Second-year forward Taylor Trussler scored three goals in leading the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team to a 4-3 double-overtime victory over the Ryerson Rams in Game 2 of their OUA semifinal series on Saturday night (Feb. 29) at Mattamy Athletic Centre.
 
The Blues and Rams will square off in less than 24 hours time as Game 3 heads back to Varsity Arena on Sunday night (March 1) at 7 p.m. Advance tickets are on sale here. 
 
With Toronto trailing 1-0 after 40 minutes, Trussler scored two goals in the first 4:16 of the third period to spark the Blues offence and netted the game-winner 5:05 into the second overtime frame. 
 
"I definitely think that when we get scored on first it brings down our team's mood a little so I realized that we had to get one quick to get the momentum back up," said Trussler. "Last series we went into overtime twice. We just had to stick to our game plan and it worked out for us."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: After a scoreless first period, the Rams got on the board first when fourth-year forward Lauren Nicholson scored on a breakaway with 6:05 remaining in the second frame. The home team held onto that one-goal lead at the second intermission.
 
The flood gates opened in the third period. The Blues evened the score 20 seconds into the frame as second-year forward Taylor Trussler buried a rebound off a Cristine Chao point shot. Ryerson answered right back through as Nicholson notched her second of the game just over a minute later.
 
Three minutes later, Trussler buried her second of the game just as a Blues powerplay had expired as she banged in a Jana Headrick rebound.
 
Fifth-year defenceman Cristine Chao gave the Blues their first lead of the game with 8:42 remaining as she sent a one-timer from the point through traffic and into the net on the powerplay.
 
That lead didn't last long though as Ryerson captain Kryshanda Green pulled a nifty move down low to even the game back up less than two minutes later.
 
The two teams played 25:05 of overtime before Trussler received a pass from Nathasha Athanasakos, deked around a Ryerson defenceman and backhanded the puck past Rams netminder Rachel Seely.
 
Blues goalie Erica Fryer posted 29 saves in the win.
 
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