KINGSTON, Ont. - The Queen's Gaels open their OUA playoff chase for the McCaw Cup as the sixth seed in the OUA and will take on the third seed and No.10 ranked nationally Toronto Varsity Blues.The best-of-three series starts Wednesday night at Varsity Arena in Toronto and can be seen live on OUA.tv.
GAME 1: Wednesday, February 22, 7 p.m. Queen's at Toronto,
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GAME 2:Â Saturday, February 25, 8 p.m. Toronto at Queen's,
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GAME 3:Â Sunday, February 26, 7 p.m. Queen's at Toronto,
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REGULAR SEASON RECAP
Oct. 29: Queen's 3, Toronto 0
Nov. 27: Queen's 3, Toronto 1
The Gaels held the edge over their Old Four rivals from Toronto during the regular season winning both matchups, one in Kingston and one in Toronto. Gaels goaltender
Stephanie Pascal (Sudbury, Ont.) started both games for the Gaels stopping 56 of 57 shots faced.
Addi Halladay (North Augusta, Ont.),
Megan Farrell (Barrie, Ont.) and
Jessica Wakefield (Lucan, Ont.).
A lot has changed since the two teams last met, for Queen's the second win over Toronto marked number two in a streak of eight that Queen's put together through the second-half of the season. Since that point however, the Gaels have lost four of their last six games heading into the postseason.
For Toronto, the November loss to Queen's has been a turning point in their season. The Varsity Blues won their next five straight games and lost just twice more the rest of the season, finding their way into the national rankings throughout the process.
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PLAYERS TO WATCH
Queen's -
Addi Halladay: Scored two goals in the Gaels 3-0 win over Toronto back in October and led the Gaels with 13 goals on the season with four going for game-winners.
Toronto - Taylor Day: Led the Varsity Blues with 15 goals and 27 points on the season. She scored four shorthanded and four game-winning goals on the season and enters the playoffs on a four-game point streak.
KEY TO THE SERIES: SPECIAL TEAMS
Special teams play will a big role in how the series plays out. For Queen's, they enter the playoffs with the league-worst powerplay percentage in the league operating at just 5.8% compared to the Varsity Blues who finished second at 18%.Â
Scoring just six powerplay goals in the regular season, if Queen's is able to improve their percentage it could go a long way in giving them the edge.
Toronto not only boasts the second best powerplay unit but offer up the top ranked penalty kill unit as well. The Varsity Blues allowed just six goals against while shorthanded and the pressure will certainly be on Toronto to maintain their strong play.
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