Rookie goaltender Krista Funke was perfect in the shootout to lift the Varsity Blues women’s hockey team to a 4-3 victory over the OUA defending champion Queen’s Gaels on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 12) at Varsity Arena.

With the win, the Blues improve to 4-5-1 on the season, while the Gaels fall to 7-3-1 and remain third in the OUA.

A native of Regina, Funke stopped all five Gaels shooters in the shootout, and also turned away a penalty shot attempt in regulation time to earn the win.

Callie Bazak (Peterborough, Ont.) scored the only goal of the shootout, and added a goal in regulation time, while second-year forward Amanda Ricker of Kanata, Ont., picked up a goal and an assist and earned player of the game honours.

Queens led the game 2-1 until midway through the second period when Ricker banged home a loose puck at the side of the net on a Blues powerplay. It was then that Gaels forward Morgan McHaffie was hauled down on a shorthanded breakaway and awarded a penalty shot. Funke flashed the leather on McHaffie’s backhand attempt to keep the score at 2-2.

Soon after, a rebound off a pad save by Funke sent the Blues away on a 2-on-1. Bazak would one-time a pass from Ricker five-hole on Queens goalie Melanie Dodd-Moher to put the Blues up 3-2.

The Gaels drew even in the third on a powerplay goal from Taryn Pilon, setting the stage for Funke’s shootout heroics.

The Blues are back in action tomorrow (Nov 13) at home against the UOIT Ridgebacks. The puck drops at 4 p.m.

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