In a back-and-forth game between two evenly-matched teams, sometimes it's the slimmest of margins that decide a winner. In Friday night's contest between the Waterloo Warriors and Toronto Varsity Blues, that margin was 43 seconds.

The Blues snapped a 3-3 tie with two goals in a 43-second span late in the second period, as they defeated the Warriors 5-4 on Friday night at Varsity Arena in Toronto.

The loss sees the Warriors fall back below .500 at 4-5-0 on the season. The top line was once again a bright spot for Waterloo, as Colin Behenna (Waterloo) notched a goal and two assists, while Andrew Smith (Kitchener) scored twice. The pair has now combined for 12 points in the last two games.

Mike Morrison (Hamilton) made his return from injury in the Warriors net, but it's not likely how he'd have scripted his return – Morrison faced only 14 shots on the night, turning aside nine in the loss.

Three different Varsity Blues registered multi-point games, including Matthew Campagna, who netted the eventual game-winning goal in the last minute of the second period. The loss snaps Toronto's 3-game losing streak, and improves their record to 3-4-1 on the season.

After taking a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes, the Blues extended their lead on the power play just seven seconds into the middle frame. But the Warriors chipped away, and Smith scored twice in less than four minutes to square the game at 3-3.

But with under two minutes to play in the second period, the Blues struck twice in succession to restore the two-goal lead. The Warriors had a golden opportunity to strike back early in the third when Toronto's Matthew Oakley took a major penalty for a check to the head of Smith, and Brett Mackie (Whitby) tipped home a point shot early in the man advantage to cut the lead to 5-4.

 But the Blues battened down the hatches after that, killing off the rest of the 5-minute power play. The Warriors once again came close with Morrison on the bench for the extra attacker, but they were unable to find the late equalizer.

The Warriors will now look to get back into the win column when they host the season's first installment of the Battle of Waterloo – the Warriors and the Laurier Golden Hawks will square off at the Columbia Icefield Arena on Saturday night, with puck drop slated for 7pm.