The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's hockey team fell 6-3 to the MacEwan Griffins in a exhibition game on Saturday (Sept. 26) night at Varsity Arena.
The Blues got off to a strong start in the opening period, scoring the opening goal just after the five-minute mark when second-year defenceman Isaiah Peters set up fourth-year forward Rylee Hlusiak. Toronto continued to build momentum throughout the period, doubling their lead late in the frame after forwards Owen Hollingsworth and Ryan Watt forced the puck to first-year defender Isaac Holt who beat goaltender Zac Onyskiw. MacEawn was able to cut the lead in half before the end of the period with a goal from Ethan Mercer.
In the second period, the Griffins evened the score 84 seconds in with an unassisted marker from Ethan Sundar. Both teams continued to battle throughout the remainder of the period but the score was deadlocked at 2-2 heading into the final 20 minutes of play.
Midway through the third period, the MacEwan goals in 50 seconds flipped the momentum in the visiting team's favour. Sundar scored his second goal of the game before Vincent Scott and Myles Gauld also found the back of the net. Despite trailing, U of T continued to push back. Capitalizing on the power play was third-year forward Dylan Wightman to make it a two-goal game. The Blues continued to fight as time dwindled on but an empty net goal from John Szabo sealed the win for the Griffins.
Between the pipes, second-year goalie Nick Surzycia and fourth-year netminder Jordan Fairlie split the crease and made 16 and 15 saves respectively. Toronto's penalty kill also had a strong performance, holding the Griffins scoreless on both of their opportunities.
The Blues are back in action on Wednesday (Sept. 30) night when they take the trip south in downtown Toronto and take on the TMU Bold at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:15 p.m.
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