The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's hockey team lost 7-4 against the Waterloo Warriors on Wednesday (Oct. 30) night in Waterloo.
 
The first period saw a strong offensive game as the Blues were eager to rebound after a mid-season exhibition trip to New York this past weekend. U of T wasted no time setting the tone, catching the Warriors off guard in the first twenty seconds as they jumped into a two-on-one rush, allowing Graham Dickinson to launch a sharp shot at the Waterloo net, and then Cooper Way scooped up the rebound to score his first OUA goal. Following the quick start for Toronto, Waterloo's Jaden Goldie and Liam Fedak each potted markers for the home side to jump into the lead. Down 2-1, U of T remained relentless, applying pressure and ultimately earning a power play opportunity. During the advantage, Nicholas Wong tipped in a Zack Smith shot, tying the game at 2-2. However, a five-goal first period would be finished off by Waterloo's Max Monette, securing a third goal for the Warriors and a 3-2 lead at the first intermission.
 
The second period saw the Warriors extend their lead as the home team put together three unanswered goals courtesy Jack Phibbs, Fedak's second of the game, Jaxon Murray. Blues starting goalie Jordan Fairlie notched 16 saves, before first-year goalie Sebastian Resar relieved Fairlie late in the second period. Resar would finish the game with nine saves in the third period.
 
Entering the third period, the Blues fought to close the gap, resulting in an intense back-and-forth. Toronto and Waterloo held strong in a goaltender duel through the first 10 minutes of the third period. But another Toronto penalty gave Waterloo the man advantage, which the Warriors utilized to score their seventh goal with a top corner shot from Tate Popple. Undeterred by the deficit, the Blues remained tenacious and capitalized on a four-minute power play. First, Resar robbed a breakaway chance for Fedak, and then moving in the other direction, Billy Moskal found Nicholas Wong, who sent a rocket of a shot past Waterloo's Matt Onuska. In the game's final seconds, another scramble in front of the Waterloo net saw Emmett Sersensits fire the puck in with just 19 seconds left, ending the game at 7-4.
 
The Blues conclude a four-game road swing going 2-2, and will now return to Varsity Arena for a pair of games on home ice. Toronto will first welcome the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday (Nov. 2) night, before then taking on the Western Mustangs next Thursday (Nov. 7) evening. Tickets for the Varsity Blues home games are available at varsityblues.ca/tickets, while the games are also streamed live and on-demand via oua.tv.