U14AA Gryphons Capture Tournament Championship!, News (Guelph Minor Hockey Association)

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2022-2023 U14 - AA | Dec 21, 2022 | Kelly Pearson | 788 views
U14AA Gryphons Capture Tournament Championship!
On December 9th the Gryphons travelled to West Niagara for the Adam Keunen Memorial Tournament. They did so on short notice! With an already busy December schedule on tap, Guelph accepted an invitation to attend the tournament to help avoid cancellation of the U14AA division.

The Gryphons started off slow against a tough Flamborough Sabres team in the lone Friday game, opening the tournament with a 3-0 loss. Saturday morning, the Gryphons faced off against the host team - the West Niagara Flying Aces. A physical Flying Aces team and a speedy Gryphons team would skate to a 3-3 tie. It was a great effort from both teams!

Later on Saturday, the Guelph squad would battle against West Mall Lightning in the last game of the round-robin. Guelph, with a short bench due to injuries and illness, started to show some signs of fatigue. The Gryphons fell to the Lightning 3-2 in a hard-fought game. With only four teams in the U14AA division, all teams were set to play in a semifinal game Sunday morning and the Gryphons would get a chance to redeem themselves against Flamborough.

The short-benched Gryphons would step their game up and challenge the Sabres in what would end up being the most exciting game of the tournament. After 3 periods, the score was tied 2-2, thrilling fans during an exciting 5-minute 3-on-3 overtime. OT ended and solved nothing, leading to a rollercoaster of a shootout. Seven rounds were needed to get a game-winner! With great goaltending from both teams and silky mitts on display, the Gryphons finally got to leap over the boards and celebrate the victory!

Guelph faced off against the host team West Niagara again for the Championship. After the emotional semifinal win, the Gryphons came out flying against the Aces. Guelph was dominant for the duration of the game, playing hard until the final buzzer sounded. Hard work paid off, resulting in a final score of 4-1 in the championship game. It was an all-around solid effort by the U14AA Gryphons! Special thanks to the AP’s who stepped up to help the team bring home the banner!

The focus now shifts to enjoying some downtime over the holidays prior to gearing up for the Brampton Regional Silver Stick tournament, which kicks off on December 27th. Go Gryphons Go!

~Sean Donaghy
 
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