The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team returns to Varsity Arena this Saturday evening (Jan. 14) to face off with the cross-town rival York Lions following their final game of a three-game road trip Friday night (Jan. 13) against the Brock Badgers. 
 
Advance tickets for Saturday's home game are on sale here with the game also being streamed live on OUA.tv. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
 
Entering the weekend U of T holds a 7-1-5-0 (W-OTW-L-OTL) record and sits in a three-way tie for fourth place in the OUA with games in hand.
 
The Blues have proven to be a defensive juggernaut this season, ranking fourth in the entire country in goals allowed (24). The strong defensive zone play also permeates throughout Toronto's special teams with the Blues fourth in U Sports on the penalty kill (92.4).
 
First-year defencemen Shaelynn Waite and Jana Headrick have made their mark on the Blues lineup, pestering opponents who enter the Toronto defensive zone with their size, while two-way threats Cristine Chao and Julia Szulewska lead U of T at both ends sitting tied for third in the OUA in points by defencemen with nine apiece.
 
Up front, keep an eye on fifth-year forward Taylor Day, who is heating up with five points over the Blues first two games of 2017, including back-to-back game winning goals. The 2015-16 OUA first team all-star is also chasing history as she sits just two goals shy of 50 career regular season markers, which would make her just the 10th Varsity Blue to achieve the milestone in program history.
 
Goal-scoring opportunities will be ever present in Saturday's showdown with the Lions, who sit 12th in the OUA with a 2-2-7-4 record, while giving up a league high 48 goals in 15 games played this season.
 
Offensively, York has had success with goals from 13 different players as forwards Amy Locke and Justine Treadwell lead the way with four each.
 
Following their quick trip home this weekend the Varsity Blues return to the road next weekend for a northern swing, challenging the Nipissing Lakers (Jan. 21) and Laurentian Voyageurs (Jan. 22). Both games will be streamed live on OUA.tv.
 
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