By Sam Beaudoin
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s hockey team continued its perfect start to the 2022-23 campaign with a 2-1 victory over the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues in the team’s home-opener on Thursday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
The two teams faced off for the second consecutive game, renewing their already existing rivalry.
“We play those guys a couple times a season, they’re our cross-town rivals,” said Bold forward Jackson Doherty. “Beating those guys two times in a row is good for team morale…that keeps us in their heads ‘til next time we play them.”
The first period got off to a sloppy start for both squads, with the teams struggling with transition game and zone exits. As a result, little to no offence was generated in the period with the Bold registering the first shot of the game just a little over four minutes in.
“When you get into those tight hockey games…that’s like playoff hockey,” said TMU head coach Johnny Duco. “You find a way, it wasn’t pretty, but we found a way to hang on and get the two points.”
Despite the lack of high-quality scoring chances, TMU goaltender Kai Edmonds played a strong period, turning away all nine of the Varsity Blues’ shots in the first 20 minutes of play.
The second period saw the pace of play pick up slightly in the back half of the period with the Bold being denied on numerous scoring chances, including on a breakaway from forward Kyle Bollers.
Nearly nine minutes into the frame, Doherty intercepted a pass at the TMU blue line, leading to a breakaway. The second-year forward went five-hole and beat Varsity Blues goaltender Jett Alexander to put the Bold up 1-0.
“When I got the puck around the blue line, I kinda just thought ‘What am I gonna do when I get down,’” said Doherty of his second-period goal. “I did what my instincts told me to do, put it from my forehand to my backhand and shot it in the net, it felt really good.”
Just under five minutes later, TMU’s strong defensive game led to another breakaway. This time Kevin Gursoy found himself in front of the goaltender and the forward performed a nifty deke before beating Alexander top shelf on the backhand to double the Bold’s lead.
The third period resembled the pace of play of the opening 20 minutes, with both teams struggling to produce quality scoring chances for the majority of the frame.
Towards the end of the period, the Varsity Blues began to pressure the Bold in their own end. With nearly three minutes left in the period, U of T finally found the back of the net. Forward Nicholas Wong fired one from above the faceoff dot and past Edmonds to cut the lead in half.
“I think we stuck together, good teams find a way to win,” said Duco. “We’ve had terrific goaltending from Kai Edmonds here in the first three games of the season.”
Entering this game having only allowed two goals in the team’s first two games, Edmonds continued to shine in the third period. The first-year goaltender made a number of key saves in the dying seconds of the game to secure the victory for TMU.
“I’d like to get that shutout eventually, but it keeps on slipping from me,” said Edmonds on his performance thus far this season. “We’ve just been playing really good hockey in front of me and limiting their chances.”
The Bold improves to 3-0 on the young season, outscoring their opponents 11-3 in those three contests.
“It comes down to effort and execution, the effort has been there, the sacrifice has been there,” said Duco. “As a team you pick each other up, you play for one another.”
UP NEXT: The Bold look to go 4-0 when they host the University of Waterloo Warriors on Saturday at the MAC. Puck-drop is set for 6:15 p.m.
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