Box Score The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team fell 2-1 in a shootout to the No. 6 Guelph Gryphons on Thursday night at Gryphon Centre Arena.

It was the second time this season that Toronto and Guelph needed a shootout to determine a winner. U of T took the first game of the season series 3-2 in a shootout on Oct. 18 at Varsity Arena.

The Blues are now 5-3 in shootouts this season and hold a 10-3-3 record in fifth place in the OUA, only two points behind the second-place Queen's Gaels (11-2-3). Guelph (11-2-2) sits tied with Windsor for third with a game in hand.

After six rounds of shooters, which saw Toronto's Taylor Day and Kristi Riseley both score, Guelph's Kaitlin Lowy proved to be the game's hero, finding the back of Toronto's net.

The Blues had a great chance to open the scoring six minutes into the game when a Day cross-crease pass intended for Sonja Weidenfelder was deflected out of the way just in time. Both teams were unable to score on their respective powerplays and the game remained scoreless at the end of the first period.

Guelph nearly got on the board seven minutes into the second frame as Marcie Landman received a pass all alone in front of the net, but Blues netminder Nicole Kesteris came up with the stop to keep the game even.

The Gryphons did open the scoring with just under three minutes to go in the second period as an Alana Sims shot deflected off MacKenzie Wong as she drove to the front of the net.

Guelph led 1-0 at the second intermission.

Toronto answered the call early in the third when fifth-year veteran Amanda Ricker found Lauren Straatman in front of the net. The rookie forward from Thorndale, Ont., made no mistake, beating Gryphons netminder Stephanie Nehring on the low glove side for her first goal as a Varsity Blue.

The Gryphons did have a couple of chances to go ahead in the last five minutes. Blues assistant captain Stacey Oue made a nice play to block the cross-ice pass on a 2-on-1 and Kesteris made a big stop on a Kelly Gribbons partial break. For the ninth time this season, the Blues needed extra time to decide a winner.

Kesteris made 21 saves in the loss.

The Varsity Blues return to the ice this Sunday, January 18 as they head to St. Catharines, Ont., to take on the Brock Badgers. The puck drops at 2 p.m.

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