A mere 17 games into her Varsity Blues career, Taylor Day, a rookie on the women’s hockey team, already looks like a star in the making.
The forward from Ilderton, Ontario has 11 points so far this season with four goals and seven assists. On November 17, she showcased her abilities, scoring one goal and providing two assists in the a 7–5 victory over the Brock Badgers in her best game of the season so far. She had another multiple-assist game against UOIT on November 3, helping the Blues to a 4–0 win.
Day is quickly achieving success in her first year with the team, but excellence on the ice is something she is used to. While playing for her high school team, The Hill Academy, she received the hockey award in grades 11 and 12. Like many now-varsity athletes, Day was one of the top players on her high school team.
Day admits to finding the level of competition less challenging than with her club team, but that didn’t mean she put in any less effort. “Playing high school hockey was really fun; it was still competitive, but in a different sort of way. It was a nice change from my club team. You still had to give everything you had and you took pride playing for your school,” she says.
The Blues’ rookie has been competing at an elite level from the very beginning, and not just in her expected division, or league — Day’s first competitive hockey came in a predominantly male-dominated environment at an international level. “Some of my earliest memories are going to Sweden and Finland to play hockey with the East Coast Selects,” Day explains. “It was a great experience playing against boys’ teams there.”
The jump to intercollegiate hockey, however, was initially tough for the rookie. “The first weeks of training camp [were] tiring,” she admits. “I thought I was in pretty good shape, but quickly realized I still had plenty of work to do. It was good for me though, because I didn’t really know what to expect, but I do now.”
Although that tough start was difficult for the forward, Day attributes her success this season to perseverance. “You have to sacrifice a lot, but in the end you get to see great results, but there is always room for improvement.”
As well as the hard work and effort that she puts into her training, Day credits a large portion of her success to her family. Day initially chose to play hockey because she enjoyed watching her older brother’s games. “I always loved going and watching his games,” she remembers. “I started playing when I was four years old and have never looked back, I wouldn’t be where I am today if my parents weren’t behind me 100 per cent of the time. They were always there for all of the practices, games and off-ice conditioning.”
When considering universities, proximity to her family was a major factor. “When I decided I wasn’t interested in going to the United States for hockey anymore, because I wanted to be closer to home, U of T was my number one choice.
“I loved the school, the fact it was only two hours from home, and I couldn’t ask for any better coaches.”
The head coach of the women’s hockey team is Vicky Sunohara, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, with a strong coaching and training staff behind her. Sunohara, who is in her second season, has led the team to a 9–8 record, and is working to have them in a solid playoff position. After 17 games — more than half way through the 26 game regular season — the Blues sit sixth of the 11 teams in the OUA East division.
Despite suffering consecutive losses before the break, Day feels optimistic about the second half of the season. “This year, the OUA has been very competitive. That being said, every game is very important to our success. We have been focusing on playing to our own strengths and keeping our game consistent. Looking forward, we plan to peak in the final stretch of the season, leading into playoffs and nationals.”
This past weekend, the Blues participated in the Waterloo tournament. Toronto avenged their December losses with consecutive shut-out victories, defeating the Scanlon Creek Hockey Academy 2–0 and the University of Waterloo 3–0. The Blues will resume regular season-play on Friday against Wilfred Laurier in Waterloo.
In March, U of T will play host to the CIS women’s hockey championship at Varsity Arena. The Blues will have the opportunity to compete as hosts, whether their regular season finishes on the strong note that they plan for or not.
“It is definitely a goal of ours to do well at nationals, but we’re just trying to focus on finishing the season on a good note which will lead us to success in CIS,” Day says. “We have a fresh start with the second half of the season starting up soon.
“We just have to remain focused on our next few games and not on our past.”
