By Todd Ash-Duah
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s hockey team lost to the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 2-1 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Thursday night, snapping their two-game winning streak.
“It’s disappointing,” TMU head coach Johnny Duco said after the game. “There was a lack of urgency, the execution was poor, just the overall effort wasn’t there.”
After a somewhat slow start to the game for both sides, the home squad struck first, as forward Jacob Kamps tipped in a nice feed from fellow Bold forward Cole Resnick for his second goal of the season with a little bit over four minutes to play in the first period.
Looking to snap a two-game skid, the Golden Hawks would not be deterred, as less than two minutes later, a goal by forward Matthew Zebedee tied things up at 1-1.
The second period began with the TMU offence generating only one shot on goal through the first few minutes of play. The Golden Hawks had a great chance to break the tie with 13 minutes left in the period, but Bold goaltender Ryan Dugas made an awesome glove save to keep it 1-1.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Dugas, who made his Ontario University Athletics (OUA) debut in the game. “It was a great game to get into. Wanted to get the win, but it is what it is”.
Tempers began to flare towards the end of the second, with penalties being called on TMU defenceman Zachary Shankar and Laurier forward Sullivan Sparkes a little after halfway through the period. The ensuing “Why Can’t We Be Friends” blaring through the loudspeakers at the MAC resulted in some laughter from the crowd inside the arena.
Five minutes through the third period, Sparkes netted in a pass from teammate Evan Benwell, silencing the crowd at the MAC and giving the Golden Hawks a 2-1 lead.
In the waning stages of the game, the Bold had numerous chances to even up the score and send the game to overtime. A wrist shot by forward Patrick Fellows went wide of the mark a little after halfway through the final frame.
With just 10 seconds remaining, the Bold had an opportunity to shock the Golden Hawks and tie the game, but a rebound shot by the home team hit the post, allowing Laurier to secure the victory.
“For us, it’s about having a short memory,” said Duco. “We’ll have a little practice tomorrow, regroup and try to come out with a better effort on Saturday”.
UP NEXT: TMU welcomes the York University Lions to the MAC on Saturday afternoon. Puck drop is set for 2:15 p.m.
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