Box Score Team captain Kelly O’Hanlon scored three goals and added one assist, while goaltender Nicole Kesteris made 20 saves and was credited with her first career goal, as the Varsity Blues women’s hockey team skated to a 5-4 victory over the Windsor Lancers on Saturday, October 20 at Varsity Arena.
 
The win improves the Blues record to 4-1-1 this season, and moves them into third place in the OUA.
 
O’Hanlon (Markham, Ont.) led the Blues with three goals and an assist to give her seven points in six games. Toronto native Sonja Weidenfelder, and rookie forward Kristi Riseley (Pickering, Ont.) each had two points in the win.
 
Kesteris (Aurora, Ont.) came into the game second in the OUA with a 0.958 save percentage, but made her mark elsewhere on the score sheet, getting credit for the first-ever goal by a Blues netminder.
 
Windsor jumped out to an early lead in the first on goals from Alyssa Baldin and Bree Polci. The Blues responded quickly on the powerplay, as O’Hanlon corralled a rebound in front of the net and floated it over a helpless Karlyle Robinson. Weidenfelder would tie the game on a shorthanded goal with 5:50 remaining in the period. After taking a pass from O’Hanlon, the sophomore forward roofed a backhand over Robinson to even the score at two-a-piece.
 
Then, with the score 3-3 in the second, Windsor pulled their goalie on a delayed penalty call, setting the stage for Kesteris’ goal. The Blues goaltender was credited with the goal after she made a pad save on a Windsor forward in the slot. The Windsor player then fired a pass back to the point, where it missed its’ intended target and travelled the length of the ice into the Lancers net.
 
O’Hanlon completed her hat trick five minutes into the final frame to give the Blues a two goal lead. The Blues captain took a pass from Riseley behind the net, brought it out front and jammed it past Robinson for what would hold up as the eventual game-winner.
 
Ally Strickland connected for Windsor on a powerplay in the latter half of the third, but Kesteris and the Blues held on for a 5-4 victory.
 
The Blues next game is Friday, October 26 at home against the Brock Badgers. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.


 
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