The Varsity Blues women’s hockey team began 2015 with two home games at Varsity Arena this past weekend. The women downed the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks 1-0 in front of a raucous frost week crowd Friday night, before defeating the powerhouse Queen’s University Gaels 2-1 in overtime Saturday evening in what was perhaps the best game that they have played all season.
With UOIT out of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoff run, Friday’s contest served as a warmup for Saturday’s hotly anticipated match. The Ridgebacks proved a worthy opponent, however, with the stellar play of goaltender Cassie Charette and a strong forecheck stymieing U of T’s offense through 40 minutes of play.
Charette made two penalty shot saves in the second period alone and racked up 35 stops as her team was doubled in shots.
The Blues ramped up the pressure in the third period, but it was the Ridgebacks who were awarded the third penalty shot of the game early into the frame. Not to be outdone by Charette’s heroics, U of T goaltender and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) all-Canadian Nicole Kesteris rose to the challenge, shutting down Ridgeback forward Nicole LoPresti to maintain the 0-0 scoreline.
The Blues finally broke the deadlock with nine minutes to play on a powerplay. Veteran forward Sonja Weidenfelder walked in to the slot and wired a shot top corner, short side for the winner. The Blues hounded the Ridgeback defense in the final minutes and Kesteris was solid as U of T held on for the 1-0 win.
The weekend’s true test came Saturday night, and the Blues did not disappoint, delivering one of their most epic wins in recent memory.
Saturday’s contest was fantastic, featuring high-intensity hockey with excellent goaltending. The Blues displayed none of the sluggishness which characterized the first two periods of their matchup against UOIT, and hung with one of the OUA’s best clubs.
After an even first frame, the Gaels poured on the pressure in the second period, forcing Kesteris to make several fantastic 2-on-1 stops to maintain the 0-0 deadlock.
Queen’s ultimately opened the scoring with just over three minutes remaining in the period. Rookie forward Addi Halladay received a lovely feed from senior Taryn Pilon and rifled a shot short side past Kesteris to give her team the lead heading into the final frame.
Queen’s was excellent in the third period, outshooting the Blues 10-3 and hemming U of T into their zone with a relentless forecheck. However, U of T’s best defenders rose to the challenge, with Caitlin Maikawa playing one of her strongest games as a Varsity Blue, and Kesteris performing to the best of her ability.
The Blues evened the score with five minutes to play on a brilliant individual effort by veteran sniper Taylor Day. Day walked in 1-on-1 against a Gaels defender, pulled off a stellar toe-drag, and then deked to the backhand past Queen’s goaltender Caitlyn Lahonen to send the game to overtime.
The overtime frame was pretty even, with both teams trading chances and their goaltenders standing tall.
With a minute left to play, the Blues won the game in a rather unlikely fashion. Defender April Looije jumped into the play and received a pass from veteran forward Amanda Ricker. Looije, more noted for her calm defensive play than her offense, scored a stunning goal reminiscent of Day’s from the previous period.
Following the game, overtime hero Looije praised her team’s effort: “We were forechecking well and did a very good job of hemming them in their zone.”
Asked about the Blues’ goal scoring problems of late — they had only three goals in this four-point weekend — Looije preached patience, saying, “I think [the goals are] going to come with the amount of shots we’re getting.”
Having just upset a team that had only lost twice this season, and with previously-injured sniper Day back in the lineup, it’s tough to disagree with Looije.
The Blues are back at home January 24 against the Wilfred Laurier University Golden Hawks.
