On November 22, the Varsity Blues women’s ice hockey team faced off against the Western Mustangs in the first of their four-game home stand. 

Prior to the game, the Blues had defeated the Mustangs 2–1 during their pre-season game and were riding a seven-game active win streak against the Mustangs in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) competition. The Blues returned home after a 4–2 victory over the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on November 16. 

After being undefeated at home, the Blue suffered their first home loss of the season, falling 3–1 to the Mustangs in a tough upset. 

What happened?

During the game, the Mustangs took control early. Forward Haylie Kirkpatrick scored the first goal within the opening three minutes, giving the Mustangs a 1–0 lead. The Blues battled back, but the Mustangs maintained their momentum. Rookie goalie Lyla McKinnon was able to make 11 saves for the Blues in the first period, despite being outshot 12–6. 

McKinnon stepped up early in the second period, facing increased pressure from the Mustangs. The Blues gained momentum with several major chances but were still unable to finish. They got their first power play of the game just around 15 minutes into the second period but couldn’t capitalize. After killing the power play, the Mustangs regained their energy, but McKinnon stood tall in the net. 

Eventually, the Blues couldn’t handle the pressure, and on a breakaway, Kirkpatrick scored her second goal in the final two seconds of the period, giving the Mustangs a 2–0 lead over the Blues. 

In the third period, the Blues got on the board after 17 shots, with a goal from forward Christina Alexiou, making it a 2–1 game. Her third goal of the season was assisted by forwards Kaitlyn McKnight and Sophie Grawbarger. 

The Blues pushed for an equalizer. A tripping penalty on defense Jaia Freer in the final minutes of the game cost them heavily, as the Mustangs went on the power play. 

McKinnon finished the game with 26 saves and was pulled as an extra attacker on the Mustangs’ power play. Unfortunately, Mustangs forward Elizabeth Gauthier scored an empty-net goal to secure a 3–1 win. 

What’s next?

The Varsity Blues faced the Guelph Gryphons on November 23, during their fifth annual Pride Night game, falling by a score of 4–3. The Blues are now 7–6 on the season and sit in third place in the OUA East division. 

The team continues their four-game home stand with back-to-back games against the Windsor Lancers and the Waterloo Warriors on November 29 and 30, with puck drop at 7:00 pm.