The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team swept their OUA semifinal playoff series against the OUA first-place Guelph Gryphons with a 4-0 win at Varsity Arena on Saturday (Mar. 8) afternoon.

With this win the OUA second-place Blues punch their ticket to the McCaw Cup Final and the 2025 U SPORTS Championship, both to be hosted by the Waterloo Warriors.

From the moment the puck was dropped, both the Blues and Gryphons were relentless in pursuit of the game's opening goal, trading chances throughout the first period. After 20 minutes of play the Blues held a 12-7 shot advantage, but strong goaltending from Blues first-year goalie Lyla McKinnon and Guelph's Martina Fedel kept the game scoreless. 

In the second period, the strong play in the crease continued as Toronto and Guelph continued to test the goaltenders while being relentless with their forechecking and backchecking while Guelph pulled ahead with a 22-19 shot advantage. Despite the quality chances, the game remained without a goal, helped by a strong performance from McKinnon as the Toronto, Ont., native make 15 saves in the second period.  

The Blues took control of the game and came out firing on all cylinders in the third period, scoring two goals in the opening 64 seconds. Third-year forward Kaitlyn McKnight set up fourth-year forward Sophie Grawbarger in the offensive zone; Grawbarger fired a shot top shelf past Fedel for her third goal of the playoffs to give the Blues the crucial first goal of the game. 29 seconds after Grawbarger's goal the Blues doubled their seat as fifth-year forward Scout Watkins-Southward stormed into the offensive zone and buried a shot past Fedel, sending the Varsity Arena crowd into a frenzy with her third goal of the playoffs. Midway through the period the Blues earned a 3-0 lead as Abby Whitworth stormed into the offensive zone and dangled her way around Fedel as a roaring Blues offence came to life in the third period. 

As the game progressed the Blues were strong in the defensive zone as they fought off Guelph's attack, as McKinnon made some of the best of her 27 saves in the shutout performance. The Blues sealed their fate late in the third period as fourth-year forward Abby Howland outworked a Gryphons defender to score an empty net goal and send the Blues to the McCaw Cup Final and earn a berth in the 2025 U SPORTS Championship. 

The Blues will be back in action on Saturday (Mar. 15) when they face the Waterloo Warriors in the McCaw Cup Final at 4 p.m., in Waterloo, Ont., in a rematch of the 2024 final.