By Robert Vona
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s hockey team defeated the visiting Western Mustangs on Thursday night by a score of 4-1, climbing to first place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West Division standings.
Head coach Johnny Duco said the team is set on finishing in the top two and that getting a first round bye in the playoffs will be crucial in the long run.
“I thought we did a lot of really good things,” said Duco. “It’s definitely a positive first step here and we’re really happy to get that first win of 2023.”
A quiet first five minutes of the game featured a Bold power play resulting in no shots on goal thanks to three blocked shots from the Mustangs penalty kill unit.
The Mustangs struck first as a weak wrist shot from left winger Reed Morison tipped off of Bold goalie Kai Edmonds’ glove and trickled into the back of the net, giving the visitors a 1-0 halfway through the opening frame.
Bold forward Cole Resnick took a tripping penalty 60 seconds after the goal and sent the Bold to their first penalty kill of the game.
A pair of saves from Edmonds led to a rush for the Bold and a loose puck in front of the Mustangs net that was scooped up by TMU forward Kyle Bollers and snapped off of the crossbar.
A tripping penalty from Western just five minutes after the goal sent the Bold to their second powerplay of the evening.
The Bold capitalized this time around as forward Daniel D’Amico registered his first point as a member of the team, setting up Kevin Gursoy at the top of the zone for a shot that found the back of the net and knotted the game up at one goal a piece.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better group to come in to,” said D’Amcio following the game.
The Bold fought off another Mustangs powerplay with a flurry of broken passes to keep the game tied going into the first intermission.
TMU came out with intent in the second period as a shot from Resnick was saved by the knob of Mustangs goaltender Dylan Myskiw’s stick.
A handful of rushes from the top line helped send the Bold to their third man advantage of the game.
Bold forward Ryan Wells ripped a slap shot past Myskiw just over 30 seconds into the power play, putting the home team up 2-1 with over half the period remaining.
The Bold continued to apply the pressure, keeping Myskiw on his toes.
After the Mustangs finally escaped the pressure, a mishandled puck from Edmonds set up the opposition in front of the net as a scramble ensued.
The Bold managed to evade the scoring chance but not without a slashing penalty taken by Bold forward Jesse Barwell, sending the Mustangs to another power play that would bleed into the start of the third period.
A pair of timely saves from Edmonds helped kill off the Mustangs power play and set up a scoring chance for Bollers who rang it off the iron once again.
Edmonds’ strong play—including his OUA-leading 11th win of the year Thursday night—have helped him earn the chance to represent Canada at the upcoming Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) World University Winter Games from Jan. 12-22 in Lake Placid, NY. Bollers, who leads the OUA with 27 points, will also be joining Edmonds at the event.
“These guys always got my back, so I just have to do my job in shutting the door,” said Edmonds.
The Mustangs failed to find the back of the net despite their ongoing number of shots and scoring chances, allowing for Bold forward Aleks Dimovski to tumble into the back of the net after a scramble in front, bringing the puck along with him to give the Bold a two goal lead.
After the Mustangs pulled their goalie and brought out the extra attacker, Barwell’s shot from the neutral zone slid down the ice and found its way across the goal line, sealing the deal and giving the Bold a 4-1 victory.
“We’re really excited, we’ve got two news guys, they’ve looked awesome in helping us out,” said Edmonds about the team’s upcoming schedule. “We know it’s time to buckle down and go for that first place.”
UP NEXT: The Bold travel to Thorold, Ont., for a matchup against the Brock Badgers on Jan. 7. Puck-drop is set for 4 p.m.
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