The top-seeded University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team are one win away from their first provincial title since 2002-03 as they host the York Lions in the 2020 OUA McCaw Cup final this Friday, March 6 at 7 p.m. at Varsity Arena. 
 
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Toronto and York, who last met in the OUA final in 1996-97, both booked their tickets to the 2020 U SPORTS national championship with semifinal series victories.  The Blues topped the Ryerson Rams in a thrilling three-game series, with U of T winning Games 2 and 3 in overtime, while the Lions defeated the Nipissing Lakers in two games to advance to their first OUA final since 1998-99.
 
The Blues swept the season series with the Lions, recording 2-0 victories at home on Nov. 21 and at York on Jan. 11. Toronto holds an 11-5 all-time post-season record over the York Lions. The two teams have met six times in the OUA final with the Blues holding a 4-2 advantage.
 
It marks the second straight season that U of T will play for the McCaw Cup. Toronto dropped a narrow decision to the eventual U SPORTS national champion Guelph Gryphons in the 2019 final and will look to turn the tides in their favour on Friday.
 
"I think our players know what to expect," said Varsity Blues head coach Vicky Sunohara. "We have had a group of amazing fans this season so it will be great to play at home. Everyone knows the healthy rivalry between York and the University of Toronto, so I would expect this to be an intense, hard-fought final. York has had tremendous success this season and they are playing with a lot of confidence, but I know we are up to the challenge."
 
THE BLUES AT A GLANCE: Toronto's scoring has come by committee all season long, and that hasn't changed into the playoffs. 11 players have registered points, with six different goal scorers in four games.
 
The 1-2 punch of Taylor Trussler and Natasha Athanasakos lead the post-season Blues with six and five points, respectively, while Toronto's two leading point-getters from the regular season, Gabrielle and Matilde De Serres are also continuing their stellar play.
 
Fifth-year defenceman Cristine Chao continues to quarterback Toronto's offence, with third-year forward Louie Bieman providing a spark of energy on every shift.
 
Sophomore netminder Erica Fryer has been stellar through four games, holding a 1.78 goals against average and a .930 save percentage.
 
A LOOK AT THE LIONS: Veteran defenceman Taylor Davison led York with 20 points in the regular season, ranking second in the OUA with 16 assists. Fourth-year forward Kelsey McHolm topped the Lions with 13 goals, while third-year forward Kara Washer notched nine goals and seven assists for 16 points during the regular season.
 
Third-year forward Courtney Gardiner has stepped up in the post season, leading the Lions with three goals and four assists for seven points. Second-year goalie Serena Vilde has shone through the playoffs, leading the OUA with a 1.25 goals against average and .943 save percentage.
 
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