The University of Toronto Varsity Blues take on the Ryerson Rams in a best-of-three first-round OUA men's hockey playoffs series this week.

Series Schedule:

Date	Visitor	Home	Time	Location	Media
Wednesday, February 11	Toronto	Ryerson	7:30 p.m.	Mattamy Athletic Centre	Live Video Live Stats
Saturday, February 14	Ryerson	Toronto	7:30 p.m.	Varsity Arena	Live Video Live Stats Tickets
Sunday, February 15 *if necessary	Toronto	Ryerson	7:30 p.m.	Mattamy Athletic Centre	Live Video Live Stats

 










A Head-to-Head Look

Toronto finished the regular season with a 13-13-1 record in fifth place in the West, two points behind the fourth-place Ryerson Rams (14-12-1).

The Blues went 2-0-0 versus the Rams during the regular season, defeating Ryerson 7-4 at Mattamy Athletic Centre on Jan. 16, before edging the Rams 3-2 in front of 3,600 children during the annual Downtown Showdown Hockey School Day on Jan. 27 at Varsity Arena.

The two teams have met three times in the post season. Most recently, Ryerson took the 2010 best-of-three first-round series two games to none.

The Blues went 2-0 versus the Rams in the first round of the 2002 playoffs, while also winning a single playoff game versus the Rams in 1978.

Battling for the Blues

Fourth-year Blues netminder Brett Willows played both games versus the Rams and ends the regular season with a.893 save percentage in 10 games played. Fifth-year goalie Garrett Sheehan is also back in fine form and boasts an .884 percentage in nine games this season. Sophomore Michael Nishi leads the squad with a .908 save percentage in 13 games played. 

Fourth-year Blues forward Jeff Brown led the Blues and ranked ninth in the OUA with 31 points in 27 games. Brown has had a spectacular second half of the season, scoring eight goals and adding 10 assists in the past 12 games.

Fellow assistant captain Michael Markovic scored a team-high 14 goals, while adding 11 assists on the year, with veteran forward Tyler Liukkonen topping the squad with 19 assists in 27 games.

Toronto can always count on a quartet of forwards for solid secondary scoring. Christian Finch ranks second on the province with six powerplay goals, while Paul Van De Velde, Patrick Marsh and Russell Turner are also threats in front of the net.

Third-year standout Dylan Heide ranks among the top 10 defencemen in the OUA with six goals and 13 assists.

Rams to Watch

Ryerson boasts four players who average a point per game. Second-year forward Domenic Alberga leads the OUA with 18 goals and tops the Rams with 31 points. Veteran Mitch Gallant has scored 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points, while Kyle Blaney has 10 goals and 18 assists, also for 28 points.

Rookie defenceman Alex Basso has certainly quarterbacked Ryerson's offence, ranking third in the province with 24 assists. Second-year forward Daniel Clairmont has scored 11 goals and added 12 assists for 23 points, with Michael Fine adding 26 points in 22 games this season.

The Rams are backstopped by veteran Troy Passingham. Passingham has started all 27 games for the Rams and holds a .906 save percentage.

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