By Gabi Grande
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s hockey team lost 5-1 against the Waterloo University Warriors at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Friday night.
The Bold were seeking redemption after the teams’ last matchup—a 9-2 win for the Warriors on Nov. 1—but were unable to overcome the fourth-ranked team in the country, as of Nov. 18.
TMU head coach Lisa Haley looks at the positives from the game’s outcome.
“Waterloo is a very, very deep team who’s able to make you pay for any small mistakes you make,” said Haley. “I don’t feel like it was a failure by any means, I think it was a great learning opportunity.”
The Warriors pounced on their opponents as soon as the puck dropped, registering the game’s first shot 12 seconds into the opening frame.
Third-year Bold goalie Alexia Stratos stopped a season-high tying 39 shots in the game, her eleventh appearance of the season in net.
The Markham, Ont. product stood on her head during the first period, highlighted by a clean breakaway stop on fifth-year Warriors forward Kassidy McCarthy.
After a four-minute head contact penalty was dealt to third-year forward Gaby Gareau, the Bold were left scrambling to defend their zone. The home team was caught jostling for defensive position during their penalty kill, leaving fourth-year forward Nikki McDonald wide open for an easy tap-in rebound.
“We have a lot to learn from a good team like that,” said Haley.
The Bold’s offence wasn’t enough to compensate for their defensive struggles, registering their first shot of the second period almost 12 minutes into the frame.
For Gareau, TMU’s lone scorer with a tight angle tap-in late in the second period, the effort level was lacking from the home squad.
“Obviously a good skilled team [like that], we got to work hard and find it in us to outskate them and outwork them,” said Gareau.
Gareau’s third goal of the year was assisted by first-year forward Katie Leroux, who registered the first point of her OUA career.
“We pre-scouted the goalie and knew she didn’t really move well laterally,” said Gareau. “[I] can’t say I was aiming or knew where I was shooting but it went in.”
As the game went on, the Bold’s defenders were busy in all zones of the ice, with active sticks and a healthy dose of shots from the blue line at the forefront of their effort.
In the second period, third-year defender Lauren McEachen showed off her edge work abilities in the neutral zone, dancing around a Warrior forward and teeing up a slap shot from the blue line. Though stopped by third-year Warriors goaltender Kara Mark, the chance showed the Bold had some push-back to give.
After a clean win of the ensuing face-off by fourth-year forward Cailey Davis, first-year defender Dayle Chinnick ripped a hard wrist shot from the point. Soon after, first-year defender Taliya Hildebrandt made a hard backcheck to stop a Warrior breakaway, causing the home bench to erupt into cheers.
The Bold were determined to backcheck and stop the Warriors on potential breakaways, led in part by graduate student and team captain Emily Baxter.
With just under three minutes to go in the game, the 5’3 forward made a last-second sprawling effort to stop fifth-year forward Leah Herrfort, swinging her stick across the ice and narrowly missing a tripping call.
“I was kind of thinking ‘There’s really nothing to lose, if I take the girl out, she’s going to be on a penalty shot anyways,’” said Baxter with a laugh. “Luckily, I got [the] puck first. I knew I had to really give ‘er to get back.”
A short-handed goal for Herrfort five minutes into the third period iced the game at 4-1, though first-year forward Emma Thornton piled on with her second goal of the game with a little over five minutes remaining.
The Bold’s ability to recuperate from such a taxing game will be put to the test tomorrow as they play their final game of 2024 against the Windsor Lancers.
“It’s about trying to recover as quickly as we can, it’s a really short turnaround,” said Haley. “We need to shift our mentality and get ready for the physical and tenacious game we’ll have on our plates tomorrow.”
UP NEXT: The Bold will play the Windsor Lancers in their last game of the year on Nov. 30. Puck-drop at the MAC is scheduled for 2:15 p.m.
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