By Jack MacCool
“Bend but don’t break” were the words that echoed out of the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s hockey team dressing room following a 2-1 loss to the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues in Game 1 of their best of three playoff series.
TMU forward Olivia Giardetti scored just 2:48 into the game to give the Bold a one-goal lead. TMU held that lead until the third, when U of T scored two unanswered—with the latter coming with just 15 seconds to play.
Many would call the loss a quote-on-quote ‘heartbreaker’, but Bold head coach Lisa Haley isn’t so sure.
“U of T is a great team and we certainly know they deserve a lot of credit. They played well tonight, especially as the game went on,” said Haley. “We’ll give them their credit, but it doesn’t take away from what we were able to do on the ice for a lot of the game, so we’ll focus on those positives.”
Despite the end results, there were a lot of positives to take away from Thursday’s game, perhaps the most impactful of which was TMU’s defence. U of T took all three regular-season matchups between the two programs scoring 12 goals to TMU’s two. Holding such a high-octane offence to just two goals in 60 minutes is something the Bold can be happy with heading into Game 2.
“Being able to realize we were in the game the whole time, it was an exciting game. It was a tough battle, it was physical, but we kept up with them and honestly outplayed them for a lot of the time,” said Giardetti. “I think just focusing on that and giving ourselves the confidence that we can do this is huge.”
The Varsity Blues finished the regular season atop the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East Division with a 22-2-1-2 record to go along with a No. 2 national ranking. The underdog Bold finished with a 9-13-1-4 record and won just one of their final five regular-season contests.
The Bold looked like anything but the underdogs early on however, with Giardetti’s goal giving them an early lead while a U of T penalty just nine seconds after the score put them on the advantage.
U of T managed to kill off the infraction but the momentum was firmly in the hands of the Bold through the first five minutes. TMU forward Cailey Davis was called for a penalty at the 12:15 mark, sending the Varsity Blues on the advantage. The Bold killed off the penalty but U of T was starting to look more like their No. 2 ranking suggested they might.
The first period of Thursday’s game was very physical. Collisions, body checks and strategic but illegal stickwork highlighted an opening 20 minutes that saw multiple penalties called against both programs.
After one period of play, the Bold led the Varsity Blues 1-0 while outshooting the OUA East leaders 11-4—something Haley noted as impressive.
The second stanza began with more competitive and ultimately illegal hockey. U of T defender Francesca Monte was called for a penalty just 58 seconds into the period before TMU’s Ahalya Julien-Medeiros got called for a penalty of her own 11 seconds after.
“[Varsity Arena] is a small rink so there’s not a lot of space, people are going to get in each other’s way…we understand what the game is like when we come in here,” said Haley, referencing the game’s physical tempo. “It was no surprise about the physicality, plus it’s playoff hockey so you can expect that.”
The ensuing four-on-four ended without a single shot on goal for either team but continued the trend of physical play. It wasn’t until around the 15-minute mark of the period that either team recorded their first shot of the frame.
Near the halfway point of the period U of T looked to come alive, pressuring the Bold defensively and controlling possession in the neutral zone, leading to scoring chances. One such chance came from Varsity Blues forward Sophie Grawbarger, who was sprung on a breakaway and was able to beat TMU goaltender Lauren Griffin but not the post, keeping the precious TMU lead at 1-0.
Shortly after, on a similar play to the one that saw Grawbarger get the breakaway, Bold defender Megan Breen found herself on her own breakaway but was turned away by U of T netminder Erica Fryer.
The final four minutes of the period were controlled by the Varsity Blues, but strong play from TMU on defence helped keep them the lead they earned less than three minutes in. After two periods the Bold still led the No. 2 seed 1-0.
The Varsity Blues, who registered 20 plus shots in all three regular-season matchups against TMU, tallied just 11 shots through two periods of play—a testament to the stellar defence of the Bold.
Much like the two periods prior, the opening minutes of the third were the definition of eventful. Giardetti was called for a penalty at the 19:07 mark and just under one minute later, the game was tied off a powerplay goal from Varsity Blues forward Kaitlyn McKnight.
At the 15:10 mark of the third TMU was once again put on the penalty kill after Bold defenseman Tori Butler was sent to the box. As well, the shot gap that once stood at seven in favour of TMU had been cut to just three and the momentum resulting from the tying goal seemed to be propelling the home side toward the win.
TMU was able to kill off the penalty but remained pressured in their own end for what seemed like minutes after play returned to five-on-five. U of T’s pressure continued to put the Bold on their blade heels as the third drew on. At 6:52, Griffin made a big stop in front of the net while TMU defencemen Abby DeCorby simultaneously got called for a penalty.
The Bold once again survived the man advantage but play continued to be pressed by Toronto. At the 4:40 mark of the third, the shots were tied at 20 apiece.
Ultimately, the effort and doggedness of the Bold wasn’t enough, as Grawbarger roofed a rebound with 15.2 seconds remaining, sealing the deal for U of T.
Now for the Bold, the focus shifts to a do-or-die Game 2. Win this Saturday and they have a chance to advance to the next round on Feb. 26. Lose, and their season will be over.
“We’re in a series here. It’s not one game winner take all. We’re in a series. They got Game 1, doesn’t matter if they beat us ten nothing or 2-1 late, they got Game 1.” said Haley. “Game 2 starts 0-0 so we’ll go at it again and if we can get a lead we’re going to try and bend and not break—just didn’t quite get there tonight.”
UP NEXT: The series shifts to TMU where the Bold will host U of T Saturday, Feb. 25 for Game 2. Puck-drop is set for 2 p.m.
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