The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's hockey team defeated the York Lions 5-1 on Saturday (Jan. 17) night at Varsity Arena.

After the Lions opened the scoring 65 seconds into the game, the Blues stayed patient and composed as they tilted the ice in their favour. Despite sticking to their game, U of T found themselves trailing after 20 minutes of play.
Toronto's breakthrough came in the second period was third-year forward Brandon Santa Juana buried a power play marker off of a pass from second-year defenceman Ranvir Gill-Shane. The Blues controlled the pace of play through 40 minutes of play, holding a 33-10 shot advantage.

In the third period, the Blue and White exploded for four goals. Getting things started was first-year forward Ryan Evenhuis as U of T's power play played keep away in the offensive zone before Gill-Shane sent a pass to second-year forward Dylan Wightman and he set up Evenhuis for his fifth goal of the season. Gill-Shane notched his third point of the as his breakout feed went to fourth-year forward Eddie Yan. Yan sent the puck to third-year forward Christian Stevens as the Brooklin, Ont., native stormed his way into the offensive zone and danced around goaltender Matt Tovell for his third goal of the season.

U of T's momentum kept rolling as first-year forward Ryan Watt buried his own rebound on a breakaway as Evenhuis earned himself a multi-point game and fourth-year goaltender Rayce Ramsay picked up an assist on the goal that chased Tovell from the game. With an empty net as the Lions looked to mount a comeback, Watt fired a shot from the neutral zone to take a commanding 5-1 lead that held until the final buzzer.

Overall, five Blues notched two points or more and Ramsay was strong between the pipes with 16 saves. Toronto's strong play was on display from start to finish with a 42-17 edge in shots on goal and converting on 50 per cent of their power play opportunities.

The Blues are back in action on Friday (Jan. 23) night when they host the TMU Bold at Varsity Arena. 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.