By Harsh Kumar
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s hockey team secured a dominant 4-1 victory against the Western University Mustangs at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Saturday afternoon.
The Bold were looking to get their revenge following last Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Mustangs, who entered the rematch sporting back-to-back wins including a 3-1 victory over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. Today, the Bold was the better team with three goals in the first period that determined the fate of the game.
Third-year forward Gaby Gareau said the key this time around was keeping it simple.
“A couple of times we got caught trying to be too cute. So just going back to the basics,” she said.
Gareau opened the scoring for the Bold early in the first period, capitalizing on a tight net-front shot. Third-year Bold forward Ahalya Julien-Medeiros continued the scoring shortly after, firing a shot from the top of the faceoff circle past first-year Western goaltender Presley Daschuk.
“Getting a lot of scoring early in the first was a good feeling and got the energy going on the bench and kickstarted the momentum,” said Gareau.
TMU continued to capitalize on their opportunities late in the period. With a five-on-three power play, second-year forward Eden Dusome found the back of the net, burying a rebound after Daschuk stopped a one-timer from a cross-ice pass. The Bold entered the intermission leading 3-0, with shots tied at eight apiece.
Western struggled to generate offence in the first period, managing only a few quality scoring chances. Third-year Bold goalie Alexia Stratos stood tall, notably stopping a breakaway attempt from fourth-year forward Elizabeth Gauthier during a Bold penalty kill.
The Mustangs opened the second period with renewed energy, but TMU’s defence limited any attempts in high-danger areas. Third-year Bold defender Lauren McEachen extended TMU’s lead to 4-0 with an unassisted slapshot from the point, marking her first goal of the season.
Despite being outshot in the second period, TMU maintained control, with Stratos making several key saves and the defence holding down the fort. The Bold penalty kill remained strong, shutting down Western’s power play after a boarding penalty on Julien-Medeiros.
“I think our focus this weekend was to control the middle of the ice a lot better defensively and limit some scoring chances,” said Bold head coach Lisa Haley.
The Mustangs came out with some life early in the third period, taking advantage of a TMU penalty for interference. A scramble in front of the net ended with Gauthier scoring her third goal of the season, cutting the deficit to 4-1.
Despite the goal, Stratos continued to play strong, denying a two-on-one opportunity to keep the Bold up by three.
“Honestly, I didn’t do much. They kept the puck out of the centre of the ice and they made it easy for me,” said Stratos.
Much of the final minutes saw the Bold lock down their defensive zone, limiting Western’s chances and maintaining puck possession and getting it out of the zone to secure the game.
The Bold’s special teams were a key factor, converting on the power play and going three-for-four on the penalty kill. While TMU did get in some penalty trouble in the third period, solid defence and strong goaltending kept them ahead while the Mustangs struggled on the powerplay advantage and missed opportunities.
“All weekend I’d say five out of six good periods. Our second period today was a little complacent,” said Haley.
The Bold now look forward to hosting the Waterloo Warriors after a 9-2 loss to them earlier this season.
“A lot of rest and recovery and then take a look at Waterloo. That’s another team that we owe them a better game than the last time we played them,” said Haley.
UP NEXT: The Bold continue their season against the Ontario University Athletics West division leaders: the Waterloo Warriors on Nov. 29. Puck-drop is set for 6:15 p.m. at the MAC.
Leave a Reply