London, ON - The Mustangs Men's Hockey team took a 5-2 loss against the Guelph Gryphons at home on Saturday afternoon.
The first period started off with pressure from both teams trying to score the first goal, with the Mustangs scoring the first goal at the game. After a scramble in the Gryphons defensive zone, Christiano Aiello, with assists from Captain Shane Bulitka and Franco Sproviero was able to bring the score to 1-0 at 5:58.
Halfway through the first period, an unfortunate on ice altercation led the Gryphons to have a four-on-three advantage, putting immense pressure on the Mustangs defence. The period ended with the score still being 1-0 for the Mustangs. Drew Wawrow states, "Guelph is a pretty big rival of ours, so I don't think things will change, but we have to be careful and stay out of the box."
The Mustangs put immense pressure on the Gryphons for the start of the second period. The Gryphons were able to score their first goal at 7:11 in the second period, making the score 1-1. The Gryphons used this momentum to try and score another goal, but goaltender Matteo Drobac was able to shut down Guelph's attempts. However, a one timer meant that the Gryphons would take the lead 2-1 coming into the second half of the second period.
After the Gryphons were able to push their lead to 3-1, the Mustangs would repond when Drew Wawrow, assisted by Andrew Bruder and Zach Power were able to score the Mustangs second goal of the game after a front of the net scramble at 11:01.
A breakaway with four minutes left of the game meant that the Gryphons furthered their lead, making the score 4-2 for the Gryphons. A final attempt for the Mustangs left the net unattended, giving the Gryphons one last goal, finishing the game with a loss of 5-2. Assistant Coach Mike Herman states that "there is a lot of important hockey to play, and get ready for the next one." and that Thursdays game against Guelph on the road "is going to be war, but the big ice opens things up a little bit for us."
KEY STATS
FIRST PERIOD: Christiano Aiello (#18) assisted by Shane Bulitka (#11) and Franco Sproviero (#26) at 5:58
THIRD PERIOD: Drew Wawrow (#7) assisted by Andrew Bruder (#43) and Zach Power (#19) at 11:01
NEXT GAME
The two teams will face off again on Thursday January 16 at 7:30pm. This time it will be in Guelph.
