LONDON, Ont. – In order to book a spot in the 108th Queen's Cup (OUA championship game), the Guelph Gryphons knew that they would have to steal a game on the road at Western's Thompson Arena. The Gryphons came agonizingly close to doing just that on Thursday night in London before ultimately falling just short in a back-and-forth 4-3 affair versus the Western Mustangs. With the result, the Mustangs take Game 1 of the OUA West Finals best-of-three series, which now shifts to Guelph for Game 2 on Saturday night.
After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, the No. 4-seeded Gryphons and No. 3-seeded Mustangs would combine to split six goals during a fast-paced second period, which saw Guelph take leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2, only to see the host Mustangs respond on each occasion to tie the game.
A power play goal from
Justin Lemcke at 6:12 of the second period officially opened the scoring for the visiting Gryphons, who entered Thursday night's game with a perfect 3-0 road record during the playoffs thanks to wins at both Windsor and Ryerson (twice).
The Lemcke goal also signaled the start of a frenzied wave of action, with the two teams going on to score three goals in a span of just 1:29. Gryphons' fifth-year forward
Andres Kopstals scored his 2nd of the playoffs, finishing off a great even-strength rush from
Jesse Saban and
Tryg Strand to give Guelph a 2-1 lead. But the Mustangs would answer back :51 seconds later with a goal from Cordell James to tie the game at 2-2.
With just over a minute remaining in the second period, the Gryphons would take a 3-2 lead on a power play goal from star rookie
Mikkel Aagaard. The former captain of Team Denmark (2014-15 World Jrs.) would step into a slap shot during a Gryphon power play, wiring a shot into the top corner for his 4th goal of the playoffs. The former member of the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds now has 11 points in 6 playoff games, ranking him second on the team in playoff scoring, next only to the red-hot
Todd Winder (12 points in 6 games). The two Gryphon forwards rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the OUA among playoff scoring leaders (with Ottawa Gee-Gees forward Eric Locke also tied for 2nd with 11 postseason points). Aagard now has a seven-game point streak which dates back to Guelph's regular season finale.
Guelph's momentum following the Aagaard goal would be short-lived, however, with the Mustangs scoring just :18 seconds later on a goal from Mitchell Brooks, which tied the game at 3-3. It capped a wide open second period that saw six goals total, including five goals in a span of just 7:56.
In the final period, Western's eventual game-winner would come from second-year forward Kyle Pettit, who was able to jump on a loose puck in the slot following a scramble to fire home the 4-3 goal with 5:23 remaining in regulation. The Gryphons would continue to press for the tying goal late, earning several great scoring chances in the final moments of play. With the Gryphon net empty and the extra skater on, the Gryphons came inches away from tying the game when
Ryan Valentini out-waited Western shot blockers before whistling a shot just over the cross bar. Moments later the final horn would sound, as the Mustangs would hold on for a nail-biting Game 1 victory. The Gryphons out-shot the Mustangs 35-30 on the night and dominated on special teams (going 4-for-4 on penalty kills and 2-for-3 on the power play) but were outscored 4-1 in even strength situations.
The Gryphons will now look to force a decisive Game 3 in the series when they return home for a Saturday night matchup with the Mustangs. Guelph won 7-1 over Western in the Mustangs' only other trip to the Gryphon Centre this season (January 19). A win by the Gryphons Saturday night would see the series return to London on Sunday night for a decisive Game 3. Puck drop at the Gryphon Centre on Saturday night is set for 7:30pm and can be seen live online at oua.tv.
GRYPHON TAKE
"Our special teams were outstanding tonight, but we were sloppy 5-v-5 and that was the difference in the game." ~
Gryphon head coach Shawn Camp
THE SERIES
Game 1: Western won 4-3 – Thursday, Feb. 28 @ Western
Game 2: Saturday, March 2 @ Guelph (7:30pm)
Game 3: Sunday, March 3 @ Western (7pm)
