The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s hockey team overcame a 3-1 second-period deficit to upset the No. 5 McGill Redmen 4-3 in the 14th annual Minor Hockey Night on Saturday, November 28 at Varsity Arena.

Joe Rand’s (Hamilton, Ont.) shorthanded marker with 9:26 remaining in the game would secure the come-from-behind victory for the Blues. The fifth-year forward deked out McGill goaltender Hubert Morin (St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que.) and slid a backhand along the ice into the net for the eventual game-winner.

With the win, the Blues finish the first half of the 2009-10 season with a 5-7-3 record and sit in a three-way tie for fifth place in the OUA East division.

Blues captain Brendan Sherrard opened up the scoring 4:32 into the game as he came out of the penalty box, picked up a loose puck and found himself all alone with Morin. The Etobicoke, Ont. native made no mistake, sending a hard snap shot through Morin and into the back of the net.

The Redmen evened the score just over four minutes later when Simon Marcotte-Légaré (Longueuil, Que.) finished off an Evan Vossen (Swift Current, Sask.) rebound. McGill gained the lead before the end of the first period off a powerplay marker from Yan Turcotte (Laval, Que.).

The Blues came out hungry in the second period, recording numerous scoring chances in the first five minutes. However, it would be McGill who would score next as Glenn Tindle (West Vancouver, B.C.) sent a shot at the net and Alexandre Picard-Hooper (Boucherville, Que.) picked up the rebound, wiring a shot over Blues goaltender Andrew Martin’s (Mississauga, Ont.) blocker.

The Redmen held a 3-1 lead heading into the final frame.

Second-year forward Robert Kay (Orono, Ont.) would cut McGill’s lead in half on a Toronto poweplay as he sent a booming wrist shot into the top corner of the net at the 7:28 minute mark of the third period.

The Blues carried that momentum over, tying the game just 40 seconds later when Markham, Ont. native Joel Lenius tipped an Ed Snetsinger (Ajax, Ont.) point shot past Morin and into the back of the net.

After Rand’s go-ahead goal, the Blues ran into some penalty trouble and found themselves down 5-on-3 for 36 seconds. Toronto stood tall and played some solid defence, keeping McGill forwards to the outside and blocking numerous point shots to walk away with their first win in six games.

Martin was named the Varsity Blues player of the game for his 27-save performance in the victory.

The Varsity Blues return to action on Friday, January 8 when they travel to Kingston, Ont. to take on the Queen’s Gaels. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite Toronto teams, please visit the home of the Varsity Blues at http://www.varsityblues.ca.