The Guelph Gryphons men's ice hockey team is an active ice hockey program representing the Guelph Gryphons athletic department of the University of Guelph. The team has been active since the formation of the college in 1964 and is currently a member of the Ontario University Athletics conference under the authority of U Sports. The Gryphons play at the Gryphon Centre in Guelph, Ontario.
One of Guelph's predecessor schools, the Ontario Agricultural College, began fielding an ice hockey team at least as far back as 1898. As a small school, OAC played at the intermediate level of the Ontario Hockey Association but only did so sparingly. In the early 20th century, the Redmen also played in the Intermediate Intercollegiate Series but, as most colleges did, suspended play for the duration of World War I. After the war, OAC would play off an on for much of the 1920s and 30s. In the early 40s, the team attempted to play through World War II but eventually suspended play in 1945.
Return to play
In 1950, Ontario Agricultural College resumed play but remained an independent program. Its unclear at this time whether or not the school still operated at the intermediate level or if they had joined the senior level of college hockey yet. OAC soldiered on with their club for over a decade before finally joining the Quebec–Ontario Athletic Association in 1961. The team played for two seasons before sitting out the 1964 years while the University of Guelph was being formed.
Ontario Veterinary College
There is some indication that the Ontario Veterinary College played as a member of the Ontario Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1964. Records from Toronto Metropolitan include two matches against 'OAVC' in 1964, which could have been a combined team from OAC and OVC.[1] In any event, the league played at the intermediate level and is not officially recognized by the university.
Guelph
Once the first official team from Guelph hit the ice, the Gryphons found themselves with a tough row to hoe. The new club rejoined the QOAA and saw lean years for the duration of the 1960s. It wasn't until 1970 that the Gryphons were able to get out of the conference cellar and they weren't able to produce a winning season until 1972, the first year of play in the OUAA. Over the course of the 70s, Guelph steadily improved and the team won its first league championship in 1976. Guelph finished as runners-up for the national title that year and returned to the tournament in both 1979 and 1980. Afterwards, the program flagged and saw mostly losing seasons until the early 1990s.
Championship
The Gryphons rebuilt into a powerhouse, routinely winning their division while making several trips to the league final. Guelph won two OUAA championships in the mid-90s and appeared in 4 national tournaments in 5 years. Their successful run culminated with the 1997 CIAU championship. Afterwards, Guelph remained a strong team in the conference but they spent most of the next 20 years failing to make the national series. In 2015, Guelph won a stunning league championship despite having a losing record in the regular season. The Gryphons continued their inspired run and finished with the bronze medal at the 2015 CIS University Cup. Before the decade was out, Guelph made two more appearances in the national tournament but neither saw them win a game.
Season-by-season results
Intermediate and collegiate play
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points
Men's Gryphons in action against Windsor (2012–13)Men's Gryphons goalie during 2012-13 hockey season
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