Banner Season: McCaw Cup brings Subway Series rivalry to the forefront as Toronto and York battle for OUA supremacy

Toronto (by David DiCenzo) - The McCaw Cup trophy will end up in the provincial capital this year – it’s just a matter if the winning team will be in red or blue. The No. 6-ranked York Lions and the No. 3 Toronto Varsity Blues will compete in a very special edition of their local rivalry when the two schools face off with everything on the line in the OUA women’s hockey championship.

2020 McCaw Cup Women’s Hockey Championship Fan Guide

York booked their spot in the final with an impressive playoff run that included sweeps of the Waterloo Warriors and the Nipissing Lakers in the first two rounds. The Lions enjoyed an excellent regular season under long-time head coach Dan Church, who has been behind the bench since 2004. York finished third in the conference with a 14-8-1-1 record, employing a balanced style that saw them rank second the OUA in scoring with 65 goals, and second on the penalty kill (91.7 per cent). The Lions also led all conference teams in penalty minutes with 280, showing that there was a level of grit mixed in with the skill.

Fourth-year blueliner Taylor Davison topped the team with 20 points, scoring four goals, while also picking up 16 assists, which ranked second in the conference in that category. Veteran forward Kelsey McHolm was the goal-scoring leader with 13 (four of them coming on the powerplay), while third-year forward Kara Washer, a transfer from the University of Maine, chipped in nine goals and 17 points.

York received solid goaltending all year, thanks in large part to the presence of Lauren Dubie. The fourth-year netminder started 16 games and went 9-7, posting a 1.78 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. Second-year goalie Serena Vilde and rookie Julianna Thomson were excellent when they got the call, combining for eight starts and five wins, with great numbers.

York has won the McCaw Cup three times in school history, the last one coming in the 1996-97 season. The Lions’ latest run in the postseason has shown the team’s great potential. And it’s been Vilde who has taken over the reins in between the pipes, allowing just five goals in almost 240 minutes of playoff action for a sparkling 1.25 GAA and .939 save percentage. York made quick work of the Warriors with consecutive wins of 5-1 and 3-0, as Vilde pitched a 22-save shutout to help the team advance. The Lions didn’t have much difficulty in the semifinal round either. The team went on the road and defeated Nipissing 5-2 before posting a 6-2 win on home ice to eliminate the Lakers. Forward Erin Locke (1-3-4) and Davison (2-1-3) had big multi-point games in the series finale, while Vilde turned away 15 of 17 shots for her postseason-best fourth win.

Each of these York standouts will need to be just that if they want to cap off their return to postseason play with a title, as the get set to face the team that just so happens to lead all OUA programs with 16 McCaw Cup wins. The Varsity Blues have a storied women’s hockey history to say the least, even seeing seven of those provincial titles coming in consecutive order from 1988 to 1994 and an eye-popping 14 of the victories coming in a 17-year span from 1980 to 1996.

They are women’s university hockey royalty and will be eager to add another title under head coach and former national team member Vicky Sunohara. Toronto went 17-4-2-1 in the OUA this season, including two 2-0 wins over their championship opponent York.  The team featured a balanced offence, a dynamic powerplay (first in the league at 20.2 per cent), and a stingy defensive approach (a conference-low 29 goals allowed) to rack up the wins. Rookie D Gabrielle De Serres led the team in scoring with 20 points from eight goals and 12 assists, finishing just ahead of big sister Mathilde, a fourth-year forward, who went 5-12-17 over the 24-game regular season. Second-year netminder Erica Fryer got the bulk of the work in goal and impressed with an 11-3 record, 1.29 goals-against average, and a .943 save percentage.

Toronto entered the postseason on a seven-game win streak and the success continued into the first round despite drawing the defending national champion Guelph Gryphons. The Blues got an OT winner from the younger De Serres for a 3-2 Game 1 victory, as Fryer stopped 29 of the 31 shots she faced. And there was no let up at the Gryphon Centre Arena where the Blues again needed an overtime goal, this time from forward Laura Ellis, to leave with a huge 2-1 win and the opening series under their belts.

The 16-time champs faced their first real adversity of the postseason in Game 1 of the OUA semifinal with another in-town rival in the Ryerson Rams. Ryerson took a somewhat surprising 1-0 series lead after winning 3-2 at Varsity Arena. But Toronto rallied in what ended up being a classic three-game OUA affair. The Blues’ Taylor Trussler netted the winner – her hat trick goal – in the second overtime of Game 2 for an incredible 4-3 victory that included a 29-save gem from Fryer. In the series finale, Toronto looked like their ticket to the McCaw Cup was booked after going up 2-0 midway through Game 3. The Rams, however, would tie it up on consecutive goals from Lauren Nicholson and Olivia Giardetti, sending it to overtime. Ryerson was dominant in the extra frame but their inability to beat Fryer proved costly. The Varsity Blues got the biggest goal of their season from Natasha Athanasakos at the 15:12 mark of OT, guaranteeing the proud program another chance at a championship.

Anytime York and Toronto clash, the energy in the building is high. But with the McCaw Cup, and another OUA banner on the line, the stakes are that much higher. And local bragging rights have never meant so much.

Fans looking to take in this Friday’s highly anticipated championship can either purchase tickets to see the game live at Varsity Arena at 7:00pm or tune in to oua.tv to catch all of the McCaw Cup action.