Pressemeldinger

Ian Garnett made his league debut for the Gryphons today against Team Noname 12861. Team Noname 12861 was founded just prior to the game as the manager for Scrappers de Marshame retired after a few months in office.

Garnett was not called upon too frequently, turning away 17 of the 18 shots he faced. The lone goal to beat him was the result of a defensive melt-down in the neutral zone which resulted in a one-timer from the slot that found its way just inside the right post.

1,187 fans were on hand to watch Garnett's debut despite the lackluster opponent. All three lines contributed evenly offensively with a spread of 4 goals, 5 goals and 3 goals between them. Once again, miscomunication between management and the coaches resulted in only three lines playing. Surely this error will be fixed for next game.

Leading the way offensively was Kennedy, O'Brien, Slater and Ingelthorpe with four points each. The Gryphons went 4 for 6 on the powerplay in Peake and Newell's absence and fired a total of 37 shots at the opposing goalie.

The Gryphons travel to Kitchener tomorrow to face Bizan HC at Sportsworld crossing for a friendly match before the biggest league game of the year against the second place Kitchener Canucks.

The Canucks currently sit in 2nd place, 7 points behind the Gryphons. The entire franchise history, the two teams have been arch enemies. Last season, the Gryphons put the Canucks out in the quarterfinals 2 games to 1. All games were very close, with scores of 3:2, 2:3 and 2:1. On the second of September the Canucks faced off against the Gryphons at the Gryphon next. The Gryphons came away with the 6-3 win on that occasion, in front of 1,036 fans. Expect a sold-out KW-Place for Friday's matchup of 950 fans. It is bound to be a tight and highly contested affair.

After the game on Friday, the Gryphons play eight more games on route to the playoffs. The Gryphons have clinched a top 5 finish and hopefully can home-ice advantage over the next few games.

On the injury front, Peake and Newell have both made strides that could see them in the lineup for Friday. Peake is still about 5 days away from a full recovery and Newell 4 days away. It would be a stretch to see them in the lineup Friday given the 7 point spread between the teams.

Despite Garnett's strong performance today, Newton is expected to start on Friday. Look for a strong performance from the Gryphon goalie to lead his team the rest of the season towards a III.7 title.

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