The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team fell 3-2 in the shootout against the TMU Bold on Saturday (Jan. 17) afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in downtown Toronto.

The first period the Blues hold an 8-7 shot advantage but first-year Blues goaltender Lyla McKinnon and TMU's Katie Frost were perfect in net to keep the score deadlocked after 20 minutes of play. In the second period U of T got off to a flying start, piling shots on Frost. With a power play opportunity in the early stages of the middle frame third-year forward Abby Whitworth received a feed from Taylor Delahey and danced around the offensive zone before firing a shot into the back of the net for the Blues No. 14's league-leading 14^th goal of the season. U of T continued their offensive pressure and steady defensive game to hold the lead going into the third period.

In the third period, TMU got the equalizer as Riley Del Monte found the back of the net. As the game progressed, McKinnon and Frost traded great saves as the two sides looked for an edge. With less than five minutes remaining, Whitworth finished off an excellent passing play from Delahey for another power play goal to put the Blues ahead. With 20 seconds remaining in the third period, the Bold forced overtime as Neely Van Volsen netted her third goal of the season.

In overtime, the Blues penalty kill was strong and McKinnon continued to make excellent saves to keep the game tied. After seven minutes of three-on-three hockey, the game would be decided by a shootout.

McKinnon and Frost's strong goaltending continued to be the story in the shootout. After three scoreless rounds, Delahey got U of T on the board but Maddy Collins responded to keep the game alive. In the sixth round TMU's Gabby Gareau scored the game-winning goal.

McKinnon finished the game with 24 saves.

The Blues are back in action on Sunday (Jan. 18) night when they host the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks at Varsity Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m., with tickets available at varsityblues.ca/tickets. The game will also be streamed live on oua.tv.