Toronto Blues scored with less than five minutes to play in the third period to force overtime, and a goal with a minute left in the extra period gave them a 2-1 victory over the Queen’s Golden Gaels in an Ontario University Athletics women’s hockey game Saturday night in Toronto.
The point gained allowed the No. 5-ranked Gaels to leave Toronto with three of a possible four points, after a 4-0 victory Friday night over the Ryerson Rams.
A second-period goal by rookie Addi Halladay, her seventh of the year, sent the Gaels, 11-2-3, into the final period with a 1-0 lead Saturday, but a goal by Taylor Day, her third in just eight games this season, tied the game for Toronto at 15:10 of the third period.
In overtime, defence player April Looije ended the game with a backhand shot that eluded Gaels goaltender Caitlyn Lahonen. It was Looije’s first goal of the year.
Toronto’s Nicole Kesteris made 34 saves for the goaltending victory, as the Gaels outshot the Blues 35-26. It was the fourth win in a row for the Blues, who improved to 10-3-2, good for fourth place in a league where just three points separate the second- through fifth-place teams.
Friday against Ryerson, Shawna Griffin scored three times to lead Queen’s to its sixth win in seven games dating to Nov. 9. It was the first game of the Gaels’ post-Christmas schedule and the goals were the sixth, seventh and eighth of the season for the Queen’s captain from Redwood Meadows, Alta.
Halladay opened scoring in the game’s sixth minute and Griffin’s first two goals sent the Gaels into the second period with a 3-0 lead.
Stephanie Pascal, a first-year engineering student from Sudbury, made 39 saves for the shutout, the first her intercollegiate career.
The Gaels came out of the weekend with 24 points, three behind league-leading Western and one ahead of third-place Windsor. They’ll return to Toronto Friday to face the York Lions.