On February 10, the Varsity Blues men’s hockey team played their last regular-season game against the York Lions at Varsity Arena. Despite a stellar performance from Purboo and the boys, the Blues lost to the Lions in overtime with a 6–5 defeat. 

What happened

Fan attendance was high for the Blues’ last game in celebration of Senior Night. Graduates Captain Colin Paradis, Kyle Potts, Steve Elliott, Ross Krieger, Brendan Bornstein, Eric Jackson, Owen Guy, and Quinn Hanna were awarded for their commitment to the team throughout their university careers. 

The first period started off strong for the Blues defensively, with several memorable saves by goaltender Jett Alexander. Unfortunately for the Blues, Lions forward Brock McLeod scored, leaving the score 1–0 at the end of the first. 

Leading into the second period, Lions forward Klim Georgiev scored at the eight minute mark. The Blues came back with a goal on the power play by forward Owen Guy, assisted by forward Krieger and defender Emmett Serensits. The Lions followed with a goal from defender Brendan Browne and another by McLeod. On their second powerplay of the period, Blues forward Cole Purboo scored the team’s second goal, with assists from defender Ryan Barbosa and forward Owen Robinson, ending the period at 4–2 for the Lions. 

The Blues came out of the locker room ready to make a comeback. The start of the third looked good for the Blues, with a goal at three minutes into the quarter by forward Potts, assisted by Elliott and Barbosa. Lions forward Derek McVey put a damper on the Blues’ success, scoring the team’s fifth goal of the game. 

The Blues came back strong at the end of the third period, with an unassisted goal by Krieger. After an excellent assist from Barbosa and forward Nick Wong, Purboo was set up perfectly for his second goal, forcing the game into overtime. 

With the game tied at 5–5, overtime ended quickly with a goal three minutes in for the Lions, scored by defender Xavier Pouliot. Despite the 6–5 loss, the Blues played well, with notable performances by Purboo, Barbosa, and Alexander. 

What’s next

After the game, the Blues are fifth in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West, and Toronto Metropolitan University Bold are fourth.The Blues are set to take to the ice against the Bold in classic fashion for the OUA Queen’s Cup playoffs. The OUA has not yet released the game schedule.