduating class following the 2022 season and 95% of the current roster is in their first through third years of eligibility but we are full of talent," says Gryphons head coach
Michelle Turley, who enters her 20th season at the helm of the U of G field hockey program. "We are energized and will play a speedy and enthusiastic style of hockey with high standards for ourselves. This passionate group with an excellent team dynamic looks forward to competing with the top programs in the conference and challenging for an OUA title in 2023."
Up front for the Gryphons a trio of forwards will spearhead the U of G attack, led by returning Waterloo native and 2022 OUA Rookie of the Year,
Harper Griffin. First year,
Eva Cuddihy (Victoria, BC) will ignite the Gryphon offence alongside the explosive
Delaney Jacklin (St. Jacobs, ON) who is back for her third season with the program. Featured in the Gryphon midfield is 2022 U SPORTS All-Canadian and OUA All-Star, Abby Warriner.
Joining Warriner in the midfield is another 2022 All-Star talent in Kitchener native
Elly Peters. Peters, a third-year accounting major, will showcase her exceptional stick skills and ability to read the play and generate offence while Warriner demonstrates her speed and ability to move the ball up and down the field with ease. The pair will be joined by a trio of recruits in
Madison Martin (Elmira, ON),
Kaitlyn Hyatt (Breslau, ON), and
Isla MacPherson (Kelowna, BC) who will all contribute to the speed and talent in the Gryphon midfield. The 2023 defence will be anchored by mainstays, Ava MacFarlane Cifuentes (Vancouver, BC) and
Taylor Wiebe (Calgary, AB). Ccombine the pair with standouts
Ella Rideout (North Vancouver, BC), Darcey Hillard (Conestogo, ON), and
Chloe Armstrong (Ajax, ON) the Gryphon defensive unit will provide a solid, physical presence to the lineup. In net the Gryphons return former junior national goalkeeper,
Nicola Leech (Cobble Hill, BC) for her third season in the program. Leech will be paired up with senior Maryam Maamoum (Ottawa, ON), with the pair helping to keep the U of G goals agaisnt average down this season.
Following the Gryphons season-opening game in Kingston, the team will make the trip to Toronto to take on the OUA runner-up University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday (Sept. 17) at U of T's Back Campus Fields. The U of G field hockey will return to Varsity Field next weekend on Saturday, September 23 when the Gryphons host the conference champion York Lions in their 2023 home opener.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS:
Abby Warriner: 3rd-year midfielder, Team Ontario athlete, has exceptional speed and athleticism and is talented and tenacious. This team captain will be a key component during transitions from defense to offense. She can attack the open space with her speed and vision and is a very effective member on both our attacking and defensive penalty corner unit.
Elly Peters: 3rd-year midfield, Team Ontario, and OUA All-Star. This top-notch talent possesses superb ball handling skills and has a fantastic game awareness. A team captain who plays with confidence, decisiveness and is one of the team's top distributors. Elly makes those around her better players.
Harper Griffin: 2
nd-year forward, Team Ontario. The 2022 OUA Rookie of the Year played defense last year and has moved up front where her speed, endurance and dribbling and elimination skills can be even more effective as a playmaker, but she will also score some goals for the Gryphons.
Ava MacFarlane Cifuentes: 3rd year defender, will anchor the Gryphon defensive unit with her speed and ability to intercept. This spirited captain will share her passion for the game and will lead by example with her work ethic.
KEY ADDITIONS:
Eva Cuddihy: Eva has represented Team BC and is a Next Gen athlete. Her St. Michaels University School won the "AA provincial title in 2022. She is an incredible addition to our attack. She will make an immediate impact and will be lethal up front with her incredible hands and ability to put the ball in the net.
Ella Rideout: Ella is a Team BC athlete whose team captured the U18 national title this past summer. This Next Gen Canada athlete is a talented defender, good communicator with leadership qualities. She will have a huge presence on the field with her poise on the ball in the back and calm confidence in setting the defense. Ella will be a huge asset to the program.
Darcey Hilliard: Darcey captained her Bluevale Collegiate High School team to the OFSAA provincial title in 2022. This Cobras High Performance athlete is versatile and could be utilized anywhere in the backfield or as a midfielder. Darcey is a skilled and determined defender with an exceptional work rate and is extremely coachable.
