The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's hockey team defeated the York Lions 5-1 on Saturday (Oct. 3) night at Varsity Arena.
The Blues continued their strong preseason with a high-powered offence, striking early when third-year forward Jasmine Comeau connected with fourth-year forward Abby Whitworth, who fired home a shot from the high-slot to give Toronto the advantage. From there, the Blues locked the Lions down defensively, holding the opposition to just three shots on goal in the opening frame as U of T brought a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
In search of an insurance marker, second-year forward Eden Gowing capitalized on a misplay in front of York's net, firing a top shelf shot past Lions goaltender Olivia Tran. Less than two minutes later, Whitworth added a second goal of the game, finishing off a pass from first-year defender Ashley Minor as the Blue and White had a three-goal cushion after two periods of play.
Toronto kept their foot on the gas pedal in the third period, adding two more goals to their total. 96 seconds into the frame, Comeau broke on a two-on-one attack with Whitworth as the former picked up her first goal of the game. Whithworth capped off a four-point game by completing the hat trick, working the puck down low before sliding it through Tran's five-hole. York would get one back with 68 seconds left in the game as Molly Battram got the visiting team on the board before the final buzzer.
Between the pipes, second-year goaltender Jillian Matthews made 13 saves.
The Blues will wrap up the preseason on Friday (Oct. 9) night when they take on the Laurier Golden Hawks at Varsity Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m., with tickets available at
varsityblues.ca/tickets.
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