Mar 01, 2022 | Doug Reddick | 721 views
U14 A Gryphons Champions at Dunsmuir Memorial Tournament!
The Guelph Gryphons U14 A hockey
team captures first prize at the Dunsmuir Memorial Tournament in East Gwillimbury, Ontario!
From February 25th to 27th, the Guelph Gryphons U14 A hockey team ventured to East Gwillimbury, Ontario, to take part in the annual Dunsmuir Memorial Tournament. Thankful for the reopening of the province less than a month prior, these Gryphons players were ready, willing and exceptionally excited to endure the rigors of their first ‘away tournament’ in over 2 years. Would be safe to say that even many of the parents were just as excited, and in some cases more excited, for a weekend of hockey!
The tournament started off Friday morning with the team facing near whiteout conditions while travelling to Bradford for its first round robin game against the Pickering Panthers. While disappointed with a 3-3 draw, the players and coaches took this result as a learning experience - to never underestimate the opponent and always…always, give 100% effort.
Game 2 saw the Gryphons rebound from the morning’s lacklustre performance to take down the Oakville Rangers 7-2 in a spirited and physical evening contest while outshooting its opponent 46-7! This win would help get the Gryphons back on the winning side of the score sheet and they would not look back.
With a spot in a semi final game already secured, the Gryphons entered game 3 Saturday afternoon playing the Ajax Knights. What started off as a tight-checking game with the Gryphons trailing 1-0 after the first period, the Gryphons players responded well to spirited and insightful coaching direction and came out flying in the second and third periods to earn a 6-2 victory.
The semi finals were played Saturday evening in Newmarket versus the Niagara Falls Flyers. Though the final score was 9-0 in favour of the Gryphons, the team learned the value of playing a physical game, moving the puck and getting everyone involved in the scoring. It was a great win that generated positive momentum as the team geared up to play in the tournament championship game.
The Gryphons took on the tournament hosting team, the East Gwillimbury Eagles, in Sunday afternoon’s Championship game. Early ‘scouting’ informed the team of their strengths and weaknesses which were discussed at length. With plans in hand, the Gryphons took the ice ready for battle.
Despite being in the offensive zone much of the first period, the Gryphons were not able to beat a very sound goalie in net for the Eagles. Outshooting the Eagles 12-1 still resulted in a 0-0 tie after the first 10 minutes of play.
The Eagles then broke the deadlock with 41 seconds left to go in the second period.
Down but not out, the Gryphons continued to battle at both ends of the rink. With 9 minutes left, the Gryphons were finally able to notch their first goal with some great passing down low. The Gryphons would later add a second goal to take a 2-1 lead with a tip in goal from a blast from the point.
Things then got interesting as the Gryphons got into some penalty trouble in the last 3 minutes of the game. Despite the immense pressure coming at the Gryphons from the Eagles, the players were able to fight off the final surge to hold on to the championship victory.
Winning the Dunsmuir Memorial was a great accomplishment for this Gryphons team. They will now turn their attention to the task at hand and look to leverage this momentum further as they return to playoff hockey with a slate of key games coming over the next 10 days. The players have all developed well this season despite the pandemic challenges we all face. Their speed, ability to compete and attention to the finer points of the game continue to yield winning results.
Great work Gryphons!
Coach Doug