Marquee Matchup: Guelph scores one-goal win against Laurier in front of record-setting Frosty Mug crowd
Guelph, Ont. (via Guelph Gryphons) – A Frosty Mug-record crowd of 4,942 fans packed the Sleeman Centre and were sent home happy as the Guelph Gryphons men's hockey team earned a 4-3 win over the Laurier Golden Hawks in the 11th edition of the Gryphons signature event. A pair of third period goals from Gryphon forwards Luke Kutkevicius and Giordano Finoro helped Guelph build up a 4-2 lead, before holding off a furious push from the Golden Hawks late in regulation to escape with a 4-3 victory. With the win, the Gryphons improve to 15-5-5 on the season (3rd in OUA West) while Laurier falls to 9-11-3 (8th in OUA West). The Gryphons have now earned victories in seven of their 11 Frosty Mug appearances.
"The student support is unbelievable. The fans are loud throughout the game. It's like having an extra player on the ice," says Gryphon head coach Shawn Camp, who has been behind the U of G bench for all 11 Frosty Mug games and is currently in his 13th season in charge of the Gryphons men's hockey team. "It's just such a fun event to be a part of, we're privileged to be around such a great student body with a great group of players."
The crowd of 4,942 is the third-largest attendance ever recorded for an OUA men's hockey conference game. And the Gryphons made sure to give the sold out crowd plenty to cheer about early on.
After Mikkel Aagaard and Gio Finoro worked to create a turnover at mid-ice, third-year forward Todd Winder (Uxbridge, ON) would be sent in alone and would put the boisterous crowd into a frenzy by firing home a low shot past Laurier goalie Matt Williams for his 16th goal of the season. For Winder, it was the latest tally in a memorable 2019-20 campaign in which he ranks 2nd in the OUA in goals, behind only his linemate Mikkel Aagaard.
The Golden Hawks were able to temporarily silence the Sleeman Centre faithful with a pair of second period goals to take a 2-1 lead, but the Laurier lead would not last long. In the final minute of the second period, the Gryphons would strike back to tie the game at 2-2. Second-year forward Ted Nichol would cap off a great shift by forcing a turnover deep in Laurier territory before sending a centering attempt towards captain Mikkel Aagaard who would who off a lightning quick release to fire the puck into the back of the net to re-ignite the sold out crowd. For Aagaard, who was making his Frosty Mug-debut, it marked his U SPORTS-leading 19th goal of the season. The crowd was back. The Gryphons and Golden Hawks were knotted at 2-goals apiece. Setting the stage for another memorable Frosty Mug finish.
As has become custom at the Frosty Mug, the Sleeman Centre crowd managed to take the energy in the building to an even higher level during a second intermission rendition of Sweet Caroline. And when play resumed in the third period, the decibel level remained high thanks to a goal 2:27 into the final frame from rookie forward Luke Kutkevicius. The psychology major from Toronto, who missed the first half of the season due to injury, has made an immediate impact since joining the Gryphon lineup in the new year. Another Laurier turnover would lead to another Guelph goal, as this time Kutkevicius was the beneficiary, firing home his third goal in his past four games to give Guelph a 3-2 lead.
Midway through the third period, the Gryphons would extend their lead to 4-2 when first-year forward Gio Finoro would jump on a loose puck in the slot and fire home a wrist shot from point blank into the top corner to put the Gryphons in the driver's seat.
The Golden Hawks were far from done, however, as the visitors were able to apply pressure throughout the final seven minutes of play. Gryphons goalie Andrew Masters came up big late, highlighted by a memorable sequence at the 7:10 mark which saw the third-year netminder make not one, not two, but three big saves to bring the Gryphon fans to their feet.
With just under six minutes remaining, Laurier made it a one-goal game thanks to Anthony Conti's second of the night. Late in regulation, the Golden Hawks would come agonizingly close to forcing overtime on a pair of occasions, including a chance that saw a trickling puck make its way through the Gryphon crease before being cleared by a sprawling Bobby Dow. In the end, the Gryphons were able to do just enough to hold off the Golden Hawks to escape with a hard-fought 4-3 win.
The Gryphons, who return to action right away with a Friday night road game at York, improve their all-time record in the Frosty Mug to 7-3-1. For Gryphon captain Mikkel Aagaard, the owner of a decorated international career which includes serving as captain of Team Denmark at a World Juniors, the atmosphere at the Frosty Mug on Thursday night is something the native of Frederikshavn, Denmark certainly appreciates. "It was an amazing feeling, coming out there for warm-ups and seeing so many of your classmates and peers cheering you on," says Aagaard, who is tied for the OUA lead in points with 37. "It's like being at homecoming. You just feel so proud to represent your school. It's great to play in front of so many of the same people who you go through the grind of mid-terms and exams with, but now you get to come together at something like this and be excited about the same thing. It was an incredible feeling."
