By Eliza Nwaesei
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s hockey team and the Ottawa Gee-Gees will face off for the semi-finals at the U Sports University Cup (U Cup) at TD Arena in Ottawa on March 22.
This matchup will feature two teams who put a lot on the line in their quarter-finals.
The TMU Bold faced the Mount Royal Cougars in a record-breaking five overtime game and took the win. After a rough start for the Bold, they picked up the momentum in the third period to tie up the game and toughed it through the overtimes to take the win.
The Ottawa Gee-Gees secured a spot in the U Cup, for hosting the championship tournament this year. The Gee-Gees were the eighth seed in this tournament and faced the first seed and number one nationally ranked team, the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Reds.
The Gee-Gees galloped first across the finish line, upsetting UNB 3-2 in overtime, surprising everyone in the tournament—as the Reds have won five of the past nine national championships.
Going into this matchup, the Bold will deal with familiar territory, as they face a team that plays in the Ontario University Athletics division.
TMU lost 6-3 to Ottawa in their second regular season game, a loss that occurred in a stretch of five losses in the first six games of the season. Since then, the Bold have built into their game and took the silver medal in the Queen’s Cup Final.
Due to the nature of the five overtimes in their game against the Cougars, the Bold have played significantly longer than the Gee-Gees, making potential recovery from the game more of a task. However, when asked how TMU will battle back against the Ottawa—who have fresher legs—Bold head coach Johnny Duco didn’t seem to have many concerns.
“We brought all the bells and whistles to recover and have as close to a home field advantage as possible and we’ll lean on that,” said Duco. “We’ll recover and do the things that we can control and we’ll be ready to go.”
Despite the physical toll TMU endured in their marathon quarter-final, the Bold have demonstrated resilience all season with a deep squad sufficient enough to rely on young players like first-year forward Shugrue—who scored the winning goal against the Cougars. They have also shown an ability to battle through adversity as the Bold commonly struggle with the beginning of their games, but manage to pick up the pace later on. Their ability to rally together late in games and to endure in high-pressure situations could be key in this game. The Bold will need to manage their energy efficiently.
On the other hand, the Gee-Gees are riding the momentum of a massive upset over the tournament’s top seed. Their ability to take down UNB proves they are not to be underestimated. Their deep focus and ability to understand their rival was what allowed them to overcome the Reds.
Despite doubts surrounding their chances going far in this competition, the players remained unwavering in their belief, confidently asking, “Why not us?”
“We beat the king of the hill, [but] we still have to climb the hill to get there,” said second-year Gee-Gees goaltender Franky Lapenna. “Whoever is in front of us they got, like I said before we played UNB, two arms, two legs and it’s play on the ice. We are going to give it our all and we gotta do what we have to do and God willing.”
This semi-final presents an interesting contrast: The Bold have a strong defensive record and balanced offense and the Gee-Gees demonstrated the ability to maintain aggressive teams at bay. The outcome of this matchup will depend on the team’s execution of the defensive structure on game day.
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