Box Score
Guelph, ON - The Ryerson Rams have Guelph's number early on in the OUA men's hockey regular season. A swift offensive outburst in the second period was key to two big road points for the Rams. Ryerson scored three times in a span of just under three minutes midway through the game en route to a 4-2 win over U of G at the Gryphon Centre Thursday night.  

A tight affair was essentially decided when Daniel Clairmont, Erick DeLaurentis and Brandon Devlin combined for three unanswered goals in two minutes and 44 seconds. Goaltender Troy Passingham was also tough to beat, making 34 saves for the Rams (3-2-0), who beat the defending OUA champs twice in a week following a 2-1 victory last Thursday in Toronto.

 

The game had a crazy finish as Guelph (1-3-0) pulled the goalie with a two-man advantage for a rare 6-on-3. But it was the Rams who actually scored when Joel Wigle battled for the puck around centre ice and lifted it into an empty net with 30 seconds left in the third. Kyle Neuber would add a late one for the Gryphons just moments later but it wasn't enough.

 

Trailing 3-0 in the third, Dylan Gilbert scored the first Guelph goal, coming in from the left wing and sliding one behind Passingham. Reilly O'Connor picked up an assist on the play.

 

Until things unraveled at the midpoint of the game, Guelph's fourth on the schedule, keeping the puck out of the net hadn't really been an issue with standout goaltender Andrew D'Agostini (23 saves) anchoring the back end. The second-year netminder just earned OUA and CIS Male Athlete of the Week honours after great performances in the Gryphons' first three games, the last of which was a sublime 40-save shutout in a 1-0 win over Waterloo last Saturday. That effort earned the team its first, and only, two points of the season.

 

The goals, however, have been harder to come by with Guelph scoring just five in its first four games after the two by Gilbert and Neuber Thursday. The offence actually looked ready to bust out after an aggressive opening period versus Ryerson. The Gryphons had numerous positive moments in the Rams' zone and looked primed to take a lead if not for Passingham's quick glove and the goalpost.

 

Guelph's penalty killers got lots of work after taking back-to-back penalties in the second but they didn't give up many chances. When they did, D'Agostini was there, one of the highlights being a big blocker save through traffic on a point shot from Kevin Cutting.

 

But the Rams kept pushing and blew the game open when they broke the scoreless tie with three goals in a span of 2:44, silencing the Gryphon Centre crowd and clearly frustrating the Guelph bench. Daniel Clairmont started the avalanche when he chipped one in past a sprawling D'Agostini at 10:05 of the second. Erick DeLaurentis followed that with a backhander from the slot at 11:58. And with the Rams working it around well on a power play, they capped the three-goal outburst with a wrister from Brandon Devlin that an under-siege D'Agostini had no chance on.

 

Angered by the quick swing in the game, the Gryphons were hardly their disciplined best the rest of the way. Rob De Fulviis, who was a threat on offence all game, got a minor for checking from behind in the third, with a 10-minute misconduct tacked on.

 

The Gryphons will look to regroup when they travel to Western to take on the unbeaten Mustangs Saturday at 7:00 pm.