TORONTO, Ont. – Slow starts have been an issue for Guelph Gryphons men's hockey team so far this season. But the Gryphons turned the tables Saturday night at Varsity Arena. Guelph scored twice before the first intermission and closed well in a 3-2 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues.
Todd Winder,
Matt Kenney, and captain
Scott Simmonds scored for Guelph, while
Evan Cormier made 25 saves, 12 coming in a busy first period that helped the visitors build an early lead.
Simmonds goal was the eventual game-winner, as he tipped a shot on a Guelph power play midway through the third period to extend the lead to 3-1. It was Simmonds' fifth of the year, tying him with
Cody Thompson for the team lead.
Matt Campagna would score his second of the night minutes later when he cashed in on a Toronto man advantage with a hard shot from the right circle that Cormier had difficulty seeing through traffic. The Varsity Blues then pulled Alex Bishop for an extra attacker but Guelph didn't give the hosts much space and eventually cleared the puck out of the zone to preserve its second win in the last three games.
Toronto got off to a fast start and forced Cormier into some big saves early. But Guelph absorbed the early push by the Varsity Blues and then took a 1-0 lead at 13:46 of the opening period when Winder stripped the puck in the Toronto zone and then wired a shot past Bishop low on the blocker side. The goal was Winder's fourth of the season and 10
th point.
The Gryphons would double the margin minutes later as Kenney got to the front of the net and scored with 2:45 left in the period.
Toronto got one back in the second when Campagna broke into Guelph zone with speed and made a move in the slot before rifling a shot past Cormier.
The Gryphons will now prepare for one of the biggest games of their season as they host York Thursday on Aggies Night.
Gryphon Take
"We had some timely scoring tonight and that really gave us confidence. We've been struggling to score so getting three was huge for us. We alo got great goaltending from Evan right off the start, which gave us a chance. When we found our range shooting, we were able to build a lead. It got tight at the end but the guys were calm and business-like and that was nice to see. Good on all them because we're down a lot of bodies." –
head coach Shawn Camp
The Record
Guelph is 4-7-0-2.
Next up
York, Thursday, Nov. 22, 7:30 pm, Aggies Night @ Gryphon Centre Arena
