Written by Justin Dunk

Despite hosting Game 2 of the OUA Championship series on Saturday at the Gryphon Centre, the Guelph Gryphons women’s hockey team saw their season come to an end.

A large red and gold crowd was on hand to see the hometown Gryphons lose a hard-fought 2-1 decision to the Laurier Golden Hawks.

“It hurts,” said Dayna Kanis, a Gryphons fourth-year forward and alternate captain,. “This is the second year in a row [losing to Laurier in the finals] and to lose at home like this in front of such a supportive crowd, it’s tough.”

Both teams came out of the locker room playing with the kind of energy and emotion that would be expected in a championship game. The Golden Hawks got on the scoreboard early in the period when third-year forward Katherine Shirriff banged in a rebound, just 3:32 into the opening frame.

Less then three minutes later, however, the Gryphons stormed back when third-year forward Erin Small tipped in a point shot from Emily Corbett to tie the game at one. Small’s league-leading fourth goal of the playoffs ignited the hometown crowd, which was loud and proud from the first drop of the puck.

The Golden Hawks were not rattled by the hostile environment, and just over six minutes later, rookie forward Devon Skeats beat Gryphons goaltender Danielle Skoufranis to grab the lead right back.

The Gryphons had a flurry of scoring chances to end the period, but could not beat Golden Hawks goaltender and OUA Player of the Year, Liz Knox.

Gryphons goaltender Danielle Skoufranis gets a face full of snow as she turns away a shot in Saturday's final against Laurier. Photo by Rashaad Bhamjee.

The second period started slowly until the halfway point when the Gryphons had a golden opportunity to tie the game on a five-on-three power play. Despite the constant pressure, the Golden Hawks were able to kill off the disadvantage without any damage. The was no scoring in the period, and the Golden Hawks held a slim 2-1 lead, going into the third period.

With their season on the line, the Gryphons seemed to find their legs as the final 20 minutes of play began. They were all over the Golden Hawks, keeping the puck in the Laurier end of the ice for the majority of the period.

The Gryphons had multiple scoring chances, both at even strength and on the power play, but Knox continued to stand tall and deny the Gryphons chances for the equalizer that they were so desperately seeking.

With Skoufranis on the bench in favour of an extra attacker for the final 90 seconds, time ran out on the Gryphons, giving Laurier the win. The win gave Laurier a two-game sweep in the best-of-three OUA championship series as the Golden Hawks claimed their seventh straight OUA title.

“It’s hard,” said graduating goaltender Chelsey Roy, who saw her Gryphon career come to a close. “We out-shot them in both games, we out-chanced them, and we really felt like we deserved to win both of those games.

“It’s a special feeling you have, being on a varsity team,” she continued. “You do everything together and you go through ups and downs together. The memories are what make it so great.”

The Gryphons were gracious in defeat, looking at the positive achievements of their season and the bright future ahead.

Kanis hopes to come back next season and be a part of the team for one final season.

“I have no doubt in my mind that next year we are going to be bigger and better,” she said.