WATERLOO, Ont. - Laurier's men's hockey season came to a close Sunday night at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex as the Golden Hawks fell 4-0 to the Guelph Gryphons in the deciding Game 3 of their Queen's Cup first-round playoff series.
The winner-take-all showdown came less than 24 hours after Laurier kept its season alive with a 6-3 road victory in Game 2, setting up a quick turnaround and a dramatic finale back on home ice.
Guelph opened the scoring midway through the first period on its first power play of the night. After a Laurier high-sticking minor put the Gryphons on the man advantage, Dylan Hudon finished a crisp passing play from Anthony Tabak and Jack Wismer to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.
Laurier earned a power play of its own later in the period when Nolan Forster was sent off for tripping, but the Golden Hawks were unable to generate a game-tying tally during the two-minute opportunity.
That theme continued throughout the night, as Laurier went 0-for-3 with the extra skater.
Early in the second, the Gryphons extended their lead. Nathan Allensen converted off a setup from Kaeden Johnston and Justin Barker, shifting the pressure squarely onto the Golden Hawks.
Laurier had another opportunity on the man advantage midway through the frame following a tripping penalty to Dillon Stiles, but again could not solve the Gryphons penalty kill or goaltender Olivier Ciarlo.
The Hawks continued to push into the third period, killing off a pair of Guelph power plays, including a high-sticking call to Lucas Chard, to keep the deficit at two and give themselves a chance late.
But as Laurier pressed and eventually pulled goaltender Andrew Ness (who made 28 saves himself) for the extra attacker, the Gryphons capitalized.
Barker found the empty net in the final minutes, and Griffin Wilson added another shortly after to seal the result.
Despite the defeat, the series marked a return to the postseason for Laurier after missing out last year. Under head coach Kevin Forrest, the Golden Hawks have now reached the playoffs in three of his four seasons behind the bench.
