GUELPH, Ont. - Heading into Wednesday's playoff opener, the Warriors last loss was a Wednesday night game in Guelph in which they entered the third period trailing 4-1, dominated the final frame, scored twice, and came inches away from tying the game.
Exactly four weeks and a four-game win streak later, the Warriors entered the third period of game one of the OUA quarterfinals on Wednesday in Guelph trailing 4-1, dominated the final frame, scored twice, and came inches away from tying it on several occasions.
"I just thought we didn't play a full 60 minutes out there tonight," said Head Coach Shaun Reagan. "There were times in the first and second when we were good, and then there were times when we really weren't that good. And then when our backs were up against the wall in the third, we came out and played our kind of game."
Penalties were an issue all night for the black and gold, and it started with Carly Orth (Bolton, Ont./Humberview Secondary School) getting booked for tripping midway through the first period, leading to a power play goal by Kaitlyn McKenna to put the Gryphons up 1-0.
Minutes later, Maeve Sutherland-Case beat two Warriors to her own rebound and fired it past Kara Mark (New Hamburg, Ont./Waterloo Oxford District Secondary School and Victus Academy) to put the home team up 2-0, sending the cowbell-wielding crowd into a frenzy.
Waterloo was able to slow the momentum with an impressive penalty kill after Lyndsy Acheson (Summerland, B.C./Penticton Secondary School) went to the box for boarding, but couldn't get on the board before the first buzzer rang.
The Warriors would have to kill off another penalty when Gracey Smith (Waterloo, Ont./Preston High School) was called for a trip 11 seconds into the second. The first big chance of the period came for the Warriors, however, when Carly Orth (Bolton, Ont./Humberview Secondary School) intercepted a pass in the offensive zone for a breakaway, but lost control of the puck.
Waterloo finally broke through on Gryphons goaltender Sophie Helfenstein with an innocuous-looking point shot from Acheson that Emma Thornton (Kitchener, Ont./Huron Heights Secondary School) deflected into the bottom corner.
Later in the period, Guelph's leading scorer got a breakaway of her own, and Katherine Heard made no mistake, going five hole on Mark. Just 24 seconds later, the Gryphons went back to the powerplay, and Sutherland-Grace sent a quick shot off the faceoff into the top corner to make it 4-1 Gryphons. The Warriors weren't able to capitalize on a late powerplay of their own and went to the room trailing by three.
"I think we just had some breakdowns," said Reagan. "They scored two power play goals, so we've got to tighten that up for sure and stay out of the box, but we had a few breakdowns in our zone and they capitalized on them."
Defensive zone breakdowns were less of an issue in the third, largely because most of the period was played in the Gryphons' end.
Nikki McDonald had the first big chance with another Warriors breakaway, but her backhand attempt sailed high.
With less than ten minutes left to play, Waterloo finally got one on the powerplay. Helfenstein made a nice stop on Tatum James (Stratford, Ont./Northwestern Secondary School), and nearly robbed Orth on the rebound, but the puck bounced off her glove and into the net.
Just over a minute later, Orth's centering pass deflected off McDonald's skate and in, and suddenly it was a one-goal game.
Mark had to work to keep it that way with a few nice stops, including a flashy glove save on a Guelph 2-on-0. Brodi Levitt (Caledonia, Ont./McKinnon Park) also saved a goal tying up a Gryphon who was open for a back door tap-in.
With under a minute remaining and Mark on the bench for the extra attacker, Orth drew a tripping penalty to put the Warriors on a 6-on-4. It didn't last long, however, as Orth was quickly sent to the box herself on a questionable body checking call.
Now playing 4-on-4 with the faceoff in their own end and Mark back in the net, Waterloo had only 24 seconds to make something happen. The Warriors gained possession, and somehow, Tatum James (Stratford, Ont./Northwestern Secondary School) slipped by her check. Gracey Smith (Waterloo, Ont./Preston High School) sent a dart up the middle of the ice through three Guelph defenders to spring James on a breakaway. James went five hole, but Helfenstein had it covered the whole way.
Game over. 4-3 Gryphons.
"We had three breakaways from our top three players, and you would never bet that they're not going to score one goal on those," said Reagan. "It's one of those games where it's two solid teams going at it, and a few bounces either way and some undisciplined penalties can sway a game like that for sure."
"I think we're proud of the way we played in the third period, but we know that we need a full 60 minutes. Our word of the year is adversity, and we're going to have to step up and show it on Friday and Sunday here," said Keiara Raitt (Ancaster, Ont./Ancaster High School), echoing her coach.
The Warriors are back at home for game two of the best-of-three series on Friday, which is set for 7:00 at CIF Arena,
"I think you take what you can from that third period there," added Reagan. "I feel like we've got momentum going into game two here at home. We play well at home and we're looking forward to getting them on our ice."
