2022-2023 A | Dec 08, 2022 | Doug Reddick | 1109 views
U15 A Guelph Gryphons Champions at the Kingston Canadians Tournament Series!
Guelph Gryphons: U15A Division Champions at the Kingston Canadians Tournament Series with overtime victory!
The U15A Guelph Gryphons travelled to Kingston to take part in the 2022 Kingston Canadians Tournament Series December 2 – 4. Being presented with a very challenging schedule, the Gryphons were eager to demonstrate their persistence and willingness to battle whatever was presented.
Game 1: Friday 8:30 AM vs West Carleton (T 0-0)
An early morning, penalty-filled contest resulted in 0 – 0 tie. Despite the Gryphons outshooting the competition 30 – 16, penalty trouble slowed progress for both teams whom were also thankful the game ended in a draw. The game could have gone either way but sound goaltending at both ends of the rink preserved a single point each.
Game 2: Friday 8:30 PM vs Kingston Canadians (W 4-0)
An evening battle versus the tournament host team saw a much more alert and physical, yet disciplined, Gryphons team take to the ice. After a 0 – 0 first period, the players warmed up and dominated the balance of the game, with fantastic puck movement, patience on the PP and outshooting Kingston 26 – 4 overall on route to a solid 4 – 0 win.
Game 3: Saturday 9:15 AM vs Glancaster Bombers (W 4-1)
Down 1 – 0 in after the first 5 minutes of the game, the Gryphons rebounded with 4 unanswered goals and held on to a 4 – 1 win. Sound passing, good pressure from all 3 lines, solid defensive zone coverage and again, outshooting their opponents 36 – 13 all contributed to the Gryphons’ second win of the tournament.
Game 4: Saturday 9:15 PM vs Newmarket Renegades (W 3-0)
In their final round robin game of the tournament, Guelph took to the ice in a late evening contest vs Newmarket which was a must win for the Gryphons to advance to the semi-finals. The Gryphons got on the board early, going up 2 – 0 in the first 4 minutes of the game. The Gryphons went on to add 1 more in the second period and held on a reasonable 3 - 0 win as fatigue was slowly setting in.
Game 5 (Semi-final): Sunday 11:00 vs Haldimand River Kings (W 2-1 OT/SO)
As a coach, you never want the semi final to go to Overtime, let alone into shootouts…but that’s what happened. Even though shots favoured Guelph 40 – 16, the Gryphons struggled to beat Haldimand’s rather solid goaltender. After a 1 – 1 regulation tie, the teams played back and forth in a 3 v 3, 5-minute OT that settle nothing. In the shootout frame, the score was 0 – 0 after the initial 3 players on both sides traded turns. Nerves evident as players made their attempts but could not solve the opposing netminders. It was on the 4th penalty shot where Guelph netted the winner with a quick snapshot, 5-hole on the Haldimand goalie that cemented Guelph’s spot in the tournament final!
Game 6 (Final): 4:00 PM vs Quinte West Golden Hawks
Quinte got on the board first, taking a 1 – 0 lead near the end of the opening period. The score would remain the same until mid-way through the 3rd where Guelph came to life and notched the tying goal. Despite a late 3rd period power-play opportunity for the Gryphons, the game ended in a 1 – 1 tie in regulation. Heading into overtime for the second time in 2 games, the Gryphons were not phased. It took a mere 11 seconds into the overtime frame to see a pass intercepted by Guelph that resulted in a game-winning breakaway. A 2 – 1 overtime victory was sealed and the celebration ensued.
A successful weekend for the Gryphons:
5-0-1 record
Goalie tandem 3 goals allowed in 6 games = 0.5 GAA
180 - 73 shots in favour of Guelph
1 shootout win
1 OT win
1 Championship banner
Goalies: Max Heroux, Maxton Lambert
Defense: Makai Borghese, George Dutrizac, Jack Kranendonk, Michael Kusiak, Vid Peteranac, Harrison Redford
Forwards: Nathan Bowman, Tate Davison, David Dixon, Colin Dubuc, Tate Reddick, Kai Stone, Adrian Tersigni, Nic Tyas, Milan Wilson
Great work Gryphons!
Coach Doug