Varsity Blues rookie goaltender Brett Willows made 29 saves and recorded his first career shut out in a 3-0 victory  over the Queen’s Gaels in OUA men’s hockey action on Saturday night (Jan. 21) at Kingston Memorial Centre.

Third-year forward Kyle Ventura of Scarborough, Ont., scored the game-winner on the powerplay with 2:23 remaining in the first period and also added an assist on Toronto’s third goal.

The win lifts Blues (11-8-3) into a three-way tie for fifth place with Ottawa and Ryerson in the OUA East. The Gaels drop to 10-9-2 and sit in ninth.

"I thought we played with some desperation and took advantage of opportunities that we created," said Varsity Blues head coach Darren Lowe. "It good to get the two points."

The two teams set the tone early on in the first period with players from both sides finishing every check and not giving up an inch of ice. This physicality did however result in a trade-off of penalties for each team. The Blues took advantage of costly Gaels penalties on a 5-on-3 advantage. Ventura fired a rebound over the right shoulder of Gaels starting netminder Riley Whitlock to notch his 13th goal of the season and make it 1-0.

The Varsity Blues extended their lead early in the second period when second-year forward Anthony Bergin (Scarborough, Ont.) managed to squeak a shot through the pads of Whitlock.

Only 18 seconds into the third period, Michael Markovic added an insurance marker to round out the three-goal win. 

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