The No. 10 nationally ranked University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team fell 4-3 the No. 7 ranked Guelph Gryphons at Varsity Arena on Friday (Nov. 23) night.
 

After a ceremonial puck drop in celebration of Pride Night the Blues and Gryphons were underway in a U SPORTS Top 10 matchup and it was U of T who gained the edge first. Third-year forward Emma Elders was able to capitalize on a defensive miscue in front of the Gryphons goal, giving the Blues a 1-0 lead with her third goal of the season.  

Guelph tied the game at 1-1 midway through the opening frame with a goal from forward Katherine Heard but the Blues were quick to respond. 80 seconds after Heard's goal, second-year forward Christina Alexiou skated down the right wing and fired a shot off the pad of Gryphons goaltender Sophie Helfenstein and Blues fourth-year forward Sophie Grawbarger pounced on the rebound and found the back of the net to give Toronto a 2-1 lead that they carried into the first intermission. 

In the second period the Blues were able to extend their lead to 3-1 as fourth-year defender Kalie Chan entered the offensive zone, finding fifth-year forward Scout Watkins-Southward alone in the middle of the ice. The Kingston, Ont., native fired a shot top shelf over the glove of Helfenstein for her first goal as a Varsity Blue.  

Gryphons forward Jayden Carter was able to cut the U of T lead to 3-2 in the second period with a power play goal for her first of the season. A strong finish for the Blues in the second period allowed for them to hold their 3-2 lead after 40 minutes of play. 

34 seconds into the third period Guelph forward Maeve Sutherland-Case tied the game at 3-3 with her sixth goal of the season. With the game tied Guelph was applying lots of pressure in the Blues defensive zone but first-year goalie Lyla McKinnon made some of the best of her 36 saves to keep the game tied. As both teams traded chances looking for an edge Carter scored her second goal of the game late in the third period to give Guelph a 4-3 lead.  

The Blues battled back as they looked to tie the game but time wasn't on their side as the final buzzer went off and the Blues fell 4-3 to Guelph. 

The Blues will return to action on Friday (Nov. 29) night when they host the Windsor Lancers at Varsity Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. with tickets available at varsityblues.ca/tickets. The game will also be streamed live on oua.tv.