The Under Armour Game of the Week showcases the Varsity Blues women's hockey team battling the Brock Badgers in U of T's annual Bell Let's Talk game on Friday night (Jan. 25) at Varsity Arena. All the action starts at 7:00 p.m.
The Varsity Blues, OUA and other conferences from across the country have teamed up in support of
Bell Let's Talk as part of a student initiative to promote mental health on campuses across Canada. 100 university sports games across Canada have been established as hosts for Bell Let's Talk events.
SAMHI (Student Athlete Mental Health Initiative) will be on hand on Friday night. SAMHI works to educate Canadians about the vulnerabilities of student-athletes. They aim to promote the mental wellbeing of all student-athletes and work to support those struggling with a mental health concern or illness. USTU will also be present to promote their new program, Peers with Ears. They match mentors and mentees who may be struggling with mental health and wellbeing.
The Blues are undefeated with a 6-0 record in 2019 and a big reason for that is the play of Erica Fryer. The first-year goaltender has posted eye dropping numbers with a 0.83 goals against average and a .958 save percentage in her last six starts. The Amherstburg, Ont., native has been a stone wall this season, only allowing more than two goals once in 12 starts. She currently sites third in the province with a 1.41 goals against average.
The Blues hold many offensive threats at their disposal. They're one of three teams in the OUA that have five players with double-digit points. Fifth-year forward Lauren Straatman (17), fourth-year defenceman Cristine Chao (13), fifth-year forward Kassie Roache (13), first-year forward Taylor Trussler (12) and third-year forward Stephanie Ayres (11) round out the group for the team.
A lot of games come down to special teams and Toronto has been great in both areas. They currently hold the best powerplay (21.4%) and second best penalty kill (94.2) in the province.
A couple players to keep an eye on for Brock is third-year forward Annie Aberg and fourth-year goaltender Jensen Murphy. Aberg sits fourth in league scoring with 17 points and has tallied 11 points in her last eight games. Murphy continues to be an anchor between then pipes. The Kingston, Ont., native sits second in the OUA with a .946 save percentage.
The OUA women's hockey standings continue to be jam packed. Entering this contest, the Blues (9-5-2-1) sit in sixth, while the Badgers (6-4-4-2) are right behind them in eighth. Thanks to this impressive streak, Toronto has climbed up the standings and are only two wins back of second place in the OUA.
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