By Tristan Forde
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s hockey team won 4-3 in overtime against cross-town rivals the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues in the final game of the regular season at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Sunday night.
Before the game started, Bold head coach Lisa Haley took to the rink with various athletes’ families to celebrate and give a final send-off. The athletes graduating from this year’s roster are graduate forwards Mia Morano and Emily Baxter, fourth-year forwards Payton Kerr and Brooke Michaud, fourth-year defender Megan Breen, and third-year goalie Alexia Stratos.
“Every single one of those six graduating players have put a lot into our program, they have sacrificed a lot and it’s great to reward them with a win today,” said Haley.
The Bold arrived to the matchup fresh off of a 3-2 win against the ninth nationally ranked Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks during their trip to Waterloo, Ont. Meanwhile the fourth nationally ranked Varsity Blues were looking to recover from a 4-2 loss against the Golden Hawks. The Bold now head into the playoffs with an 11-15 record, but the momentum of back-to-back wins against nationally ranked teams.
“U of T has had a lot of success over the years lately, and Laurier has been a team that has been a step ahead of us in terms of their rebuild [season],” said Haley.
Prior to the win, the Bold had already secured a spot in the playoffs after finishing fifth in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East standings. The victory did, however, end a 16-game losing streak against the Varsity Blues, while denying U of T the chance to jump into first place in the OUA East division.
“I think they gave us their best game and we had an answer today, which was feeling pretty good,” said Haley.
Both teams cruised on the ice at the start of the first period. With a slow start, neither team showed a visible advantage over each other and it took almost five minutes for the Bold to produce the first shot on goal. TMU put in a great effort to match pace with their rivals, neither team allowing any shots and most of the action happening in the middle of the rink.
The Bold couldn’t breach the Blues dam and neither could the Blues reach the Bold’s perch, leaving the two teams scoreless at the end of the first period.
The Bold brought in a newfound energy heading into the second period, with third-year forward Gaby Gareau scoring her fourth goal of the season. With a close rebound right in front of the net and two defenders on her tail feathers, she quickly slipped the puck and fit it right into the top shelf of first-year goalie Lyla McKinnon’s net.
With an early second period lead, the Bold kept their foot on the pedal, slowly pushing back against the Varsity Blues advances. Yet it would not take long for the visitors to flip the script and push the Bold onto their heels.
But with graduating athlete Stratos in the net for the Bold, there was a safety line. With her save at the 17 minute mark, the Bold regained possession and shifted momentum.
During her final game, Stratos managed 31 saves. She finishes the season sixth among Ontario University Athletics (OUA) goalies in saves with 589 stops and tied for fifth in wins with 10.
“I’m proud of all of [the seniors], they’ve left a great legacy here and we’re happy to build upon it,” said Haley.
As the middle frame wound down, the Blues began to play more aggressively and picked up the pace, eager to prove themselves worthy of their national ranking. With about four minutes left in the period, second-year forward Abby Whitworth would snipe the puck straight through Stratos’ legs off of an assist from fourth-year forward Aili McKeown.
With the game tied once again, each team was looking for something to grasp a hold of to catapult themselves into the advantage. The Varsity Blues found the answer in second-year forward Ashley Delahey, teaching Stratos to watch her feet as she snuck the puck just past her into the net. In a flash, the second period ended U of T’s way.
As the ice reopened for the third period, the Varsity Blues put their foot forward to snuff out whatever hope the Bold had, carrying most of the momentum and a majority of the possession time. The Bold were scrambling to keep up with their rivals.
An early body-checking penalty from Baxter took her out of the game for two minutes giving the Varsity Blues a bit more leeway on the rink.
As soon as she returned to the ice, a pass from Baxter initiated Breen’s drive all the way down the rink. Despite having two Varsity Blues on her back, she swung at the puck as it bounced off McKinnon pad and snuck into the net. With this goal the Bold tied the game back up at 2-2.
Fresh off the goal, the Varsity Blues wouldn’t let the Bold have a chance. A long pass across the rink to an unattended first-year forward Scarlett Jones put her ahead of the Bold’s flight path. As she rushed Stratos on a breakaway leaving the defenders behind, Jones danced the puck around the Markham, Ont. product and scored, putting the Varsity Blues in the lead 3-2.
A wave of sorrow fell throughout the arena as morale dropped among players and fans. The Bold seemed to be struggling to maintain control and even get the puck anywhere near the Varsity Blues’ net.
Nevertheless, pulling Stratos in favour of an extra skater proved worthwhile. With only 30 seconds left in the final frame, the Bold refused to allow the game to end. Kerr led the flock as one of the graduating seniors and forced the puck into the back of the net amidst a scramble.
For the remaining time, both teams conserved energy and stalled time. The third period concluded with a 3-3 tie.
The chilly air from the cold streets of Toronto could be felt in the arena as the neighbouring teams stared each other down for one final performance in overtime.
Neither team wanted to take the loss for their final in-season game. But neither team could find the golden piece.
That is, until first-year defender Taliya Hildebrandt sealed the deal about five minutes into the extra frame With the support of Baxter, she pressured the puck past McKinnon for her first goal of the season, earning the Bold the win on Senior Night.
“We were able to score that late empty net goal and then get the win in overtime. We’re finding a lot of different ways to win and that’s a good sign,” said Haley.
UP NEXT: The Bold will travel to Kingston, Ont., to play in the first round of the playoffs against the Queen’s University Gaels on Feb. 20. Puck-drop time is yet to be determined.
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