The Varsity Blues women’s hockey team suited up to take on the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold on the evening of November 1, hoping to grab a win after an at-home loss to the Guelph Gryphons two days prior. 

What happened?

The Blues opened with a dominant offence, ending the first period with 13 shots on goal to the Bold’s four and keeping play largely in the latter’s zone. Despite the Blues’ many attempts, the Bold’s starting goalie, Sydney Pyburn, made scoring chances incredibly difficult. Sticking with their offensive strategy in the last minute of play, Blues’ forward Emma Elders managed to get one past Pyburn in the last 13 seconds of play to end the period with a 1–0 lead. 

The Bold made a quick move in the first 90 seconds of the second period to tie the game with a goal from forward Eden Dusome on the power-play. This was shortly followed up by another power play goal from forward Gaby Gareau, which put the Bold up with a 1–2 lead.

 

Scarlett Jones controls the puck in the offensive zone. JASON WANG/THE VARSITY

Despite the consistent defensive efforts of the Bold, the Blues were relentless. By the end of the second period, the Blues were up 31–13 in shots on goal. At around the halfway mark of the period, they tied the game 2–2 with a goal from defence Kalie Chan, which was assisted by Blues captain forward Kaitlyn McKnight. 

With the game tied at two goals apiece at the beginning of the third period, the Blues were hungry to score. The opportunity came during an early power play at 5:11 minutes into the period, where Elders scored her second goal of the game, bringing the score to 3–2 and reclaiming the Blues’ lead. McKnight notched another assist on the tie-breaker, her second following Chan’s goal in the previous period. 

Despite penalty troubles in the last period, which saw four box visits and a short 3-on-5 power-play, the Blues managed to defend their lead, and the game ended with a 3–2 win over the Bold. 

What’s next?

The Blues have added another win to their record and are sitting at third in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East rankings, going 5-3-1-0. The team won 3–1 in their ninth regular-season game on November 7 against North Bay’s Nipissing University Lakers, who are currently sitting two places below them in the division.