The U of T women’s hockey team continued their season-long winning streak on Saturday with an efficient 4-1 victory over the Guelph Gryphons at Varsity Arena. It was their ninth win in a row and the first for coach Karen Hughes after leading Team Canada to the Four Nations Cup last weekend in Kitchener.
“I think we played well. We were passing well, we needed to get a couple more shots,” said Blues captain Susie Laska.
It was also the second game in four nights for the Blues, following a 1-0 win in Laurier on Wednesday, which did not become a factor on Saturday, according to the Blues’ captain. “We were ready to play today, we were well rested. We just had to show up today and play our game for three hard periods.”
Forward Sue McCutcheon led the Blues (9-0) in scoring with a goal and an assist, while on defence, Andrea Patry contributed two assists to the winning side.
Jillian Savin opened the scoring at 12:02 in the first period when she converted on a rebound after a nice rush by Patry down the right wing. Patry’s shot bounced off a Guelph defender’s skate and went right to McCutcheon, who trailed on the play and shot the puck into the Gryphon goal. The story of the first period was the Blues’ aggressive defence and its ability to limit Guelph to just one shot on goal. A notable defensive play occurred late in the period, when U of T’s Kim Devereaux steered a Guelph forward into the boards, negating a Gryphons 2-on-1 chance.
The Blues doubled their lead early in the second period. After a high-sticking call on Guelph 3:29 into the period, the Blues’ power-play unit capitalized on the penalty 56 seconds later. Safiya Muharuma’s shot from the right point was stopped, but McCutcheon picked up the rebound and shot it high over the prone Gryphons goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
Meanwhile, Blues goaltender Alison Houston was tested often in the second period, making solid saves off Guelph scrambles in front of the Blues goal. She added to her save total with an outstanding glove grab with 12 minutes to go in the period. Houston made 18 saves in the game and was rewarded for her efforts with player of the game honours.
The lead was stretched to three, with forward Donna Paul sliding in a backhand on a rebound from a Kim Malcher shot with 41 seconds to play in the second period, just as a Guelph penalty expired.
Guelph, however, came on strong in the final frame, registering 11 shots on goalkeeper Houston and the period’s first goal. Gryphon forward Rosalyn Staple finished off some nice passing on the Guelph power play by scoring on her backhand at 2:29 of the third.
The Blues defensive intensity never wavered, and the three-goal lead was restored at the 7:43 mark. U of T forward Deandra Locicero, who minutes earlier had taken to an open ice check from Guelph defender Faye Blais, scored off a rebound from a Patry point shot.
While not a penalty-filled affair (the Blues had six infractions called to the Gryphons’ four), there was some behind-the-play clutching and grabbing.
“We don’t have any big rivalry with [Guelph], we just play a physical game, and that’s part of hockey,” said Laska.
She attributes another shutout and only four goals against on the season to “great coaching, great offence, great defence—it all adds up and great support from the forwards.”
On deck for first-place U of T is a pair of games at Varsity Arena next Saturday and Sunday, with McGill and Concordia respectively providing the opposition.
