PORT DOVER, Ont. – Throughout the course of the 2018-19 OUA regular season, the Guelph Gryphons men's hockey team will play a total of 14 home games at the Gryphon Centre Arena. On Wednesday night, however, the Gryphons took the opportunity to venture off campus as they made the trip to the community of Port Dover, Ontario for a preseason matchup with the Laurier Golden Hawks. The Gryphons picked up a 4-3 win over the Hawks, thanks in large part to a hat trick from last year's rookie sensation, Todd Winder.
 
"This was a tremendous experience for our guys," said Gryphons head coach Shawn Camp.
 
"It was great for our players to be able to be a part of the community here today and engage with some of the local kids. We also experienced a really competitive game here tonight, so it was a great way to start the season off."
 
Winder's hot start to this season should come as little surprise for those who followed Gryphon hockey a season ago. The Uxbridge native burst onto the scene in 2017-18, capturing OUA West Rookie of the Year honours after scoring 18 goals during the regular season, which ranked him 4th in all of U SPORTS in goals scored. Wednesday night in Port Dover, Winder opened the scoring in the 2nd period before adding two more in the 3rd period to seal the win for the Gryphs. Veteran defenceman Mark Raycroft scored Guelph's other goal, while captain Scott Simmonds picked up a pair of assists. Connor Bramwell and Zach McFadden rounded out the scoring with an assist each. Andrew Masters went the distance in net for the Gryphons, turning away 20 of the 23 shots sent his way for the win.
 
Prior to puck drop, the Gryphons held a meet-and-greet outside of Port Dover Arena for community members and local minor hockey players, with several tailgating games held in the ball hockey rink neighbouring the arena. One does not have to look far to find connections between Port Dover's Jr. C team (the Port Dover Sailors) and the University of Guelph, with a total of 10 players on the Sailors' roster currently enrolled as full-time students at U of G. This year, for the first time, the Port Dover Sailors will actually host several of their team practices at the Gryphon Centre Arena. On behalf of everyone at the University of Guelph's Department of Athletics, the Gryphons would like to extend a huge 'thank you' to Port Dover Sailors' owner Jon Lennox for supporting the Gryphons men's hockey program.
 
The Gryphons will now experience a drastic shift in gameday experiences as they go from the intimate, friendly confines of the Port Dover Arena, to one of the most hostile atmospheres anywhere in Canadian University athletics as they head to the Meridian Centre for a Friday night matchup with the Brock Badgers. The game, which is known as the Steel Blade Classic, serves as Brock University's homecoming and regularly produces one of the most electric environments in U SPORTS. Last season, just under 5,000 Brock fans packed the Meridian Centre, only to see the Gryphons spoil the party with a 5-3 victory. Tickets for this year's event are already sold out, as the Gryphons will look to once again attempt to take some of the air out of the building with puck drop set for 7pm. Fans can watch the game live online through BrockTV.