Box Score The No. 9 Varsity Blues men’s hockey team fell 5-3 to the Windsor Lancers on Friday, November 2 at Varsity Arena.
 
The Blues loss is their first regulation loss of the season, and drops their record to 5-1-1. The Blues are now tied with UQTR for first in the East Division with a game in hand.
 
Rookie defender Lane Werbowski (Winnipeg), Toronto natives Jeff Brown and Michael Markovic scored for U of T. Brown’s goal is his fifth of the season, as he maintains the team lead in scoring with nine points. Markovic also added an assist to give him two points on the night, and earn him the game’s second star.
 
Despite the loss, Blues goaltender Garrett Sheehan continued to build on his solid play so far this season, making 25 saves. The Cremona, Alta. native came into tonight’s action tied with fellow teammate Brett Willows for first in the CIS with a 0.955 save percentage.
 
After a scoreless first period, special teams took over in the second with a total of eight penalties combined between the two teams.
 
The Blues jumped out to an early 1-0 lead by striking on the man advantage. Weborwski opened the scoring when he took a pass from Markovic, and walked the line before whipping a shot off the post and in over the shoulder of Lancers netminder Parker Van Buskirk.
 
Windsor responded just over a minute later on a Blues turnover during even strength play. Spencer Pommels stole the puck at the blue line and broke in alone. Sheehan kicked out the right pad on the initial shot, but Pommels managed to grab the rebound and bury it to tie the game at one.
 
Toronto would regain the lead with another powerplay goal at 12:53 of the second, on Brown’s fifth goal of the season. Brown, who continues to factor into OUA scoring leaders, kept the puck in at the line, and then finished the play off after a beautiful cross ice pass from Blake Boddy (Scarborough, Ont.). Boddy leads the Blues in assists with seven on the season.
 
U of T grabbed a two goal lead midway through the period on a shorthanded goal from Markovic. With the Blues defending a potent Windsor powerplay, Rookie Dylan Heide (Winnipeg) stole the puck in his own zone and fired it down the ice to Cassidy Preston (North Bay). Preston gave the puck to Markovic who did the rest, deking around Buskirk and sliding the puck into the net to put Toronto up 3-1.
 
Penalties would ultimately cost the Blues however, as Windsor finally connected on the powerplay with two goals late in the second to knot the game at 3-3. Sheehan pulled out all the stops trying to keep his team’s lead. With the score at 3-2, he made a miraculous diving save on Drew Palmer, but Palmer managed to jam home the rebound.
Then, with just under three minutes remaining in the third, Windsor captain Brett Vandehogen deflected a shot en route to Sheehan, and then buried his own rebound to give the Lancers their first lead of the game.

The Blues pulled Sheehan for the extra attacker in the final minute, but Evan Stibbard found the empty net to end the game.
 
 Spencer Pommels and Steve Ferry led the Lancers with a goal and three assists each.
 
The Blues return to action tomorrow night (Nov 3) at Varsity Arena in the second half of a two-game set against the Windsor Lancers. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
 
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