By Hafsa Hanif
On the second afternoon of a back-to-back, the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s hockey team fell 5-2 against the Waterloo Warriors on Jan. 7 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
The Bold were coming off their first win at home since October 2023 after defeating the York Lions on Saturday afternoon and looked to extend their winning streak to two against Waterloo.
However, the second-place squad in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West division had a different ending in mind. The Warriors regained control with three straight goals in the third period to ensure the win for the visitors after the Bold climbed out of a two-goal hole.
“I think it was good to kind of show us that we can be in a game with a team like that,” said fourth-year TMU forward Emily Baxter. “[It] kind of builds confidence a bit going into a couple of key games coming up and [in] trying to chase playoff spots.”
The Warriors jumped out to an early one-goal lead when third-year forward Carly Orth buried the game’s first shot just 30 seconds into the game.
With a little over five minutes to go in the opening frame, Warriors fourth-year forward Leah Herrfort roofed a shot past second-year TMU netminder Lauren Griffin to double the visitors’ lead.
“Anytime you’re heading into the third tied against a team like Waterloo, you feel like you’re in a good situation”
Shortly after, however, the Bold headed to the power play following a body checking penalty from second-year Waterloo forward Andrea Murray.
On the ensuing man advantage, second-year forward Gaby Gareau worked the puck out of the corner and dished it over to Baxter, who was parked on top of the faceoff circle.
The TMU captain then rifled a shot top-shelf, beating second-year Warriors goaltender Kara Mark and cutting the deficit in half heading into the intermission.
The Oakville, Ont. product’s goal was her ninth of the season, good for the third most in the OUA and six more than any other player on the Bold.
“She’s probably got the best hands in the league in terms of catch and release and being able to make clean contact on those quick plays. And I mean, it was on full display today,” said TMU head coach Lisa Haley on Baxter’s goal-scoring ability.
After a slow start to the second period from both sides, third-year Bold forward Brooke Michaud evened the game up at two.
The Blenheim, Ont. product buried a rebound opportunity for her third of the season after second-year TMU forward Emma Macgregor was denied in tight by Mark.
“Anytime you’re heading into the third tied against a team like Waterloo, you feel like you’re in a good situation,” said Haley. “[That was a] good fight to get back in the game and give ourselves a chance.”
Despite the Bold’s earlier resilience, Orth quickly scored her second of the afternoon in the third period to restore the Warriors’ lead.
“Any little missed opportunities, they’re going to make you pay”
TMU looked for the answer once again, however, the Warriors kept the momentum on their side and potted two insurance markers late in the period to extend their lead to three.
“They’re such a dangerous team,” said Haley about the Warriors’ offensive ability. “Any little missed opportunities, they’re going to make you pay.”
The three-goal deficit proved to be too large of a hole for the Bold to find their way out of as the Warriors held on to secure their fifth-straight win on the season.
The Bold now look ahead to taking on the Queen’s Gaels at the MAC next Friday. The two sides met earlier this season for two games in Kingston, Ont., where Queen’s took away six points over the Bold with back-to-back victories.
“We felt like we deserved a little bit more on our road trip to Queen’s,” added Haley. “We got a little bit of a sour taste in our mouth, and we’ll be ready for that one next weekend.”
UP NEXT: The Bold host the Gaels at the MAC on Jan. 12 at 6:00 p.m.
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