On January 24, the Blues earned their third shutout win of the season in the Ontario Universities Association (OUA) Men’s Hockey regular season at the Varsity Arena, trouncing the Nipissing Lakers 5–0.

An offensive onslaught, with five players scoring and a ‘Great Wall’ defence, led by goalie Jordan Fairlie who made 28 saves, ignited the Blues’ incredible performance in a demolition job of the Lakers. This victory came after a tough loss to their same-city rival, the Bold, who led the OUA West Division at the time of play.  

With seven minutes elapsed in the third period, Blues Forward Owen Robinson scored a goal that all but sealed the win for the Blues, making his 30th point of the season and keeping him atop the league’s scoring leaderboard.     

The Blues continued their dominance over the Lakers, winning four straight games in their last four meetings and extending their perfect home record to start the new year.  

What happened?

The Blues took control early, maintaining stable puck possession and outshooting the Lakers in the first period with 14 shots. However, the Nipissing defence, led by goalie Zach Roy, stifled the Blue’s scoring chances in the early stages of the game.

The Lakers then applied pressure onto the Blues’ defence, but the Blues’ defensive line held strong, preventing the Lakers from converting opportunities into shot attempts. The first period ended in a scoreless tie.

The Blues offence erupted as soon as the second period began, with forward Nicholas Wong scoring just 34 seconds in, followed by forward Ben Woodhouse’s goal to put the Blues up 2–0. The Blues also applied pressure early, firing 12 shots in the second frame. The Lakers responded with some offensive pressure later in the period but couldn’t convert, as Fairlie made 13 saves.

To close the gap, the Lakers pressed the Blues’ defence and launched several shots, all of which Fairlie denied. The Blues sealed the victory by scoring three more goals — courtesy of Owen Robinson, Billy Moskal, and Julian Recine — shutting down the Lakers’ any hope of a comeback and cruising to a 5–0 win.

What’s next?

The Blues’ record improved to 13–9, placing them third in the West Division, while the Lakers are on a four-game skid after this loss, putting them second-to-last in the West — just ahead of the struggling Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks. 

The two teams faced off again on January 25, as the Blues secured back-to-back shutouts with a 6-0 victory over the Lakers at the Varsity Arena.

Following the doubleheader with Nipssing, the Blues will travel east to face the Ottawa Gee-Gees and the Carleton Ravens on January 31 and February 1, as they look to continue their fine form in the calendar year.