TORONTO (February 9, 2018) - The No. 8 Queen's Gaels (14-3-3-3) spoiled the Toronto Varsity Blues (13-0-8-2) senior night, handing them a 3-1 come from behind win in Toronto on Friday night. 

With the Gaels regulation victory they now sit with 51 points on the season with one game remaining. A Guelph loss today leaves them seven points behind Queen's with two games left while the Western Mustangs were able to win in overtime but still trail Queen's by four points with one game remaining. These results mean the Gaels have clinched 1st place in the OUA heading into the playoffs.

GAME FLOW
The first period of play was a back-and-forth affair, with puck pressure coming from both sides. The first quality opportunity of the game came from Gaels Clare McKellar (London, Ont.), whose shot was stopped when Toronto goaltender Madeline Albert managed to pull off a spectacular goal-scoring save. Coming back the other way, it was Varsity Blues forward Breanna Berndsen who put the home team on the score board with eight minutes remaining in the first. Despite leading in shots 10-7, the Gaels would enter the second period down 1-0.

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GOALLL ????
Manoukarakis ties the game up at 1-1 with @Varsity_Blues #USPORTS #OUA #LeadTheWay pic.twitter.com/w0SOGktcSy

— Queen's Gaels (@queensgaels) February 10, 2018

The second period started out similar to the first, both teams battling, pushing the pace on the ice. With seven minutes remaining, who else but the Gaels leading goal scorer Katrina Manoukarakis (Scarborough, Ont.) came up big for the Tricolour, burying a shot to level the score 1-1. Not done yet, Manoukarakis would find the net again with a snap shot to give the Gaels the edge 2-1 with just two minutes remaining before the final period.

Coming out firing in the third period, the Gaels kept the offensive pressure up on the Varsity Blues. A scrappy affair, the Gaels would hold their lead and add one more empty-netter off the stick of Jessica Wakefield (Lucan, Ont.) to secure the 3-1 victory.

BY THE NUMBERS
15 - Manoukarakis pair of goals put her at 15 on the season
22 - Shots for the Tricolour 
2-0 - The Gaels swept the regular season series 2-0 against Toronto

UP NEXT
The Gaels will culminate the regular season in Waterloo tomorrow night when they take on the Laurier Golden Hawks. Puck drop is set for 7pm. Watch live on OUA.tv.