Kyle Ventura was the overtime hero as the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s hockey team defeated the RMC Paladins 2-1 on Friday, January 30 at Constantine Arena.

Blues assistant captain Ed Snetsinger (Ajax, Ont.) and leading scorer Byron Elliott (Burlington, Ont.) set up Ventura’s winning goal with 35 seconds left in overtime.

Third-year forward Richard Lim (Calgary, Alta.) took a pass from Justin Lacey (Sudbury, Ont.) to open up the scoring with less than three minutes to go in the first period. RMC held a 1-0 lead going into the second period.

Toronto picked it up in the second period, out-shooting the Paladins 23-9. Elliott (Burlington, Ont.) and first-year standout Kyle Ventura (Scarborough, Ont.) set up Claudio Cowdrey (Mississauga, Ont.) to tie the game 1-1 heading into the third period.

RMC goaltender Adam Briggs (Wallace, N.S.) kept the Paladins hopes alive, stopping 18 third-period shots to force overtime.

Elliott tallied two assists and goaltender Russ Brownell (Oakville, Ont.) made 31 saves in the Blues 12th victory of the season.

The Varsity Blues return to action tomorrow night (Jan. 31) as they take on the Queen’s Gaels in Kingston, Ont. The puck drops at 2:30 p.m.