Last Friday night, the Varsity Blues women’s hockey team showed they are ready for the postseason with a hard-fought 2-0 victory at home against the Queen’s Golden Gaels.
The Blues came into the contest riding a 20-game unbeaten streak and took control of the tempo early in the game. U of T moved the puck well in the opponent’s zone, bombarding the Golden Gaels with offensive pressure. Queen’s didn’t look comfortable, and at times seemed like they were suffocating under the Blues’ heavy pressure.
Chances were plenty and with 5:39 to go in the period the home side finally found the mark with a goal by defender Safiya Muharuma, who put the puck in the back of the net with a pretty wrist shot. The Blues continued to create chances, but the team’s leader in points, Jenny McRae, just couldn’t seem to find the target. Queen’s only managed two shots in the first period, one of them being a partial breakaway with 4:20 to go, which was stopped by Blues goalie Alison Houston.
The second period was a different story. The Blues came out flat and Queen’s took advantage. With only a minute gone, the game was almost levelled when Jenni Gunn beat Houston with a shot, only to see it deflect off the post. Things didn’t get better for the home side as Bree Kruklis took a shot off the stomach and was forced to leave the game temporarily.
Queen’s regained their confidence and kept the pressure coming. The visitors could have scored on many occasions, but Houston was in top shape. The Blues’ netminder managed to preserve her team’s one- goal lead with a series of great saves. The second period finished on a bad note for both teams, as the U of T’s Kim Malcher was ejected from the game for throwing a bad hit on Tanja Vlahovich. Vlahovich was hurt on the play and was helped off the ice.
Queen’s began the third period on a five-minute power play, but faced a resilient Blues squad. The home side came out with intensity and was well organized. The period was dominated by the teams’ physical play and Houston’s great goaltending.
The Blues killed off the power play and were back in control. There were numerous scoring opportunities, but the Blues’ top offensive players, McRae and Savin, just couldn’t convert. Time was slowly running out on Queen’s, and with two minutes to go, their coach decided to pull goalie Jennifer Jolliffe. The Blues did well to hold off the pressure and with 1:20 to go, Amy Caldwell, who had a solid game, put the puck in the empty net to make the final score 2-0.
Houston earned her ninth shutout of the season, and got great support from her defence.
“We were ready…I felt good out there. It’s coming that time for playoffs, so everything is working out at the right time,” said Houston.
U of T head coach Karen Hughes was unhappy with the refereeing, but very satisfied with her team’s performance. “I thought we played really well…Our defensive performance has been outstanding all year.” Hughes also said she would like the team to do a better job of converting their scoring chances.
Muharuma, who opened the scoring, credited her teammates for her solid performance, while Caldwell, the author of the second goal, simply said: “I gave it all I had.”
The Blues finished their weekend with an impressive 5-1 victory over Queen’s on Saturday night. This was the Blues’ last regular season game. After finishing on top of their division, they will be going into the playoffs on a 22-game unbeaten streak.
