Guelph, ON – Facing elimination in game two of the best of three series to the Guelph Gryphons, the Lancer men's hockey team fell 5-4 to Gryphons on Friday night on the road.
 
With the loss, the Lancers will now vie for the third berth to the CIS Championships March 12-15th in Halifax Nova Scotia next Saturday when they host the OUA bronze game at 8:00pm at South Windsor Arena.
 
Game two of the OUA West Finals was a wild, back-and-forth affair from start to finish that featured nine goals and four lead changes.  It only took one minute and 20 seconds for Windsor to open the scoring, as Mike Christou scored on the Lancers first shot to give the visitors a 1-0 lead early in the first period.
 
Just 50 seconds later, Guelph's Kyle Neuber would score his second of the post season to tie the game up 1-1.  Moments later there was a scramble in front of the Windsor net when the puck dropped to Robert De Fulviis who would put it into the net.
 
Before the half way mark of the first period, a fourth goal was scored when Daulton Siwak chased down a puck going for icing, and slapped it past the Gryphons' Andrew D'Agostini to tie the game 2-2.
 
In the second period, the Gryphons and Lancers would turn up the physical play, throwing big hits to the crowd's delight.
 
After killing a power play, the Gryphons defence would get caught sleeping when Dylan Denomme was sent in on a breakaway. Denomme would make no mistake, snipping a snap shot high over the glove of D'Agostini to give the defending OUA champions a 3-2 lead. Five minutes later, the Lancers would double their lead with a scramble in front of the net. With multiple players in the blue paint, Spencer Pommells would tuck the puck under D'Agostini to make it 4-2 in favour of the Lancers.
 
From a bad angle, De Fulviis would have his hard snap shot deflected off a Lancer defender, and it would go up and over Parker Van Buskirk to make the score 4-3.
 
Guelph's Nick Huard would tie the game at 4-4 six minutes into the period after firing a shot into the top corner on the power play for his fourth goal of the playoffs.  With five and a half minutes left,  Huard  scored his second of the period as the pick trickled through for the go-ahead goal. 
 
Despite pulling Van Buskirk in favour of the extra attacker, the Lancers were unable to tie the game and send it into extra time.
 
Stay tuned to www.goLancers.ca for information on the bronze medal game as it becomes available.