The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team scored three power play goals en route to a 3-2 win in game one of the OUA semifinals over the OUA-best Guelph Gryphons on Thursday, Mar. 6 at the Gryphon Centre in Guelph, Ont.

The first period saw back and forth action at both ends of the ice as the OUA East second-place Blues and OUA West first-place Gryphons were looking for the opening goal of the series. Chances at both ends of the ice led to an exchange of saves from first-year Blues goaltender Lyla McKinnon and Guelph's Martina Fedel. The Gryphons managed to break the ice late by generating a good quality scoring chance in the offensive zone, and forward Deija Houston found the back of the net to give Guelph a 1-0 lead that they took into the first intermission. 

The Blues tied the game up at in the second period as fourth-year forward Sophie Grawbarger fired a shot on net that was tipped by fellow fourth-year forward Emma Irwin and past Fedel to make it a brand new game. The Gryphons regained their lead in the middle frame as forward Jaime Magoffin found the back of the net to give Guelph another lead heading into the intermission.

In the third period a relentless Blues team struck back as the power play struck again, as Grawbarger picked up her second goal of the playoffs to even the score at two apiece. The two teams continued to trade chances as the period wore on, and the Blues power play proved to be successful once again. U of T found the back of the net for a third time with the player advantage as second-year forward Taylor Delahey pounced on a rebound in front of the Gryphons net and fired the puck past Fedel as the Blues earned their first lead of the game midway through the third period. 

Toronto put up a strong performance in the defensive zone while continuing to get their chances on offence. The Gryphons were relentless on offence as they were looking for an equalizer, but McKinnon was up to the task, making some of the best of her 18 saves in the game. With Fedel to the bench for the extra attacker, the Blues were able to stay strong and hold their 3-2 lead as the final buzzer went off, giving the Blues a win in Game 1 and a 1-0 series lead.  

This OUA semifinal series will shift to Varsity Arena for Game 2 on Saturday (Mar. 8) afternoon as the Blues will look to punch their ticket to the McCaw Cup Final. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m. with tickets available at varsityblues.ca/tickets. The game will also be streamed live on oua.tv.