The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's hockey team fell 3-2 in the shootout to the Ottawa Gee-Gees in an exhibition game on Sunday (Sept. 21) afternoon at Varsity Arena.

Fourth-year goaltender Rayce Ramsay was stellar between the pipes for the Blues, making 41 saves on 43 shots.

Ottawa struck first midway through the opening period as second-year forward Zach Giroux capitalized on the power play. The Blues battled back with sustained pressure, outshooting the Gee-Gees 17–11 in the opening frame but trailed 1-0 going into the first intermission.

The second period brought plenty of back-and-forth action. Ottawa doubled its lead when Maxime Séguin finished off a feed from Giroux Toronto responded minutes in the late stages of the period with a power play goal of their own when third-year forward Julian Recine set up fellow third-year forward Rylee Hlusiak, cutting the deficit to 2-1 heading into the third period.

U of T's power play struck again in the third period as a shot from the point by fourth-year defenseman Mark Cooper's shot made its way through traffic tying the game at 2-2. The Gee-Gees nearly won the game with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation but an outstanding pad save from Ramsay sent the game to overtime.

Overtime was back-and-forth as Ramsay and Gee-Gees goaltender Jean-Phillipe Tourigny traded highlight reel saves. The shootout ultimately decided the contest, with Ottawa converting twice to secure the win.

The Blues are back in action on Friday (Sept. 26) night when they travel to Fredericton, N.B., to take on the UNB Reds. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m.