March 3, 2016

Gryphons win 2-1 over Laurier in Game 1 of OUA Semifinals

GUELPH, ON – To hear Mackenzie Wong tell it, she was in the right place at the right time.

Guelph

Laurier

Final

Guelph

Laurier

GUELPH, ON – To hear Mackenzie Wong tell it, she was in the right place at the right time.

And thanks to her heroics, the Guelph Gryphons can claim likewise.

Wong's first goal of the postseason proved to be the winner on Wednesday night as the Gryphs edged the Laurier Golden Hawks 2-1 in the first game of their OUA women's hockey semifinal playoff series.

The win leaves the Gryphs one victory away from earning a trip to nationals. They can wrap up the best-of-three series on Friday night in Waterloo.

Wong, a second-year defenceman from Surrey, B.C., jumped on a loose puck in the slot and beat Laurier netminder Amanda Smith with a shot just under the crossbar at 3:07 of the third period.

"Just the right place at the right time. The puck kind of bounced over Ashlee's stick," she said, referring to teammate Ashlee Lawrence. "It was right on my stick and I had a wide-open net."

The goal snapped a 1-1 tie that had stood since early in the second period, when Guelph's Christine Grant notched her team-leading third goal of the playoffs, finishing off a two-on-one with captain Jessica Pinkerton.

That came only 79 seconds after Laurier's Erika Kiviaho opened the scoring. She was the only Hawk to beat Valerie Lamenta, who made 16 saves to get the win for the Gryphs.

"Every single save builds my confidence and builds the team's confidence," Lamenta said. "It was a tough game, and every inch of ice was fought for. It was what I expected, and I think we responded well there."

"It's going to take a lucky bounce or a tipped puck or hit somebody in the face to go in on her," Gryphs head coach Rachel Flanagan said of Lamenta. "She's been a rock for us.

"Our job is to make sure they don't get those tips and bangs and stuff in front of the net. If they want to score a highly skilled goal on her, they can try, but we can't let them take us to the net hard and get those freebies in front."

The Gryphs got off to a tentative start on Wednesday as they and the Hawks felt each other out. Flanagan said the team had changed its game plan based on its expectations of what Laurier would bring, and she was happier with how the Gryphs played as the game went on and they got more comfortable with what was expected of them.

"Really, we want other teams to change to us, but against a team with so much speed and the way they play, we have to make adjustments," she said.

"Defensively, we just had to tighten up, and that's where I'm most proud of the girls for responding. (The Hawks) threw pucks at the net, but they couldn't get sticks on them, and that's what we were challenging the girls to do."

The Gryphs know they'll be facing a desperate team on Friday night, as Laurier tries to stave off elimination and force another game back in Guelph.

"We always say, the hardest game to win is the elimination game," Lamenta said. "They're going to bring their A game, and we're just going to have to match that energy and match every stride that they have."

If Game 3 is necessary, it'll be played on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Gryphon Centre.

The winner of this series will not only advance to the OUA final, they'll clinch a berth in the CIS women's hockey championship tournament from March 17 to 20 in Calgary.