With time ticking down in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship game Saturday night, an enthusiastic hometown crowd rose to its feet to applaud its Varsity Blues. With a 3-0 lead, the Laurier Golden Hawks were set to win their second straight OUA title, but that didn’t stop the crowd at Varsity Arena from putting forth one final show of support for a women’s hockey team that had captured the hearts of U of T hockey fans.
One cannot fault the Blues efforts on this night. They were defeated by the defending champions, a team that finished the season ranked #2 in the nation and features the OUA’s Most Valuable Player in goaltender Cindy Eadie. The Golden Hawks are a well-coached, disciplined team and, most importantly, have a lot of talent.
But the Blues battled hard against this formidable juggernaut, and were not dominated by any stretch of the imagination. The first period finished scoreless, with both teams having only limited scoring chances on shots from the perimeter or from bad angles. It was apparent after the first period that this was anybody’s game.
The play opened up considerably during the second period, as Laurier generated some quality opportunities, forcing U of T goaltender Lisa Robertson to make a series of difficult saves to keep the game scoreless.
But it was with eleven minutes left in the frame and Blues defensemen Mary Modeste in the box for tripping that Laurissa Kenworthy redirected an Ashley Stevenson shot under the arm of Robertson, giving the Golden Hawks a 1-0 lead. They would never relinquish this advantage at any point in the game.
Laurier struck again just over two minutes later-this time shorthanded. After intercepting a Blues clearing attempt, forward Candice Djukic walked in from the right side and fired the puck past Robertson into the top corner of the net, increasing the Laurier lead to 2-0. This score stood through to the end of the second period.
The Blues came out strong in the early stages of the third period, swarming the Golden Hawks net, but were not able to cash in on their hard work nor some juicy rebounds.
Laurier put the game out of reach halfway through the final frame, however, when Jessica Singh capitalized on another Blues turnover, scoring on her own rebound.
Overall, the game was characterized by Laurier’s strong positional play, especially on the forecheck. The Golden Hawks smothered U of T’s breakout, forcing the Blues defence to make dangerous passes, which more often than not resulted in turnovers. Such scenarios led to Laurier’s important second and third markers and frustrated U of T’s puck carriers all evening long.
Credit is also due to the Laurier defence corps, which did an excellent job stifling U of T’s rushes by attacking Blues forwards at the blue line and not letting them use their speed to generate chances off the rush. The Golden Hawks were also quite successful in blocking shots from the point, especially on the penalty kill.
On the U of T side, the night was highlighted by the play of netminder Lisa Robertson, who made several sensational saves, keeping any hope of a Blues comeback alive.
The play of the entire line of Amy Caldwell, Emily Patry, and Janine Davies was also impressive. The trio was solid on both the offensive and defensive ends, and was a much-needed source of energy in crucial times of the game.
It must also be mentioned that this was the final game for U of T graduates Amy Caldwell, Jacqueline Cherevaty, Sue McCutcheon, Jill Savin, and Lynda Sturino. These five have put in years of hard work, commitment, and dedication in representing the Blue and White.
With the victory, the Golden Hawks advance to the national championship this coming weekend in Montreal. As for the Blues, a long off-season now awaits, filled with thoughts of what could have been; but, with a strong core of returning players, they should come back next season primed for another run at the gold.
