The Varsity Blues women’s hockey team needed only two games to defeat the University of Guelph Gryphons in their best-of-three semi-final series, set to meet the powerhouse Laurier Golden Hawks in the OUA championship. After defeating the Windsor Lancers in the quarterfinal, the fourthplace Gryphons managed only a single goal against the Blues, who won the series opener 3-0 on Thursday, taking the second game in overtime by a score of 2-1 on Saturday.
Much of the Blues’ success belongs to fifth-year goaltender Stephanie Lockert, who stopped 48 of 49 shots in the two games. “Stephanie really stole it for us,” said forward Janine Davies after the first game, in which the Blues were outshot 28-17. Head coach Karen Hughes was not impressed with her team’s effort on Thursday night. “I didn’t think we played very well today, to be honest. I thought our goalie played well,” she said after the game.
Davies had a good game as well, netting Toronto’s first two goals. The opening goal was a first-period power-play tally scored off a rebound after some good puck movement from the Blues. “Our power play executed really well,” Davies said.
Special teams made the difference in game one. Not only did a rare Blues’ power-play opportunity— U of T took twice as many penalties as Guelph—produce the game-winning goal, but the team’s penalty killing was also solid. Toronto did not give up short-handed, despite a third-period parade to the penalty box. Hughes felt this was a poor reflection of how both teams played. “I thought the referee let them hack and whack us and get away with it. We have a player injured from a hit, no penalty.”
The Gryphons could not capitalize with the man advantage on eight power-play opportunities, including two five-on-threes. “I think we were pretty good at keeping them on the outside,” said coach Hughes of her team’s penalty kill. Lockert was there to cover up any mistakes the Blues made, making several spectacular saves, including a nice glove catch on a high shot from the slot that forced her into the splits, drawing a loud round of applause from the crowd. Emily Patry almost scored a five-on-three short-handed goal on a breakaway after intercepting a pass just outside her blue line, but hit the post.
The Blues did not allow a goal in four short-handed situations in game two either. The second goal came in the second period when Davies tipped a low point shot from defenseman Lyndsey Ryan, past Gryphons goaltender Sarah Long. Third-year forward Annie Del Guidice also assisted. Rookie forward Karolina Urban put the game out of reach when she stole the puck in the neutral zone, walked in on Long, and fired a high glove side shot into the net for an unassisted marker.
The Blues traveled to Guelph for game two. They rebounded well from a third period in game one, outshot 8-2, firing 12 shots at the Gryphons’ net, and allowing only four in the opening frame. Del Guidice stoked the Blues to a lead with a goal assisted by Davies and Emily Milito. “We dominated the first period and were rewarded with a 1-0 lead. Could have been more,” said the coach.
Neither team allowed another goal until late in the third period, when Guelph’s second-leading scorer, Elysia Desmier, beat Lockert on a goal mouth scramble with only 12 seconds left to force overtime. After decent second and third periods, Laura Foster scored the game winner 8:15 into the extra frame on a feed from Patry from behind the Guelph net. “We managed to come back strong in the overtime,” said Hughes, who was once again impressed with Lockert’s game, with praise for captain Jill Clark, patrolling Toronto’s blue line for her fifth and final year.
“It was a better game for us,” said Hughes of the Blues’ second game after a disappointing defensive effort in Thursday’s game. “I think we can play a lot better in our own end. We don’t want to be giving up that many shots,” said Davies after game one; the team allowed only 21 shots in game two.
The Blues face a formidable challenge this week as they prepare to face Laurier, who beat the Queen’s Golden Gaels 3-1 and 1-0 (OT) in the other OUA semi-final. The Golden Hawks lost only two regular-season games to lead the OUA, and took two of three decisions versus the Blues in the 2007-8 campaign. Toronto, however, is coming off a near-win over Laurier, in which the Blues were three seconds away from victory in their second-last game of the regular season, when Laurier tied the game just before the final buzzer. The Blues have proven that they’re capable of playing with any team in the OUA, and any team with a stalwart between the pipes like Lockert has a chance to win every night.
