The Varsity Blues women’s hockey team fell 2-1 to the Guelph Gryphons in OUA quarter-final action on Sunday, February 20 at Gryphon Centre.

Rookie goaltender Nicole Kesteris of Aurora, Ont., stood on her head through 76 minutes of action. The 2010-11 OUA all-rookie team member posted 42 saves to keep the game within reach for the Blues.

Toronto opened the scoring 10 minutes into the first period when second-year forward and Markham, Ont., native Kelly O’Hanlon skated down the right wing and sent a centering pass to Darby Smith (Madoc, Ont.) who one-timed it past Gryphons goaltender Danielle Skoufrancis.

The Gryphons evened the score with less than two minutes remaining on a great individual effort from team captain Tamara Bell.

In the third period, a scramble in front of the Toronto net caused a number of players to tobble on Kesteris with four minutes remaining in the game. After a few minutes on the ice with the team trainers Kesteris recovered to stay in the game.

Guelph had several chances to end the game in regulation, but Kesteris stood tall making timely saves to send the game to overtime. By the end of the third, the Gryphons had outshot Toronto 40-15.

An exciting 10 minute overtime featured lots of action however the period solved nothing, sending both teams into the locker room still deadlocked 1-1.

Six minutes into the start of the second overtime, Guelph’s Tori Woods of Orangeville, Ont., scored the game-winner to bring Toronto’s 2010-11 campaign to a close.

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