The Nipissing University Lakers scored first, but a second-period three-goal explosion catapulted the University of Guelph Gryphons to their second consecutive OUA women's hockey championship. Guelph ultimately scored six straight times (one into an empty net) to take the title with a 6-1 win.
Sydney Davison scored two goals, Kelly Gribbons and Sophie Contant had one goal and one assist each, and Claire Merrick counted two assists for Guelph. Valerie Lamenta made 16 saves for the victory and was named player-of-the-game. Stacey Henshaw scored the lone Nipissing goal.
In a highly-anticipated meeting of the nationally-ranked top teams in the OUA, the Lakers battled with pride but could not overcome the rival Gryphons on this day. Head Coach Darren Turcotte and his staff have built a program that is on an upward trend, and next year, the fifth edition of the women's university hockey team will have even loftier aspirations when it comes to OUA glory.
At stake Saturday in Guelph was the McCaw Cup, awarded to the OUA playoff champions, and a spot in the USports national championship tournament, to be held March 16-19 in Napanee, Ont. and hosted by Queen's University.
Lakers rearguard Stacey Henshaw took an uncharacteristically bad penalty, putting the Gryphons on the powerplay before the game was three minutes old. Guelph moved the puck around the Lakers' zone crisply, but Nipissing killed off the early threat.
Lakers starting goalie Jackie Rochefort looked sharp in the early going, helping to kill off the early penalty, and turning away everything the Gryphons put on the net. The early stages of the game saw the ice tilted in Guelph's favour.
Henshaw got some redemption from her earlier checking-to-the-head penalty, jumping into the rush and heading to the Guelph net. Natalie Graham slid the puck from the left half wall into the slot where an unmarked Henshaw made no mistake, directing the puck over Guelph starter Valerie Lamenta.
With 6:45 to play in the first, Nipissing captain Kaley Tienhaara was pulled down by Sydney Davison, and the Lakers had their first powerplay chance of the game. Brooklyn Irwin had a good look at the net, from a spot near where Henshaw earlier scored, but Lamenta shut the door.
Lakers led 1-0 after an exciting first period of play. Shots were tied 6-6.
A deflection off the skate of Nipissing's Alex Papineau, on a shot by Davison from the slot, fooled Rochefort, as the puck slid between her pads. Brittany St. James and Mallory Young drew the assists on the 1-1 goal.
All-stars Kaitlin Lowy and Kelly Gribbons connected 92 seconds later to give the Gryphons a 2-1 lead. Gribbons penetrated into the Lakers zone and found Lowy streaking into the play. Lowy made a quick move to her backhand and slid the puck around Rochefort who was moving in the opposite direction. Claire Merrick was credited with the second assist on the go-ahead marker.
Guelph extended their lead to 3-1 as Gribbons fired a half-slapper past Rochefort. Merrick made a gorgeous tape-to-tape backhanded pass to find Gribbons in the clear in the Lakers zone.
Guelph led 3-1 after two periods and 16-13 in shots-on-goal.
In the third period, the Lakers looked tired from skating on the Olympic-sized ice surface in Guelph. Contant scored to make it 4-1, and undisciplined penalties sapped what strength the Lakers had left to mount a comeback. The Gryphons added an empty net goal by Davison, and Kristen Jay rounded out the scoring for a 6-1 final. Final shots favoured Guelph 24-17.
The top two seeds in the OUA women's hockey playoffs had been on a collision course all season long. The Gryphons and Lakers were the class of the circuit. Guelph finished first in the regular season with 20 wins and finished six points clear of the 17-win Lakers.
The Lakers defeated the Gryphons 1-0 at Memorial Gardens on November 18 on the strength of a Jade Gauthier goal and a 16-save shutout by Rochefort.
In what ended up being a meaningless final game of the regular season, with playoff seeds already decided, the Gryphons avenged the earlier loss, beating the Lakers 4-1 on February 19. Kelly Gribbons had both a powerplay and a shorthanded goal. Sophie Contant and Karli Shell rounded out the scoring for Guelph. Hunter Mosher replied for Nipissing. Rochefort dressed as the back-up as graduating senior Michaela Stutzki started for the Lakers.
Both teams had one round of their playoff run go the full three games, as the Lakers went the distance in the first round before defeating Laurentian University, while Guelph was extended before vanquishing a tough University of Waterloo squad in the semifinals.
Guelph had the number one offence over the course of the regular season, with 77 goals in 24 games. The Lakers ranked fifth, with 61.
Guelph and Nipissing were the stingiest teams during the regular season, with the Gryphons allowing only 32 goals in 24 games, and the Lakers 38. Fittingly, Gryphons goaltender Lamenta was named to the OUA all-star first-team and Rochefort was named second-team all-star, Nipissing's only selection to either team.
Besides their all-league goalie, Guelph was well-represented in the ranks of OUA all-stars. Katherine Bailey was named as a member of the first-team defence, while Lowy and Gribbons were selected as second-team all-star forwards. Forward Davison was chosen for the OUA all-rookie team and Guelph coach Rachel Flanagan was named coach of the year.
