The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's hockey team earned a 3-2 victory versus  their downtown rival TMU Bold in Game 1 of their OUA semifinal series on Wednesday (Mar. 5) night.
 
Riding the momentum of an OUA quarter-final sweep over the Windsor Lancers and a 4-2 win over TMU in their last showdown, the Varsity Blues brought intensity into the opening 20 minutes of action inside the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Midway through the frame, the U of T capitalized on their offensive pressure as Owen Robinson received a pass from Nicholas Wong and fired a shot from the top of the circle. Though TMU goaltender Kai Edmunds got a glove on it, the puck trickled behind him and over the goal-line, giving Toronto a 1-0 lead. No slouches in the defensive zone either, the Blues then showcased their resilience late in the period, killing off a 5-on-3 TMU power play to maintain their advantage heading into the second period.
 
The Varsity Blues continued their sharp play in the second, keeping TMU on their heels. U of T goaltender Rayce Ramsay stayed consistent between the pipes, making a few of his best saves of the game during the second period. Then, just after killing off another penalty kill, the Blues took possession in the offensive zone and made the opportunity count. Ben Dirven threw a shot towards the Bold net that went just wide. However, the bounce off the boards caught Edmunds off guard as it slipped through his feet. Seeing the loose puck, Julian Recine pounced on it to double the U of T lead.
 
The last 20 minutes of play saw tight performances on both sides as Toronto fought to keep ahead. Ramsay continued to put on a stellar performance in net, totaling 33 saves by the end of the night, while the Blues raised their own shot count to 30. However, with four minutes left, TMU cut the Blues lead in half as Aleks Dimovski got a piece of a shot from the point, deflecting it in. The final minutes turned the Game 1 showdown into a memorable night as TMU's Jordan D'Intino grabbed an equalizer with just 90 seconds remaining. However, Toronto wasn't finished as with 40.2 seconds left, Emmett Serensits found Robinson wide open  on the back door, slicing a tape-to-tape pass which he fired into the back of the net to restore the one goal advantage and secure the win.
 
The win gives the Blues a crucial edge as they head into Game 2 of the semifinal series, holding a home-ice advantage in the elimination game. Puck drop from Varsity Arena on Friday (Mar. 7) night is scheduled for 7 p.m. with tickets available at varsityblues.ca/tickets and the game streamed live on oua.tv.
 
The winning team from this OUA semifinal series will advance to the OUA Queen's Cup final and earn qualification for the 2025 U SPORTS Men's Hockey National Championship.