By Gabi Grande
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold lost 4-1 against the Ottawa Gee-Gees at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Friday night.
The Bold now hold a 1-3 record in the regular season after the first matchup between the provincial rivals this season.
Bold head coach Lisa Haley says the team needs to be prepared for puck-drop.
“I feel like we have to outwork the other team in the defensive zone,” said Haley. “We figured that out as the game went on, but we certainly weren’t ready for that in the first five.”
Trouble began early for the home team, as back-to-back Gee-Gees goals just four minutes into the first period put the Bold in a position to chase.
Gee-Gees second-year defender Maëlle Laplante scored just under three minutes into the first frame after a turnover by the Bold led to a shot through traffic. Fourth-year forward Arianne Gagnon followed suit less than a minute later after another shot from the point led to a rebound.
“We weren’t ready to start,” said Haley. “Especially that key area in front of our net, we didn’t give our goalie enough opportunity to see shots.”
Following the second goal, Haley called a timeout immediately to regroup team morale.
The Bold tried to regather some steam but Ottawa kept pushing. A response of relentless passing by the Gee-Gees led to a prime scoring chance but third-year Bold goaltender Alexia Stratos fought to get across her crease in time.
Alongside early offence, the Gee-Gees showed off defensive prowess in intercepting passes. The Bold struggled to enter the offensive zone and spent the majority of the period no further than neutral ice.
Heading into the first intermission, the Bold were down by two but would be starting the second period on the power-play.
The Gee-Gees opened the middle frame with a short-handed breakaway but a strong back check from the Bold and Stratos standing strong halted a prime scoring opportunity.
After a penalty for head contact was handed to first-year Ottawa forward Gillian Warren, the Bold were rewarded with a two-minute power play.
TMU struggled to enter the offensive zone and set up their power-play structure with aggressive defending by Ottawa shutting down any chances the home team created.
As the Bold offence struggled to get going and with killed penalties putting momentum on their side, the Gee-Gees found the back of the net again. The Gee-Gees scored their third of the night after second-year forward Charley Healey was left unattended cross-crease.
The Gee-Gees followed up by burying their fourth of the night, resulting in a TMU goaltending change. Fifth-year forward Florence Lessard beat Stratos five-hole after skating around a defender.
The netminder stopped 14 of the 18 shots she faced, posting a 0.777 save percentage.
Third-year goalkeeper Lauren Griffin played the remainder of the game in net for the Bold. On one of her first looks of the night, Griffin shut down a scoring opportunity on the rush, leaving no rebound for Ottawa’s forwards, who were sharks in the water around the TMU net all game.
Though the energy in the crowd was deflated after the first two frames, the Bold came out for the third period with more to offer than they did earlier.
“We can’t change what happened in the first 40 [minutes] but we certainly can control what happens in the next 20 [minutes],” said Haley. “I thought we were a lot more resilient.”
The home team started the period on the power-play once again and spent the majority of it in their offensive zone. The Bold had a couple good chances and some much needed energy was added to the building.
In their offensive zone, first-year defender Nahvin Bal dominated the blue line. Her snapshot was her biggest weapon but it was no match for five-foot-eleven first-year Gee-Gees goalie Clara Génier. The Ottawa goalie was a force all night, making 32 saves—16 in the third period—and making the Bold’s chances seem relatively harmless with her confidence.
The visitors were relentless in their forechecking, constantly pinching at the blue line and causing sloppy turnovers by the Bold. TMU were unable to break out of their zone and iced the puck a number of times in response.
The Gee-Gees aggression caught up with them again in the third, with penalties offering the Bold some chances. The home team were rewarded a power-play after second-year forward Molly Heighington made an open-ice hook. The power play group had a handful of good looks, with two of their shots ringing off the post. Warren was then called for another penalty, this time for boarding, but the Bold did not convert once again.
Nevertheless, they found a way to break through. Fourth-year forward Gaby Gareau got the Bold on the board with just under four minutes remaining. The right-winger danced around the Gee-Gees defence and roofed the puck for her first of the season.
“I just needed to be more patient,” said Gareau. “There’s a lot of times where I was trying to force plays throughout the game and I realis[ed] that I have more time than I think.”
The late goal wasn’t enough for a comeback, however. Ottawa improved their record to 3-2 while the Bold lost for the first time at home in the 2024-25 season.
Gareau, the lone TMU goal-scorer, had key positive takeaways of the team’s performance despite the loss.
“I think that we regrouped well, given that we gave up two goals really quickly in the first five minutes,” said Gareau. “We got that time out and we focused up and I think we dominated them offensively.”
UP NEXT: The Bold will travel to Waterloo, Ont. to face the Waterloo Warriors at the Columbia Ice Field on Nov. 1. Puck-drop is set at 7 p.m.
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