LONDON – The Guelph Gryphons reign at the top of OUA women's hockey has come to an end. There won't be a McCaw Cup threepeat, though the courageous Gryphons did everything they could to make that dream happen. Guelph was eliminated from the postseason after Rachel Armstrong scored in double overtime to give the Western Mustangs a dramatic 3-2 win and a sweep in the best-of-three OUA semi-final.
 
It was a cruel ending for a Guelph team that battled all night. After several chances at either end and almost a full hour of scoreless hockey, Armstrong burst down the left wing and fired a low shot that slipped past goaltender Valerie Lamenta, sending Western to the McCaw Cup Final.

"This matchup was everything you would want in the playoffs," said head coach Rachel Flanagan. 
 
Gryphon captain Kaitlin Lowy scored twice, both of her goals crucial equalizers that lifted her team after the OUA champions went behind. Lamenta rebounded from a shaky start to make 29 saves. Many of them came in a scoreless third period and first overtime that kept Guelph's season alive.

 
Lowy had already tied the game once early in the first period and she bailed Guelph out again at the 8:19 mark of the second. The Gryphons had been pressing down 2-1 and created a couple opportunities before finally getting the break they were looking for. The fourth-year Toronto, On native and OUA goal-scoring leader in the regular season (tied with two other players at 15) made her way to the front of the net and was able to score on Western's standout rookie goalie Carmen Lasis.

Fifth-year forward Kelly Gribbons, playing in the final game of an incredible OUA career, assisted on Lowy's opener, as did Claire Merrick. Meagan Lee had an assist on the second goal.
 
The fast-paced affair ground to a halt midway through the second period when Western defenceman Edie Levesque went awkwardly into the boards and injured her leg, causing a lengthy delay. The Gryphons were called for a boarding major but successfully killed the last three minutes of the Mustangs' power play after two minutes of four-on-four immediately following the penalty. Levesque returned to the game in the third period.
 
It was a strange start to game 2 given how tight the play was Wednesday night in the Mustangs' 1-0 win at the Gryphon Centre. Western came out of the gates flying and took a 1-0 lead just 1:29 in when Ali Beres scored. Guelph responded quickly after Lowy got down low and beat Lasis less than two minutes after the hosts' opener.
 
But it was a short-lived equalizer. The Mustangs reestablished their lead as Amanda Pereira got to the front of the Guelph net and lifted a puck past Lamenta at the 6:24 mark, capping a wild stretch of play.

Lowy's second game-tying goal was the last scoring play for a stretch of 55 minutes and 41 seconds until Armstrong's series-deciding effort.
 
The Gryphons were 2-0 against the Mustangs during the regular season but had trouble with Lasis in the series. The rookie pitched a shutout in a 1-0 game 1 win and then stopped 40 of the 42 shots Guelph sent her way in the deciding game.
 
Guelph showed heart all season, overcoming an uncharacteristic 1-3 start only to rattle off wins in 12 of the next 13 games to remind the league of the team's place among the best in the OUA. The Gryphons went into the postseason on the heels of two straight shutout wins before eliminating the Brock Badgers in a sweep during the opening round series.

It was also the final game for All-Canadian defenceman Katherine Bailey and veteran forward Mackenzie Wong. 

"This year was very challenging for us off the ice and we're proud of how we battled through the adversity," said Flanagan. "We're going to miss our three graduating players but they can rest assured that they're leaving the jersey in a better place for the next generation of Gryphons."