By Ilyas Hussein
On the second night of a back-to-back, the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s hockey team fell 2-1 against the Concordia Stingers on Jan. 5 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
A 33-save performance from second-year TMU netminder Kai Edmonds wasn’t enough to capture the win for the home side. After the Stingers went down 1-0 early in the third period, a powerplay goal and a shorthanded marker less than five minutes apart propelled the visitors to victory.
“We had them right where we wanted them in a 1-0 game at home. Then the wheels fell off a bit,” said Bold head coach Johnny Duco. “Our special teams really let us down tonight.”
The opening frame of the contest between the two sides featured an even matchup as they both pressed for an early marker.
The first threatening scoring opportunity came off the stick of Concordia first-year forward Loick Daigle, who was left open in the slot. But Edmonds stuck out his right pad to deny the Châteauguay, Que. product.
“Giving up a shorthanded goal is unacceptable by our standards”
Third-year Stingers netminder Jordan Naylor also held his own, stopping numerous chances in tight to keep the game locked at zeroes heading into the first intermission.
The goalie battle continued well into the second period, however, Edmonds faced a heavier workload compared to Naylor. The Stingers’ strong forecheck resulted in more offensive zone time, but the TMU goaltender kept Concordia at bay despite starting his second game in as many nights.
“[He] gives us a lot of confidence, especially the defenceman knowing that guy is back there and he’s going to bail us out if you make mistakes,” said fourth-year defenceman Cole Cameron on having Edmonds backstop the Bold on a nightly basis.
As the middle frame progressed, the game’s intensity level also increased as each team searched for the first goal. Both powerplay units got a look in the second period, yet they couldn’t capitalize on their respective man-advantages.
The best chance of the period came with a little over a minute to go as third-year Bold forward Kyle Bollers crossed the Stingers blue line with speed before putting the puck around a Concordia defender and ringing a shot off the post.
TMU came out of the gates in the third period firing. Cameron finally broke the deadlock and opened the scoring 57 seconds into the frame to put the Bold ahead.
Cameron accepted a tape-to-tape pass at the blue line from second-year defenceman Liam Ross, then walked into the slot and put the puck to his backhand before shovelling it past Naylor to give TMU the 1-0 lead.
“For me, as a defenceman that doesn’t score very much, I just want to contribute and sometimes that’s with a goal,” said Cameron. “[It’s] just unfortunate that didn’t translate into a win.”
Midway through the period, the Stingers found the equalizer on the man advantage, after Edmonds was issued a delay of game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass.
Concordia second-year defenceman Simon Lavigne potted his second of the season off a shot from above the faceoff circle.
“At the end of the day, special teams just killed us,” said Cameron.
Shortly after, the Bold went to a powerplay of their own following a tripping penalty from second-year Concordia forward Vincent Nardone. Yet, the Stingers kept the pressure up.
“We can’t have those lapses and we got to find a way to get our special teams back on track”
While shorthanded, Concordia captain and third-year forward Phélix Martineau carried the puck into TMU’s zone and roofed a shot behind Edmonds to give the Stingers their first lead of the night.
“Giving up a shorthanded goal is unacceptable by our standards. [We] kind of left Kai out to dry after a really stellar performance,” said Duco. “He was on track to steal one for us tonight.”
The Bold’s breakdown continued as third-year defenceman Ryan Wells took a roughing penalty to negate the remaining 45 seconds on the home side’s powerplay.
However, with less than four minutes to go in regulation, second-year Stingers defenceman Sean Larochelle took an interference penalty to put the Bold back on the man advantage.
Yet, the Bold couldn’t find the back of the net on their third powerplay opportunity of the game.
“We can’t have those lapses and we got to find a way to get our special teams back on track. That’s been a trademark for us,” added Duco.
The Stingers held on in the last few minutes to secure the victory—earning their first in the new year.
After defeating the division-leading Brock Badgers on Thursday night, the Bold were tied for second place with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West. However, the loss—combined with the Varsity Blues win over the Nipissing Lakers on Friday night—puts them in third.
Meanwhile, the win for Concordia catapults them into third place in the OUA East division.
“It doesn’t get any easier, that’s for sure,” said Duco on the schedule for the Bold coming up. “I think that Concordia team is one of the best teams in the OUA, if not the country…so for us [we have to] wash it, put it behind us and learn from it.”
UP NEXT: The Bold head to Windsor, Ont. to take on the Windsor Lancers on Jan. 12 at the Capri Ice Complex. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
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