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The Warriors lost their fourth straight game as the Guelph Gryphons skated to a 5-3 victory on Thursday night at the Gryphon Centre in Guelph. With their third straight victory, Guelph (13-10-2) moved to within one point of the Warriors (14-11-1) for fourth place in the OUA west with one game in hand.
Justin Gvora (Thunder Bay, Ont.) was spectacular for the Gryphons tonight, picking up a hat-trick and contributing two assists as well, for a massive five-point effort. Linemates, Andrew Merrett (Vernon, Ont.) and Matt Lyall (Richmond Hill, Ont.) also came up big for the Gryphons chipping in three helpers each.
Tyler Moir (Calgary, Alta.) was the main man for the Warriors tonight, picking up a pair of goals, while Jarrett Schnurr (Waterloo, Ont.) grabbed a pair of assists.
Andrew Loverock (Elmvale, Ont.) made the start between the Gryphon posts and put forth a strong effort, making 25 saves on 28 shots and picking up the win.
Although the scoreboard might not suggest it, Justin Leclerc (Saskatoon, Sask.) had a solid game for the Warriors, stringing together a number of highlight reel saves to keep his squad within range of the Gryphons. Leclerc finished with 32 saves on the night.
Play in the first period was fairly even, as both teams pressured deep in their opponent's zone. It was Guelph who came away with a one-shot advantage in the frame, 11-10, and who jumped on the board first.
Midway through the period, Lyall broke out quickly from the Gryphon blue line and carried the puck in on Leclerc. Covered tightly by a Waterloo defender, Lyall was forced around the back of the net, where things got a little congested. Eventually, the puck would come loose and get sent along the ice across the front of the net. Streaking in, Gvora hammered the floating puck into the back of the net, putting the Gryphons up 1-0.
The Warriors would respond before the end of the period, knotting the scor at one on a 2-on-1. Creeping in on Loverock, Schnurr waited for the right moment to make his move and when the passing lane was clear, zipped a short pass across to Thomas Cardiff (London, Ont.), who buried the puck in the unprotected side of the net. Evening the score with the Gryphons, the Warriors wiped the slate clean to start the second.
The Gryphons got things started early in the second period, potting back-to-back goals in a span of 17 seconds. Taking advantage of a lucky bounce off the foot of a Warrior defenseman, Merrett ended up with the puck after the McInerney (Toronto, Ont.) shot and fired it on net. Gvora, battling for a position in front of the net, was able to get his stick on the puck and poked it home for his second of the night.
The Gryphons then extended their lead to 3-1 on a hard wrist shot from Barrett Brook that ripped into the meshing over the shoulder of Leclerc. The third, Gryphon goal, coming at 3:13 in the frame, would be the last of the scoring in the period, sending the Gryphons to the dressing room with a comfortable lead.
Guelph looked as though they might put the final nail in the Warriors' coffin early in the third period, scoring their fourth goal of the evening just 16 seconds in. The goal would be the third from Gvora on the night, giving him the hat-trick on what seemed to be an effortless chip-shot over the pad of Leclerc.
The Warriors weren't about to let up however, answering with two goals of their own to reduce the Gryphon lead to just a single goal.
The first of the Waterloo goals came on a point-shot that was deflected in front of Loverock off the pants of a Warrior forward. The redirection, coming as a surprise to the Gryphon netminder, grazed him in the shoulder and dropped in the back of the net. Shortly after their second the Warriors would notch another goal with just under, five minutes gone in the period. A Waterloo shot would miss wide, bouncing off the endboards and popping out at the side of the net where Moir stood, open, and hacked the puck home.
Following the Waterloo goals, a sense of urgency returned to the Gryphons. With the physical game back in full force, Guelph battled to maintain their lead and would restore their two-goal lead midway through the final period. Playing the majority of the game on defense, Belan (Florence, Ont.), exercising his offensive talents, rushed the net in a surge by the Gryphons and snapped home the insurance goal off a pass from Gvora behind the net. The fifth goal would be enough to seal the deal for the Gryphons, who played an aggressive second half of a period to hold off the Warriors for the 5-3 victory.
The Warriors have the remainder of the week off before hosting a pair of games next weekend against the Lakehead Thunderwolved to wrap up their season. Victories will be key for the Warriors if they intend on hosting the first round of the playoffs. Both games can be seen live on the Streaming Sports Network (SSN Canada) with puck drop set for 7:30 pm.
