Box Score
Calgary, AB – Friday afternoon (March 13) the Gryphons women's hockey team won 4-2 over the host team and eighth seeded Calgary Dinos in a consolation matchup at the 2015 CIS Women's Hockey Championships.
 
Much like their opening game of the tournament versus St. FX, the Gryphons once again found themselves in some penalty trouble. In the first period, Guelph took a pair of penalties in close succession, giving the Dinos a 5-on-3 opportunity for just over a minute. Thanks in part to some great work by the Gryphons penalty kill unit, as well as some timely saves from goalie Stephanie Nehring (Oshawa, ON), the Gryphons were able to kill off both penalties and keep the game scoreless. With around eight minutes remaining in the first period, Guelph would open the scoring thanks to their assistant captain and OUA All-Star Leigh Shilton (Belleville, ON). Shilton would make Calgary pay for a turnover in their own end, outwaiting Dinos goalie Hayley Dowling and giving the Gryphons a 1-0 lead heading to the second period.
 
In the second, Calgary would strike back. Sarah Astle, a Fifth year defenceman and transfer from St. Mary's University in Halifax, would get the Dinos on the board when her slap shot from the point found the top corner, high blocker side. The Gryphons and Dinos were all tied up at 1-1 after 40 minutes of play.
 
In the third, the Dinos were poised to take the lead when Calgary forward Jenna Smith was sent in on a clear cut breakaway. However, Gryphons defenceman Katherine Bailey (Lucan, ON) would show tremendous determination to hustle back and track down Smith from behind, lifting her stick and stealing the puck right as Smith was getting ready to fire on net. With 5:47 gone in the period, the Gryphons would take the lead on a power play goal from Katie Mora (Guelph, ON). The fifth year captain would roof a backhand just under the bar for her second goal in as many games at the nationals as the Gryphons took a 2-1 lead. With just under eight minutes remaining in the game, Guelph would extend their lead to 3-1 when Bailey's point shot through traffic caught a piece of Calgary goalie Hayley Dowling and just trickled past the goal line to put the Gryphons up two. One minute and 33 seconds later, the Gryphs would strike again. Christine Grant was sent in all alone and fired wide, but the lively end boards spit the puck back out front where a trailing Leigh Shilton would fire it home past Dowling's blocker side. Shilton's second goal of the game gave the Gryphons a 4-1 lead. Goals continued to pour out of the third period as Calgary would answer with a goal of their own just 18 seconds after Shilton's. Jessyka Holt gave the Dinos some hope, as her goal trimmed the deficit to 4-2 with just under six minutes remaining in regulation.
 
The Dinos would pull their goalie for the extra attacker for the final three-plus minutes of action. The Gryphons were never able to capitalize on the empty net as they found themselves pinned in their own end of the ice for the rest of the game. Calgary applied pressure in waves, but Nehring was able to stand tall and make several key stops, including a nice pad save on Hold to keep the two goal lead intact.  Nehring finished the night with 31 saves as the Gryphons, who were outshot 33-20 on the night, would go on to win 4-2. Leigh Shilton was named Player of the Game for the Gryphons. Guelph improves to 1-1 at the tournament after dropping their opening game 4-3 versus St. FX. The Calgary Dinos are eliminated and finish the tournament 0-2 after suffering an earlier loss to top ranked McGill. The Gryphons will now play in the 5^th place game on Sunday, March 15 at 1pm ET. They will not know who their opponent is until Saturday afternoon around 3:30pm ET.