GAME 7 CIS championship: U of T loss puts Vikes, 'Birds in the lead

VICTORIA (CIS) - CIS scoring champion Brienne Stairs netted the game-winning goal with 12 minutes left in regulation as the No. 3-seeded Guelph Gryphons beat No. 1 Toronto 3-2 in the final Friday match-up at the CIS women's field hockey championship, potentially eliminating the defending champion Varsity Blues from gold-medal contention.

Championship web site:
www.cisport.ca/e/championships/w_fieldhockey/2008

With seven of the scheduled 10 round-robin games in the books, the No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds and the No. 4 and tournament host Victoria Vikes both show 2-1 records for six points, while Guelph (1-2), Toronto (1-2) and the No. 5 Alberta Pandas (1-1), the only team with two games left to play in the preliminary round, are all tied with three points apiece.

The two teams with the best record at the end of round-robin play advance to Sunday's gold-medal final.

The remaining opening-round duels on Saturday will see Guelph battle Alberta at 10 a.m. Pacific, UBC face Victoria at 12:20 p.m., and Toronto and Alberta closing things out at 4 p.m.

The Gryphons entered the contest against Toronto on a streak of heart-breaking losses to the Blues. Guelph had lost to its arch-rival in last Sunday's OUA final as well as in last year's CIS championship game, and had only one tie to show for in four all-time duels at the Nationals.

Stairs, a second-team all-Canadian from Kitchener, Ont., who topped the nation with 19 goals in 13 conference outings this fall, ensured the losing streak came to a halt.

In the 58th minute, Blues goalie Samantha Lyzun of Richmond, B.C., dove to poke a cross away but missed. Stairs got her stick on the ball at the same time as a Toronto defender, and the ball soared high into the air and came down just inside the U of T goal.

"It was intense. It seemed like it was in the air forever. I didn't know it was going to go in," said Stairs. "We still have a chance for a medal so it feels good."

Toronto also still has a chance for a medal, but the loss means their hopes of defending their CIS title have become a little murky. If things don't fall the Blues' way, they have plenty to look at from this game. They took two leads, but failed to hold on to either.

Kyesia O'Neale opened the scoring with her second goal of the tournament in the 12th minute. But the lead was short-lived as Guelph native Courtney Lacey responded just two minutes later when a free hit from outside the post found her at the far post. She quickly nailed the ball home to tie the score.

Cailie O'Hara, showing why she was named CIS player of the year for the second straight season, quickly put the Blues back on top at the 17-minute mark, smashing home a short corner from the top of the arc.

A few minutes later, Toronto earned a penalty stroke when a Gryphon tripped a Toronto forward inside the scoring area. Kristen Shier of Oakville, Ont., stepped up to the spot with the chance to give her squad a two-goal lead, but the ball rolled of the toe of her stick and Guelph goalie Nadia Marques was able to move to her left and make the save.

That save would prove to be a pivotal point in the game. In the dying minutes of the opening half, CIS rookie of the year Jessalyn Walkey made like a veteran and finished a three-way passing play off a short corner with a low blast that beat Lyzun stick side. That set the stage for Stairs second half dramatics.

"We were phenomenal," said Guelph coach Michelle Turley. "We were all over the opposition. I knew there was no way they were going to lose again to Toronto."

SCORING SUMMARY

GUE 2-1: 3
TOR 2-0: 2

First half
12th, TOR, Kyesia O'Neale
14th, GUE, Courtney Lacey
17th, TOR, Cailie O'Hara, PC
33rd, GUE, Jessalyn Walkey, PC

Second half
58th, GUE, Brienne Stairs

Goaltenders
GUE: Nadia Marques (W, 70:00, 2 GA, 1-2)
TOR: Samantha Lyzun (L, 70:00, 3 GA, 1-1)

Players of the game
GUE: Jessalyn Walkey (Rockwood, Ont.)
TOR: Jenna Adleman (North Vancouver, B.C.)


CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDING, STANDINGS & SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL: PACIFIC)

Seeding
1. Toronto Varsity Blues (OUA champions)
2. UBC Thunderbirds (Canada West champions)
3. Guelph Gryphons (OUA finalists)
4. Victoria Vikes (second place Canada West)
5. Alberta Pandas (third place Canada West)

Round-robin standings (after 7 of 10 games)

------------ GP - W - L - T - GF - GA - PTS

1. Victoria 3 2 1 0 5 3 6
1. UBC 3 2 1 0 4 3 6
3. Alberta 2 1 1 0 2 2 3
3. Toronto 3 1 2 0 4 5 3
3. Guelph 3 1 2 0 5 7 3

Thursday, Oct. 30
Round-Robin 1: Toronto 1, UBC 0
Round-Robin 2: Victoria 3, Guelph 1
Round-Robin 3: UBC 2, Alberta 1
Round-Robin 4: Victoria 2, Toronto 1

Friday, Oct. 31
Round-Robin 5: UBC 2, Guelph 1
Round-Robin 6: Alberta 1, Victoria 0
Round-Robin 7: Guelph 3, Toronto 2

Saturday, Nov. 1
10:00 Round-Robin 8: Guelph vs. Alberta
12:20 Round-Robin 9: UBC vs. Victoria
16:00 Round-Robin 10: Toronto vs. Alberta
17:30 Tie-Breaking Strokes (if necessary)

Sunday, Nov. 2
10:00 Bronze medal
13:00 Championship fin