GUELPH, Ont. - A dramatic back-and-forth contest ended with the Golden Hawks topping the #8-ranked Guelph Gryphons in a thrilling 4-3 overtime match-up on Thursday night to sweep the season series.Â
The visiting Golden Hawks took on their Highway 7 rivals at a packed Gryhpon Centre Arena and got off to a hot start.
Forcing a turnover in the offensive zone set up a slick play in the circle for
Abby Glandon, who seamlessly slid the puck through her legs to
Olivia MacMillan, waiting all alone in the slot and fired it blocker side for the early lead.Â
The purple and gold maintained relentless pressure throughout the period, building on their early momentum to keep the Gryphons pinned in their zone. Quick puck movement and aggressive fore and backchecking created several quality scoring chances, forcing the Gryphons' defence to stay on their heels.Â
Their persistence paid off in the final minute when
Rylee Crego capitalized on a centring play from behind the net, doubling the lead for Laurier going into the second frame.
"We had a positive first period and then kind of took a step back in the second," said Laurier's head coach and manager of women's hockey operations
Kelly Paton. "We went back and forth throughout the whole game, and there was a lot of emotion going on. Generally, the penalty kill is a strength, and today, I thought we struggled quite a bit in that space of the game."
Despite having the second-ranked penalty kill unit in the league, Laurier surrendered all three goals of the contest while shorthanded. Â
The Gryphons began their comeback in the second period, cutting the deficit to 2-1 with a screened power-play goal by Reese Coffey.Â
They carried that momentum into the third, quickly equalizing on another power-play effort from Maeve Sutherland-Case.
Less than halfway through the frame, Laurier earned a power play—a prime opportunity to reclaim the lead.Â
They capitalized quickly, as
Kylie Laliberte deflected a blast from the blue line past goaltender Martina Fedel, putting the Golden Hawks back on top.
The pressure started to mount as the minutes ticked down in the one-goal game.Â
With just over a minute remaining, Guelph pulled their netminder for an extra attacker, turning up the heat on Laurier's defence. The Gryphons gained an even bigger advantage when a Laurier penalty made it a 6-on-4 situation.
With only 20 seconds left in regulation, Meaghan Chittick found the back of the net, burying the equalizer and forcing the game into overtime.
In extra time, a board battle led to a 2-on-1 break for
Clara Chisholm and
Olivia MacMillan.Â
The duo flawlessly executed a give-and-go, with MacMillan finishing the play for her second goal of the game. Her clutch effort sealed Laurier's thrilling win, silencing the Guelph crowd.Â
"We knew Guelph would come out strong, especially in the third, but we stuck to our game plan and kept our composure," MacMillan said. "My teammates made it easy for me tonight with incredible set-ups that helped me find the back of the net."
The Golden Hawks will aim to finish the first half of their season on a high note as they participate in a special partnership game in Woodstock on Saturday night in support of the Woodstock Wild Girls Hockey Association and United Way Oxford.
They'll face off against the surging Brock Badgers, with puck drop set for 6:45 pm. Catch the action live on OUA.tv
