By Mitchell Fox
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s hockey team broke their five-game losing skid in dramatic fashion on Friday night, defeating the Brock Badgers 3-2 in overtime at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
Fourth-year defender Megan Breen scored the game-winner in overtime to improve the Bold’s record to 2-5. It was the first time the Bold scored three goals in a game since their second game of the season, a 7-3 loss to the Nipissing Lakers.
“We got a post-and-in goal instead of a post-and-out,” said head coach Lisa Haley. “I know that they’ve been working hard and trying to find our best game, and I felt like this was our best game in the regular season.”
The Bold have had troubles finishing their chances this year, with just 10 goals in six games and four in their previous four heading into Friday. Despite scoring first, it looked as though that pattern was set to continue through the first 40 minutes. Nevertheless, late heroics put them back in the win column.
“We’ve been doing our best to work with each other and try to get out of this slump,” said Breen. “We knew Brock was a good team. We stuck to our game plan and it worked out for us.”
TMU looked ready to pounce early, with a heavy forecheck and relentless backcheck keeping the Badgers from generating off of the rush. Third-year goaltender Alexia Stratos made a few key stops but was comfortable in the Bold net.
The Bold’s first big chance came when a Brock defender tried to knock down a fluttering puck but put it onto the stick of second-year forward Eden Dusome, who charged for a breakaway against Badgers first-year goaltender Kennedy Lonson but couldn’t get a shot off quickly enough.
From there, the referee’s whistle took over. A penalty to third-year forward Emma MacGregor for boarding kicked things off but a minute later, a strong shorthanded forecheck by graduate forward Emily Baxter drew a body checking penalty from Badgers first-year forward Avery Diljee. 43 seconds later, a turnover led to Dusome tripping a Brock player to give the Badgers a four-on-three power play.
After holding off the Badgers’ player advantage, the Bold were rewarded with the opening goal of the game. At the end of a strong shift in the offensive zone, first-year forward Ava Caputo’s slap shot was kicked out by Lonson onto second-year forward Kayla Kondo’s stick at the side of the net. She patiently tucked a backhand around Lonson to put the Bold on the scoreboard first.
“Caputo had a really nice shot on that, which caused a rebound out front and left me with an open net,” said Kondo. “It feels really good to finally connect.”
The Bold kept things rolling with the lead, drawing two more penalties from the Badgers as the period wound down. They did not convert on either chance, however, leaving more to be desired from the player advantage. The Bold have now scored four times on 37 power pay opportunities this season.
“Not being able to get anything on the power plays is something that I think that we take away as an area for improvement,” said Haley.
After a strong start to the game, the Bold fell victim to issues—penalties and lack of finishing—they’ve faced all season in the second period.
With Breen in the penalty box for cross-checking, the Badgers evened the score. A series of passes led to a shot through the middle by fifth-year defender Madelyn Walsh, which was deflected in the slot by fourth-year forward Madison Cronkwright. The puck found its way through Stratos’ five-hole, tying the game at 1-1.
As the period went on, the Bold’s attempts to break through the neutral zone were stumped by Brock’s aggressive defending on the blue lines.
The Bold got a chance to turn the momentum with a pair of penalties to the Badgers but were unable to convert yet again, only setting up their structure for a few passes at a time.
TMU’s best chance of the period came with seven minutes to go. Third-year forward Peyton Kerr sent a streaking pass to Baxter as she entered the zone, however the Bold captain sent her shot well over the net, a sign of the Bold’s struggles with hitting the goal in the middle frame.
“Sometimes the scoreboard doesn’t add up to the performance, and we felt that way after the first 40 minutes,” said Haley.
With less than three minutes to go in the second period, the Badgers took advantage of a two-woman rush. Third-year forward Jenna Duarte fed the puck through the legs of Bold third-year defender Lauren McEachen to Cronkwright, who beat Stratos through the five-hole to give Brock their first lead of the night.
Despite holding a 19-18 advantage in shots, the Bold entered the third period down 2-1. However, they came out of the intermission ready for their best 20 minutes of the game, with Baxter ripping a shot on goal just six seconds into the period.
“We felt like if we kept doing what we were doing and maybe tidy up [our] d-zone stuff, that we’d stick to the process and live with the results,” said Haley. “It’s easy to live with these results when you get rewarded.”
Around the halfway mark of the period, the Bold made their mark defensively. Dusome won a key battle in the defensive zone, then first-year defender Nahvin Bal defended a two-on-one chance for the Badgers with a steady defensive stick.
With just over seven minutes remaining in regulation, the Bold finally got some scoring luck. Following a tough play at the boards by Breen to keep the puck in the offensive zone, Kondo’s second goal of the night came on a seeing-eye shot through traffic from the high slot.
“I was just trying to get it on net. I saw there were a few screens in front and [my teammates] did a really good job at that,” said Kondo.
Haley said Kondo was “buzzing” all night and played the speedy game the team counts on her to play offensively and defensively.
“Coming into our program a couple of years ago, [Kondo] was a tremendous player at the junior level and you know that’s going to translate at some point,” she said.
The Bold and Badgers kept battling up to a massive save by Stratos with 1:28 remaining in regulation. She stretched out her right pad to keep a wide-open shot from crossing the line, keeping the Bold alive.
The end of regulation at 2-2 meant the Bold secured one point with an overtime appearance but they wanted more to show for their valiant effort.
“We knew what we were coming into this weekend. We knew these were a big three points, or two points in this case, but we knew what we had to do,” said Breen.
The Badgers took possession to kick off the overtime period but could not manage a shot on goal. The Bold then got ahold of the puck and secured the win.
Facing pressure at the blue line, Kondo turned back with the puck to re-gather her team in the neutral zone. She then hit Breen with a sharp pass up the left wing, creating a two-on-one with third-year forward Ahalya Julien-Medeiros. Breen elected to shoot, unleashing a rifle past Lonson, off the post and into the net.
“[The] best feeling ever is doing it for your team,” said Breen. “All I was thinking was, ‘Put the puck in the back of the net.’ Somehow, me or the other girls, someone just get it in.”
Haley said Breen’s offensive abilities make her a key piece for the Bold as they look to take a step forward this season.
“If you could pick one player to have the puck on their stick with a clear look, it’s probably her,” she said. “The offence that she brings to our team…you really can’t put it into words. She’s just so dynamic back there.”
The Bold will now look to build momentum out of snapping the losing streak as they prepare to play the Queen’s Gaels on Saturday before hitting the road for a pair of games.
“I think that we’ve taken…a little bit longer than we like, to find out what our best game looks like,” said Haley. “A lot of the intangibles were at play here tonight and everybody stepped up. I just feel like this group deserved that win.”
UP NEXT: The Bold host the Queen’s Gaels on Saturday afternoon at the MAC as they look to build a win streak. Puck-drop is set for 2:15 p.m.
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