GUELPH, ON - Saturday afternoon at the Gryphon Centre, the Gryphons women's hockey team picked up a 3-2 shootout win over the visiting UOIT Ridgebacks. With the result, the Gryphons improve to 15-2-1 on the season and improve their overall win streak to seven. UOIT meanwhile falls to 7-6-5 on the season.

Saturday's matchup marked the second half a home-and-home with the Gryphons edging UOIT 2-1 a week ago back in Oshawa. Just as they had done seven days earlier, the Gryphons and Ridgebacks would once again combine to produce a hard-fought, low-scoring affair. The Ridgebacks held a 1-0 lead late in the 2nd period, but a beautiful stretch pass from defenceman Katherine Bailey sent Sophie Contant in all alone. Contant buried her 4th goal of the season as the Gryphs and Ridgebacks went to the 3rd knotted at 1-1.

The Gryphs would take the lead in the 3rd after some nice puck movement from the top line. After some nice work by Claire Merrick and Kaitlin Lowy, it would be Kelly Gribbons firing it home short side for her 7th goal of the campaign. The lead would be short-lived however, as UOIT would score less than a minute later to tie things at 2-2 and send the game to overtime.

Although there were no goals to speak of in either of the two overtime periods, the Gryphs outshot UOIT 10-1 in the extra frames. Guelph outshot UOIT 42-15 on the night overall, but the two teams would need a shootout to decide who went home with the extra point.

After both shooters missed to start the shootout, it would be Guelph's Claire Merrick striking first to give the home team the edge. After U of G goalie Valerie Lamenta shut the door on UOIT's second shooter, that meant Gryphons leading scorer Kaitlin Lowy could end the game with a goal. Lowy, who was the thorn in the Ridgebacks' side a week ago scoring both goals in a 2-1 win, would once again seal things with the shootout winner, sending Guelph to the 3-2 victory. It marked the first time this season the Gryphons have reached a shootout, while UOIT falls to 0-3 in shootouts this season.

The No. 4-ranked Gryphs remain atop the OUA standings and have now won seven straight and nine of their last 10 overall. The Gryphs will next be in action on Saturday, Jan. 28 when they travel to Waterloo to face the last-place Laurier Golden Hawks (3-10-3).
 

---