On October 12, the Varsity Blues men’s ice hockey team lost in their Ontario University Athletics (OUA) regular season home opener at the Varsity Arena, falling 5–2 against the undefeated Queen’s University Gaels. 

Prior to the game, the Blues were 10–9–6 against Queens since 2008, with the 2017 home opener being their last home victory. The Blues entered their first home game looking to extend their 2–1 record in the 2024–25 season, while the league-leading Gaels improved their perfect 3–0 record.

What happened?

The Blues struggled to maintain puck possession early in the game, as the team had difficulty breaking out under the intense Queens’ forecheck. Despite crisp passing by rookie forward Cooper Way, the Blues could not find substantial offensive zone time. The team lost key graduating veterans up and down the line-up this summer, such as former captain Cole Purboo, current east coast minor league ECHL defence Nick Grima, and former starting goaltender Jett Alexander. In this new look line-up, Way led the line in the fresh rookie class looking to make an impact on the team.

The Blues battle it out at centre ice. COURTESY OF NEIL PATEL CC VARSITY BLUES MEDIA

Despite chipping away at the Gaels with an aggressive dump-and-chase game and board-rattling hitting, the Blues were met by an equally imposing Queens’ team. 

As the pressure mounted on the Blues defensive line, the team conceded two quick goals with less than four minutes remaining in the first period. The pair of goals courtesy of Queens’ rookie Ethan Larmand saw the Blues head into the first intermission with the score at 2–0.

The second period opened with momentum still firmly with the Gaels. Just two minutes in, the Queens extended their lead via a slapshot from the point, before the Blues conceded another penalty at the halfway mark of the period. Goaltender Jordan Fairlie — who made his season debut on the night — proved to be the Blues’ best penalty killer, but his diving and pad-save heroics were not enough as Larmand completed his hat-trick goal. 

A floating point shot from defence Aidan Reeves against Queens’ goaltender Christian Purboo — the younger brother of former Blues’ Cole Purboo — instilled comeback hopes in the arena. Forward Zack Smith’s unassisted short-side snipe with three minutes left in the second period meant the team had renewed energy heading into the second intermission.The team closed the gap to 4–2. 

Despite the good ending to the second period, the third period saw the Gaels shut down the Blues. Despite phenomenal saves by Fairlie throughout the period, Queens added to the tally late in the game to finish 5–2. 

With the Gaels outshooting the Blues 17–37, it’s clear the Blues need to improve their zone entries and chance generation for the long season ahead. However, the team can continue to rely upon their steady, physical game to get back into the win column.

Defence Emmett Serensits surveys his options as the Queen’s bench watches on. COURTESY OF NEIL PATEL CC VARSITY BLUES MEDIA

What’s next?

The Varsity Blues are now 2–2 on the season as they sit fifth in the OUA West division. In a post-game interview with The Varsity, Reeves said “I think the season has been good so far… we’re trying to find our groove as a team, but I think everyone’s super excited about the guys we have and happy with how we match up with every team.”

“It’s exciting to be back at Varsity [Arena]. We love playing in front of our fans and we’ve got an exciting group this year,” said Reeves. “Everyone’s ready to get back to work. We didn’t play how we wanted to tonight, so I’m sure everyone will be hyped up and ready to go for next weekend.”

The team embarked on a five-game road stretch, with a first game against the Western Mustangs on October 19 which ended in a 4–1 loss. The road games include a detour to Ithaca, New York for an exhibition game against Cornell University amongst the four fixtures of OUA games.