GUELPH, Ont. – In what was the lone game on the OUA women's hockey schedule Wednesday night (Jan. 24), the No. 3 nationally-ranked Guelph Gryphons women's hockey team picked up another one in what has been a sensational 2023-24 season. The Gryphons skated to a 3-0 victory on home ice over the visiting Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. Maeve Sutherland-Case and Tori Verbeek were the goal scorers, helping the Gryphons improve to 19-1-2 (wins-losses-OT losses) on the season. Laurier, meanwhile, falls to 11-8-2.

The Gryphons entered Wednesday night's matchup riding a 10-game win streak, with the team's last loss coming way back on November 17, when it was the very same Laurier Golden Hawks who stole a 1-0 OT win in Guelph. The Gryphons have not lost since, and were able to open the scoring late in the 1st period thanks to second-year forward, Maeve Sutherland-Case. The Hamilton, Ontario native sent a point shot through a crowd and past a screened Kathryn Raitano in Laurier's net, giving Guelph a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes of play. Midway through 2nd period, the No. 3-ranked Gryphons would extend their lead on the power play, when Flesherton, Ontario native, Tori Verbeek, backhanded home her 7th goal of the season. For Verbeek, it marked the first of a two-point night, with the human kinetics major also assisting on a goal in the final period. The two-point night gives Verbeek 21 points on the season (7 G, 14 A) and moves her one-point clear of team captain, Hannah Tait (11 G, 9 A), for the team-lead in scoring. Third-year forward, Jaime Magoffin (Woodstock, ON), capped off the scoring with her 6th goal of the season deflecting home in the final frame to seal the 3-0 victory for the Gryphons.

Gryphons third-year goalie, Martina Fedel, added to her outstanding season with another strong performance in net, turning away all 21 shots for her 5th shutout of the season. Fedel, a native of Trento, Italy who majors in animal biology at the University of Guelph, entered Wednesday night's action with already the best Goals Against Average (1.04) mark in all of U SPORTS, with that number only to shrink further after her latest shutout performance.

Up next for the Gryphons, a critical matchup with the Nipissing Lakers on Friday night (Jan. 26) in North Bay, in a game that will feature the 1st-place teams in the OUA West and OUA East divisions, respectively. Whichever team comes out on top of Friday night's matchup in North Bay will go a long way to determining which team will earn the right to have home ice advantage throughout the OUA playoffs, including the right to host the 2024 McCaw Cup (OUA championship game) on Saturday, March 9. The Gryphons (19-1-2) currently have 57 points on the season, seven points ahead of Nipissing (18-3-0 | 50 points), but the Lakers have a game-in-hand. Puck drop on Friday night at Memorial Gardens is scheduled for 5pm and can be seen live online at www.oua.tv.