By Eli Silverstone
The line to enter the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) lined the entire intersection of Church and Carlton before doors even opened an hour before puck-drop. Lucky Bold fans who were able to secure a wristband waited patiently for the start of the highly-anticipated HOCO under the lights of the former Maple Leaf Gardens.
Fans started their day early outside the Student Campus Centre at 11 a.m. to try to get a wristband for the game. Later, as the homecoming tailgate events kicked off in the Pitman Hall Quad at 3 p.m., they were afforded a second opportunity. Yet after 10 minutes—and a line that surrounded the entire west side of the Rogers Communications Centre building—tickets were gone.
Those tickets granted students access to the long-awaited event in the sporting calendar at TMU. The homecoming game is not just any game but an opportunity for fans to show up and athletes to show out.
With a hot start and a fight to the end, the Bold defeated the Brock Badgers 3-2 for their first win of the pre-season.
“It’s kind of like the sixth attacker out there, you feed off the energy,” said Bold head coach Johnny Duco.
Once the doors opened, students streamed in wearing white, blue and gold and the occasional cowboy hat to go along with the “Bold Country” theme the athletics department put in place for the game. The MAC greeted the students with lots of Luke Bryan music playing over the speakers and their own custom Bold rally towel on every seat.
It may have been a beautiful 23 degrees and sunny at the tailgate but the invigorating cold inside the arena signified the start of the Fall semester and even better, the dawn of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) hockey season.
The national anthem had been played, the players had been introduced, all that was left was to drop the puck and get the game going.
And get going it did. Two minutes after puck drop came the first post-whistle scuffle between the rivals. The Bold threw hit after hit as the energy in the building elevated with every Badger knocked down.
“We were certainly able to tap into the crowd and play for one another,” said Duco.
The Bold players felt the spirit of the student section and they answered the fans’ wishes, burying the opening goal just three minutes into the first period. Third-year forward Connor Bowie found himself with time in the slot and fired a low wrist shot to beat second-year Brock goaltender Will Hambley.
The crowd blew up in a fit of rally towels and “Go Bold Go” chants as Bowie slid into the boards in celebration.
Fans didn’t have to wait long to get on their feet again. Four minutes later, Bowie pounced on a rebound and scored his second goal of the game. It was Bowie’s third HOCO goal in two years after scoring the game-winner against the McGill Redbirds a year ago.
“Connor Bowie and the leaders that we have in that room… we really lean on those guys as we gear up for the regular season,” said Duco.
The ovation rivalled his first goal as TMU took a stranglehold on the matchup. Bold mascot Frankie the Falcon held up two fingers on one wing and a zero on the other to let everyone know the score.
Each break in action—as well as ice-cleaning breaks—meant country music came streaming through the arena loudspeakers. Staff at the concession stands served each drink while wearing a cowboy hat. Students had finished a long day of classes, Friday was on the horizon and vibes were good heading into the second period.
“This is really, really nice. My first TMU game and everyone’s here and the energy’s great,” said Jabbir Abbas, a first-year geography student at TMU.
The game was held up for a few minutes before the second period started due to an issue with the ice and the Badgers took advantage of a chance to chip away at the celebratory atmosphere. Just 45 seconds into the second period, first-year forward Alexis Cournoyer got the visitors on the board.
The Badgers took what they could out of the crowd, challenging the Bold and their fans with every goal they scored and scrap they got involved in.
“Obviously you want to play in these games because of the sweet atmosphere, but I’m enjoying watching the team,” said Derek Smyth, a first-year Brock defender who was sitting in the stands this game.
TMU was not down for long, though. Two minutes after the Cournoyer goal, a familiar face from last year put on a show for the ecstatic crowd. Second-year forward Daniil Grigorev picked up the puck on his own blue line, danced with the puck as he carried it end-to-end and split two Brock defenders to finish off the breakaway goal, restoring TMU’s two-goal lead.
With a fired-up student section rocking the arena, tempers boiled over just 12 seconds after the Grigorev goal. A string of seven penalties in five minutes between the two squads—mainly roughing and charging calls— built up the tensions at the MAC. Fans in the stands cheered even louder after every scrap
“Hey, sometimes someone needs to take a punch so we can go on the power play and let our power play do the talking,” said Duco.
The matchup against the Brock Badgers was a heavyweight affair between the top two seeds of the OUA West last year. The two teams split the season series 1-1 into two physical affairs before the Bold prevailed in a three-game series in the OUA West Finals, where they beat the Badgers in their own packed arena to advance to the Queen’s Cup.
TMU and Brock headed into the third and final period locked at 3-1. For most TMU fans, this is their first opportunity to see the new and improved Bold roster which features 13 first-year players, seven of which played in the game.
“I was really surprised. I thought it’d be a much [closer] game but TMU really surprised me,” said Claudia Harvey, a fourth-year RTA sport media student at TMU who was interviewed after the second period. “They have a lot of new players so I didn’t know how they would mesh but they’re playing super well.”
The Bold’s did a strong job of protecting their lead in the third period, rattling the Badgers. Halfway through the third, a Brock forward sprayed TMU fans with a water bottle from the penalty box after being taunted.
The Badgers regrouped and made it close, scoring with three minutes left to bring the game within one goal. Fans held their breath as Brock sought to spoil the celebration. However, third-year Bold goaltender Ryan Dugas stood tall and closed out the 3-2 win, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
“[Dugas] definitely deserved the opportunity to play in this electric atmosphere and he answered the bell like we all knew he would,” said Duco.
The Bold players saluted their fans at centre ice and exited the ice to a standing ovation, bringing an end to a successful homecoming.
UP NEXT: The TMU Bold are back in action against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Saturday for another pre-season affair. Puck-drop is set for 3:00 p.m. at the Campus Ice Centre in Oshawa, Ont.
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