Box Score
London, ON – Two of the top teams in country went toe-to-toe on Saturday night in London as the No. 1-ranked Guelph Gryphons squared off against the No. 4-ranked Western Mustangs. They would need a shootout to determine a winner at Thompson Arena and it would be Western who would come out on top to secure a 3-2 victory. With the loss, the Gryphons fall to 8-2-2 on the season while the Mustangs improve to 8-0-4. Despite the loss, the Gryphons remain in first place in the OUA standings with 29 points on the season.
 
This marked the second meeting of the season between these two teams after the Gryphons won 3-0 in the regular season opener back on Saturday, October 3^rd. Saturday night, for the first time since falling 2-0 in last season's OUA final, the Gryphons returned to Thompson Arena and once again were finding goals hard to come by. However, the Gryphons would solve Western's All-Canadian goalie Kelly Campbell in the third period thanks to a great shot from U of G's leading scorer Averi Nooren. With the Gryphons trailing 1-0 in the final period of play, Nooren was able to tie things up with her 9^th goal of the season. Nooren's perfectly placed shot deflected off the cross bar and was a power play goal. Her 9^th goal of the season is also tied for tops in the CIS with Emma Waldenberger of Regina.
 
After Western re-took the lead on a point shot that found its way through traffic, the Gryphons would show some incredible determination to once again find a way to equalize. Trailing 2-1 with time running out in regulation, the Gryphons would be forced to pull their goalie to get an extra skater on the ice. With :26 seconds left on the clock, the Gryphons would tie the game at 2-2 after a goal from fourth year forward Christine Grant.
 
Despite multiple chances at each end during the two overtime periods, neither team were able to score the winner as both goalies, Valerie Lamenta for Guelph and Kelly Campbell for Western, were unbelievable, making one big stop after another. As a result, the game would have to be decided in a shootout.
 
In the opening round of the shootout, Lamenta got things started by absolutely robbing Kendra Broad in Round 1 of the shootout. However, the next two Western shooters would both find the back of the net to give the Mustangs a hard fought 3-2 victory.
 
The loss marks the Gryphons first since being ranked as the No. 1-team in Canada (they had won their first two games as the No. 1-ranked team). Despite the loss, the Gryphons remain in first place in the OUA standings with 29 points on the season. The Gryphons will now break for exams and Christmas before resuming OUA league play on January 9^th versus the York Lions.