The Varsity Blues field hockey team is the team to beat as they travel to Waterloo for the 2012 OUA championship this weekend (Oct. 26-28).
The Blues finished the regular season atop the standings with a perfect 12-0 record, including seven shut out wins, and a league-leading 63 goals for and seven against.
U of T will play the winner of Friday's Waterloo/York game on Saturday at 12 p.m. at Warrior Field.
Toronto looks to repeat and earn their sixth OUA banner in the past nine seasons. U of T has won a league-leading 28 provincial championships since 1971.
The University of Toronto is also the host of the 2012 CIS championship, November 1-4, at Varsity Centre. Toronto, as well as Canada Wests’s UBC Thunderbirds and Victoria Vikes, will be joined by two other OUA schools based on championship results this weekend.
Third-year forward Ally Evanyshyn (Burlington, Ont.) led the Blues and ranked second in the province with 12 goals in 12 games this season. Six Varsity Blues sit among the top 10 scorers in the OUA.
The second-seeded Guelph Gryphons boast OUA leading scorer and 2011 player of the year Brittany Seidler. The Oliver, Ont., native amassed 19 goals in 12 games this season. The Gryphons also earn a bye into the semi-final round on Saturday.
Toronto has met the Guelph Gryphons in six OUA championship finals since 2005, with each team claiming three titles. The Blues hold a 79-11-8 head-to-head record over the Gryphons since their first meeting on Oct. 27, 1967. Guelph’s first win over Toronto came on Sept. 25, 2005. Since then, the two teams have been perennial powerhouses in OUA field hockey, with Toronto holding a slight upperhand (15-11-5).
Not to be counted out are the host Waterloo Warriors. The Warriors finished the season 7-4-1 and have been competitive among the top teams in the province. They, along with the Western Mustangs, York Lions and Saint Mary’s Huskies will look to upset the powerhouse Blues and Gryphons this weekend.
2012 OUA Championship Schedule
Friday, October 26
Game 1 – Waterloo vs York - 12 pm
Game 2 – Western vs Saint Mary’s - 2 pm
Saturday, October 27
5/6 Game - Loser G1 vs. Loser G2 - 10 am
Semifinal - Toronto vs Winner Game 1 - 12 pm
Semifinal - Guelph vs Winner Game 2 - 2 pm
Sunday, October 28
Bronze - Loser SF A vs Loser SF B - 10 am
Championship - Winner SF A vs Winner SF B - 12 pm
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