The Varsity Blues women’s hockey team started a busy weekend of hockey with a 3–2 come-from-behind overtime victory over the Western Mustangs on Friday.

Toronto gained their third win of the season to move into a tie for fourth in the OUA. The women then improved to third place with a 5–4 victory over the Windsor Lancers on Saturday.

“It was probably the best three periods of hockey we’ve played this season,” said head coach Vicky Sunohara of the game against Western. “[The players] did everything we asked them to do. We got more shots to the net, it was really good.”

The Blues started the scoring early. Forward Jacqueline Scheffel, a constant thorn in the Mustangs’ side, scored a scrappy goal seven minutes into the first period. However, Western’s Jessica Ross quickly tied it up on the power play with a lucky rebound off Blues goalie Krista Funke.

Scheffel’s strong play in the dying moments of the first period proved to be one of the highlights of the game. The Blues were finishing up a penalty kill, and Scheffel used every part of her body to get the puck out of the zone, lying on her stomach and pushing the puck out with her hands.

Penalties were a major concern for Toronto in the first period, with five called against them.

“We need to work on keeping our sticks on the ice,” said Sunohara. “We tell the girls every game that we can’t control how the referees choose to call the game. We can control ourselves and we’ve got to give them as little reason possible to put us in the [penalty] box.”

Western controlled the game at the start of the second period with a go-ahead goal after a great Tara Cation pass to Jessica Ross.

But Toronto regained the initiative in the third period, and Brittany Kirby shot the puck at the net for Sonja Weidenfelder to tip in on the powerplay.

Western goalie Kelly Campbell rescued the Mustangs in the third, with a series of four incredible saves towards the end of regular time that prevented the Mustangs from falling behind. Campbell finished the night with 39 saves.

Toronto goalie Funke also had a superb nigh, making 30 saves, including a jaw-dropping stick save early in the second period. Most fans thought that Western had missed the net, but Funke confirmed that she did indeed save the shot.

“Yeah I saved it,” Funke confidently said. “I think I played a solid game. I would like to have gotten that first goal back but I think I played well enough to get us the win.”

After sixty minutes of regular time, the teams were still tied, in large part due to the strong goalkeeping.

The Blues wasted no time in overtime and only a minute in, Callie Bazak scored a spectacular goal to seal the win for Toronto.  She decked two Western players and her shot through the legs of a third flew into the top corner.

Toronto’s players and coaches were rightly pleased with the upset victory as Western is ranked ninth in Canada.

“Western’s a good team,” Funke stated. “They’re going to be near the top this year, they are definitely skilled. If we outwork them, we’ll always get the win though.”

“I think they started out slow,” said Sunohara. “Their power play is very good and they move the puck very well. I don’t know if it was their best performance but I felt like we didn’t give them a chance to get anything going. We put a lot of pressure on them and made them cough up the puck.”

Of the team’s preparation for the next game, Funke said with a laugh, “Cool down and get some food in us. We’re going to rest up. We need a lot of energy for tomorrow.” The Blues’ strategy worked, as they came out 5–4 victors over the Windsor Lancers.

“We need to keep doing a good job of moving the puck and putting it in the [opponent’s] end,” Sunohara added. “We need to forecheck Windsor’s defence.”

“We’re building. This was a great step and if we can play the way we played tonight, I think we’ll be successful.”