The Novice
AA boys from Guelph took a break from league play this weekend to participate in
the Oshawa Cup.
The Jr. Gryphons opened the tourney with a convincing 7 – 0 win over the host team from Oshawa. Tyson MB earned the shutout while Greg F struck for 4 goals in the effort. Avery S, Nicco S, and Sawyer S also tallied for the Gryphons, while Parker W and Evan P anchored the blueline with aggressive play and great decision-making.
Next, the Novice boys took on the Lasalle Sabres. In what was an incredibly hard fought game, the Gryphons defeated the Sabres by a 4 – 3 score. Nicco S registered the hat trick while Greg F had the other. The D combo of Wyatt M and Ryan M impressed with their fantastic puck movement and solid defensive play.
On Saturday morning, Guelph faced off against the Soo PeeWee Selects. The boys from the Soo were a talented bunch, but the Gryphons found their stride and earned a 4 – 2 victory. As always, the Gryphon goaltending was spectacular thanks to the performance of Finn P. Nicco S continued his hot streak by ringing up another 3 goals. Auguste T chipped in a single of his own to go along with his fantastic two-way play while Colin C and Lucas S buzzed the Soo net all day long. On the backend, Nate M and Tyson D were able to prevent many Soo attacks from reaching the Gryphon net.
The Gryphons took their hot streak into their final round robin game versus the Nepean Raiders. Unfortunately, Nepean was too much for the boys from Guelph to handle and the Gryphons fell 5 – 2. Gage T and Nicco S were the Gryphon goal scorers while Auguste T had an assist.
The Guelph Gryphons finished the round robin portion of the tournament with a 3 – 1 record, good enough for a second place finish and a semi-final rematch against the Soo PeeWee Selects. Despite some incredible goaltending by Tyson MB, the Gryphons were unable to defeat the Soo, falling by a score of 4 – 1. The lone Gryphon goal scorer was Saywer S, who converted on a turnover forced by the strong forechecking of Luca R.
The Novice AA Gryphons finished the tournament with a 3 – 2 record. When considering the impressive competition that they encountered, the Gryphons should be proud of their efforts this weekend.
The Gryphons return to league action on Saturday when they face the second place Milton Winterhawks.