The Varsity Blues women’s hockey team hosted the Western Mustangs Saturday afternoon for the first time since their Ontario University Athletics (OUA) quarter-final series last winter, losing 2-1 on a late Mustangs goal.

The opening dozen minutes of play were very even, with both teams trading chances and their respective goaltenders coming up big. The Blues broke the deadlock on the power play at the 13-minute mark, when fan favourite Kristi Riseley deflected a Sonja Weidenfelder shot past Mustangs goaltender Kelly Campbell. The Mustangs responded with an offensive flurry in the closing minutes of the frame, but Blues star goaltender Nicole Kesteris rose to the challenge and preserved her team’s one-goal lead heading in to the first intermission.

The Blues began the second period with a four-minute power play thanks to a Western checking to the head penalty, but Campbell was excellent, making several great pad saves to keep her team within a goal. Campbell’s teammates rewarded her efforts near the mid-point of the period, with star defender Katelyn Gosling beating Kesteris with a point shot through a heavy screen. The Mustangs had been overloading the centre of the ice on offensive zone face-offs with the intention of screening Kesteris — this strategy paid dividends for them, as the all-Canadian netminder had no chance of stopping the Gosling drive.

The high intensity, even play continued into the third period, with both teams – two of the best in OUA – having difficulty establishing zone time. As the period wore on, the Mustangs began to out-chance the Blues, but Kesteris was as good as ever and the team played solid defense. Alas, the Mustangs scored with under two minutes remaining to steal the victory. A blatant, uncalled Mustangs trip at the Blues’ defensive line sprung Western rookie forward Kendra Broad on a breakaway. Broad made a great deke to her forehand, fooling Kesteris for the game-winner.

It was an unfortunate end to an excellent game for the Blues. Playing without injured sniper Taylor Day, nor recently departed 2014 playoff heroes Alie and Courtney Brind’Amour-McClure, the Blues went toe-to-toe with the ninth-ranked team in Canadian Interuniversity Sport and could well have won.

Following the game, Kesteris echoed this sentiment: “It was a close game and I thought it was pretty good.”  ​