Kiri Langford’s two-goal performance helped lead the York University Lions to a thrilling 3-2 victory over the rival University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday afternoon at Canlan Ice Sports.
The win was an impressive one over the No. 9 nationally-ranked Varsity Blues, who entered the contest with seven wins in their first nine games. The Lions are now 4-5-1 on the year, while the Varsity Blues slipped to 7-2-1.
Langford was responsible for the game winner five-and-a-half minutes into the third period and also netted the team’s second goal of the contest six minutes into the second period. She now has three goals on the season to go along with three assists and is tied for the team scoring lead. More details on the York Lions website.
The win came one day after a spectacular shutout performance by goaltender Megan Lee helped lead the Lions to a 3-0 victory against the Ryerson University Rams at Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Lee stopped all 31 shots she faced for her first shut out and third win of the season. The Lions, meanwhile, managed just 18 shots on Ryerson goaltender Brianna Tremblay but it proved to be enough. More details.
Third period comeback leads men’s hockey Lions over Gee-Gees
The York University Lions men’s hockey team rebounded from a two-goal third period deficit to defeat the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 4-3 in a shootout in Ottawa on Saturday.
Evan Gravenor and team captain Jesse Messier scored less than two minutes apart early in the third period to tie the game 3-3, and Jordan Forfar netted the winner in the first round of the shootout to give the Lions their fourth win of the season.
Messier’s three-point night brought his total to 12 points on the season, good for 13th in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) scoring. More details.
As part of their road trip east, the Lions also lost a 2-0 decision to the defending national champion McGill University Redmen at McConnell Arena in Montreal. The contest, part of McGill’s “Score with School” initiative, had hundreds of school children in attendance to take in the action.
Scoring was at a premium in the game as the two goalies, York’s Andrew Perugini and McGill’s Andrew Flemming, combined to allow just one goal. Perugini made 25 saves on 26 shots, while Flemming was a perfect 30-for-30. More details.
Men’s soccer Lions win OUA bronze medal
The York University Lions men’s soccer team won the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) bronze medal on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over the Queen’s University Gaels at McNaughton Park. It was the team’s second straight bronze medal after also finishing third in Ottawa last year.
Rookie Nicolas Mejia netted the only goal of the game in the 58th minute. He was sent in on a nice pass from fellow first-year player Nicholas Palmer and chipped the ball over the head of Queen’s goalkeeper Max Materne, who had come out to the top of the box, and into the net.
Sotiri Varlokostas and Colm Vance split duties in net for the Lions, each playing one half, to secure the shutout. Varlokostas needed to make just two saves in the first, while Vance was impressive with six saves to preserve the win after Mejia’s goal. More details.