By Olivia Byrne
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s hockey team won 3-0 against the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Saturday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC), sending them to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) semi-finals.
Heading into the second game of a best-of-three series, the Bold were looking to sweep the Thunderwolves after a controversial 3-2 overtime road win on Feb. 26..With the win, the Bold now move on to face the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues in a battle for the top of the conference.
“This is never an easy thing to be one of the last four teams standing in the West [division], but we’re looking on to bigger and better things. We feel that we can continue to play better here as we go, and we’re gonna have to,” said Bold head coach Johnny Duco.
The first period started slow, with both teams holding possession and trading just a few shots. Nearly nine minutes into the first period, the Thunderwolves got their first power play due to an interference penalty against first-year Bold forward Spencer Shugrue. Despite applying pressure, the Thunderwolves could not capitalize.
After a few scraps midway through the period, the Bold got their first power play courtesy of a too-many-men penalty against Lakehead. TMU surged to take early control of the game, desperate to challenge third-year goaltender Christian Cicigoi early.
With the advantage winding down, third-year forward Ian Martin picked up a rebound in close to Cicigoi and, with a quick flick of the wrist, put the puck into the top corner for his first goal of the playoffs, giving the Bold a 1-0 lead.
“Those are definitely two of three or four boxes that if you check: win the goaltending battle, win the special teams battle, you’re typically gonna leave feeling pretty good and not disappointed in the effort,” said Duco.
With the advantage on the scoreboard, the Bold let the first-period wind to a quiet close.
Once facing a notable 12-6 deficit in shots early in the middle frame, the Thunderwolves continued to increase the pressure. Throughout the period, third-year goalie Kai Edmonds handled the offensive push from the Thunderwolves, stopping all 11 shots he faced as Lakehead got within just two shots behind the Bold.
As the second period neared its end, the Bold were looking to give themselves a comfortable lead, and third-year defender Liam Ross did just that. With less than one second left in the period, Ross sniped a shot into the top corner through traffic in front of the net, increasing the Bold’s lead to 2-0 and notching his first OUA goal.
“I ended up getting the pass from [third-year defender] Jaden Condotta, crossed the blue line and shot it, beat the goalie, and it went in,” said Ross. “The playoffs are a very exciting time…we have a job to do, and we know what we have to do to finish the job.”
From there, the Bold grabbed hold of momentum with another power play as first-year Thunderwolves forward Malte Hasselgren was penalized for charging. During the last minute of the advantage, first-year defender Joseph Ianniello unleashed a one-timer into the top right corner, extending the Bold’s lead to 3-0. This was Ianniello’s first OUA goal, the second of the kind for a Bold defenceman in the game.
Halfway through the third, an otherwise clean-cut game turned dirty. Fights broke loose, which resulted in numerous penalties for both Lakehead and TMU, with a notable ten-minute misconduct penalty for third-year Bold forward William Portokalis.
“It got a little bit chaotic, obviously. [The Thunderwolves are] a really good hockey team over there; they’re passionate, and they care,” said Bold head coach Johnny Duco. “When they’re down, they’re gonna push, and they’re gonna fight right ‘til the bitter end.”
Tensions continued to rise between the teams, with the Bold maintaining a sizeable lead in the final stretch. Not even a minute after the initial third-period fight occurred, second-year Lakehead forward Richard Whittaker gave TMU another power play courtesy of a roughing call. The Thunderwolves killed the penalty, holding a motivated Bold team at three goals.
After a few cross-ice passes, the Bold and Thunderwolves began to scrap once again, sending TMU forwards Martin and Shugrue, along with third-year Lakehead defender Liam Whittaker, to the penalty box.
The penalties for both teams kept rolling late into the third. With four minutes left in the period, fourth-year Lakehead forward Dylan Massie, Hasselgren and Condotta were sent to the box.
An interference penalty for second-year Bold defender Jaden Raad gave the Thunderwolves a late power play, their last chance of the game. Nevertheless, TMU killed the penalty, thanks to a stand-out performance by Edmonds.
After a 38-save performance in Game 1, Edmonds saved all 28 shots he faced on Saturday, earning his first shutout of the season.
“When [Edmonds is] dialed in, we feel he’s the best goalie in the country,” said Duco.
With the win, the Bold are off to the OUA semi-finals for the second straight season.
“We’re looking forward to [playing the Varsity Blues], but we know it’s not gonna be easy, and we’re gonna have to play our best,” said Duco.
UP NEXT: The Bold face the U of T Varsity Blues at the MAC on March 5. Puck-drop is set for 6:15 p.m.
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