The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team defeated the Windsor Lancers 2-0 on Friday (Nov. 29) night at Varsity Arena.
 
First-year goaltender Lyla McKinnon was stellar between the pipes for the Varsity Blues as the Toronto, Ont., native made 22 saves to earn her first shutout in the OUA.
 
U of T got off to a strong start to begin the game, keeping the puck in the offensive zone for the majority of the opening frame and were rewarded for their efforts with a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes of play. First-year defender Taylor Thompson fired the puck into the offensive zone and a relentless Katy McKenna was first to it. The third-year forward passed the puck to the front of the net as fifth-year forward Scout Watkins-Southward one-timed it past Lancers goaltender Candice Petitclerc for her second goal of the season.
 
In the second period, the Blues were able to double their lead as second-year forward Ashley Delahey passed the puck in front of the net for her twin sister Taylor Delahey. The latter fired a shot on goal and with the puck loose in the crease, fourth-year forward Aili McKeown jammed it into the back of the net for her sixth of the season. The Blues were playing strong hockey after 40 minutes of play, holding a shot advantage of 21-14 over the Lancers.
 
The Blues turned to their strong defensive game in the third as the Lancers fired shot after shot on net to try to get on the scoreboard. McKinnon turned away all eight Windsor shots on goal in the final frame to cap off a strong performance and secure the 2-0 win for U of T.
 
The Blues will return to the ice for their final game of 2024 as they host the No. 4 nationally ranked Waterloo Warriors at Varsity Arena tomorrow (Nov. 30) evening. 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.