Blue begin 2025 with overtime win over Guelph

Box Score The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's hockey team defeated the Guelph Gryphons 7-6 in overtime on Sunday (Jan. 4) afternoon at Varsity Arena.

Second-year forward Sean Clarke was the overtime hero in an overtime thriller to begin 2026.

55 seconds into the game, U of T capitalized on a power play opportunity as captain Mark Cooper kept the puck on a string at the blueline, firing a shot on net. Cooper's shot was tipped in by second-year forward Dylan Wightman for his sixth goal of the season to give the Blues an early 1-0 lead.

Guelph responded midway through the period as Cole Craft finished off a scoring chance. Despite the equalizer, the Blues managed to regain momentum with 13 shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes of play and a poised puck possession in the offensive zone.

In the second period Toronto had another quick start to the period as first-year forward Ryan Watt's wrist shot beat Olivier Ciarlo's glove side to regain the lead. Cooper notched his second assist of the game as U of T doubled their lead with fourth-year forward Eddie Yan finishing off a pass in front for his first goal of the season. The Blues and Gryphons exchanged goals as Dillon Stiles cut the lead in half but third-year forward Rylee Hlusiak regained the two-goal lead with his nineth goal of the season. 28 seconds later, fourth-year forward Zack Smith's shot beat Ciarlo down low to chase the Guelph netminder from the game and give the Blues a three-goal lead going into the third period.

Guelph showed signs of life in the third period as Nolan Dann found the back of the net. His goal was quickly followed up by a goal from Dylan Hudon to cut the U of T lead to one-goal. Midway through the frame, Dann notched his second goal of the game for the equalizer. A resilient Blues squad was able to respond as second-year forward Cooper Way beat goaltender Cal Schell to regain the lead. In the final two minutes, Guelph forced overtime as Nathan Allensen's shot made its way through traffic.

Both teams exchanged chances in overtime and with 35 seconds remaining, Clarke sent Varsity Arena into a frenzy to stave off the Gryphons comeback attempt and claim two points in the OUA West standings.

First-year goalie Nick Surzycia made 29 saves for the Blues.

The Blues are back in action on Thursday (Jan. 8) night when they host the Waterloo Warriors at Varsity Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., with tickets available at varsiyblues.ca/tickets. The game will be streamed live on oua.tv.