GUELPH, Ont. – Throughout the 2021-22 season, the Gryphons women's hockey team consistently found ways to come out on top in one-goal games. But the Brock Badgers flipped the script on the Gryphons on Saturday night in an OUA quarterfinal matchup in Guelph.
The Gryphons impressive 2021-22 season came to an abrupt end with the visiting Brock Badgers, the No. 3-seed in the OUA West, edging the No. 2-seeded Gryphons by a score of 2-1.
For COVID-related reasons, the OUA adopted a single-game elimination format for the 2022 playoffs, leaving no room for error for teams in pursuit of the McCaw Cup. Both teams had to lean on their special teams units with 10 total penalties in the game, and the goaltenders were extremely strong for both sides as this quarterfinal game came down to the very last minute. The Gryphons went down 2-0, and had to face some very strong Brock goaltending. They showed resilience, pulling within one goal with a minute left, but ultimately could not tie it up, falling 2-1 to the Badgers in the OUA Quarter-final.
The Gryphons had to make sure their penalty kill was sharp early on in this game. They took two penalties in the opening 10 minutes and managed to kill off both, largely thanks to goaltender
Martina Fedel making timely stops. Both teams traded chances throughout the first period and with just over a minute remaining the Badgers went to the powerplay again.
After the Badgers hit the post on a point shot, the Gryphons got a breakaway going the other direction but failed to convert. With both goalies holding strong the two sides would head to the first intermission still tied at 0.
The Gryphons went to the penalty kill again at the start of the second period, this time with
Jaime Magoffin getting a double minor for head contact. The Badgers were able capitalize on this one, claiming the first lead of the game when Emma Irwin put home a rebound on the lengthened power play. The Gryphons would go to the box again shortly after a powerplay of their own, and after they killed that off, the two teams were at even strength for what seemed like the first time all period. Once again, the teams continued trading chances throughout the rest of the period and Gryphons goalie,
Martina Fedel, made save after save keeping the Gryphons within a goal of the Badgers, heading into the third period.
The home team had one period left to keep their 2022 season alive. Down 1-0 heading into the third, the Gryphons had to find a way to beat Badgers goaltender Tiffany Hsu, in order to find their way back into this OUA Quarter-final matchup.
Brock made that a little more challenging when Claudia Murphy found a spot over Fedel's shoulder to put the Badgers up 2-0 with just under 18 minutes left in the game. The Gryphons continued to fire shots at Hsu, but she had an answer for every Gryphons look. Finally, with a minute left on the clock, and the Gryphons net empty, a
Meaghan Chittick point shot found its way through traffic and past Hsu to pull the Gryphons within one. In a crucial last minute of play, the Gryphons pulled their goalie for the extra attacker again, trying desperately to find a way to beat Hsu once more. As the clock kept winding down, the Gryphons battled for another chance in the Badgers zone but could not work their way to the net before the clock ran out, falling in the OUA Quarter-final to the Brock Badgers by a score of 2-1.
The end of the Gryphons' season means the end of four Gryphons' careers.
Lauren Ianni, Nicole Mackinnon,
Maddy Melo, and
Gabi Underwood are all graduating this year and were the last remaining players from the 2018-19 championship team. However, with the rest of the Gryphons team returning, they will be coming back next year with a large group of veteran players looking to build off a very strong 2021-22 regular season.
Brock will now host Western in the OUA Semi-final game on Wednesday (March 16), with the winner of that game travelling to either Toronto or Nipissing for the McCaw Cup on March 19.
