Box Score The Varsity Blues women’s hockey team’s 2013 OUA season ended in heart-breaking fashion, losing 4-3 in triple overtime to the visiting Western Mustangs on Friday, February 15 at Varsity Arena.
 
The Blues fell 0-2 in the three-game series, falling 2-0 Wednesday night in London, Ontario.
 
Despite the loss, the Blues effort could not be questioned and several veterans stepped up, with third-year Amanda Ricker (Ottawa) scoring twice, and fourth-year veteran Ragan Danford (Madoc, Ont.) picking up a goal of her own. Rookie forward Taylor Day (Ilderton, Ont.) had two assists on the night.
 
After third-year goaltender Nicole Kesteris (Aurora) got the start Wednesday night in London, sophomore Krista Funke (Regina) was called upon in tonight’s game, and was solid, making 36 saves in the loss.
 
The two teams traded goals in the first. Two minutes after Stacey Scott opened the scoring for Western at 4:28, Day skated into the zone and dished the puck to Ricker, who one-timed a rocket past Mustang’s goaltender Kelly Campbell.
 
The Blues then took the lead early in the middle frame, when Danford stole the puck from a Western defender to give herself a breakaway from her own blueline. The veteran forward raced in alone and fired it past Campbell to put the Blues up 2-1.
 
The lead would last until the latter half of the period, when Katelyn Gosling scored the first of her two goals on the night to tie the game.
 
The Blues continued to pressure despite Gosling’s goal, outshooting the Mustangs 18-3 in the third period. Their peppering of the net finally paid off at 2:21 when Ricker potted her second of the evening. Day started the play off again, cutting into the Mustangs zone and toe-dragging the defenceman. Ricker grabbed the loose puck and chipped it past Campbell to put the Blues up 3-2.
 
Toronto looked to have forced a third game, but with just 25 seconds remaining, Scott swatted a bouncing puck by Funke to send the game to overtime.
 
The Blues again turned the Mustang’s zone into a shooting gallery in the extra periods, firing a combined twenty shots on goal. But after two overtimes went by without a goal, Gosling took it upon herself to rush the puck up ice, and make several nifty moves before firing the puck home to give Western the series victory.
 
Gosling and Scott each had two goals, but Kelly Campbell was the story again for the Mustangs, as she made 47 saves for the win.
 
The Blues are the proud hosts of the 2013 CIS women’s hockey championship, March 7-10, at Varsity Arena.

 
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