By Kyla Pugen 

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s hockey team secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Brock University Badgers on Thursday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC). This game was the first face-off between the two teams this year and with the Bold hunting for their second win of the season, the energy on the ice was electric from the start. 

The Bold came out with immediate pressure, establishing an early presence in the offensive zone with two power play opportunities. However, their momentum was briefly stalled when they were caught deep in their own zone, only to be bailed out by stellar play from TMU first-year goaltender Sydney Pyburn, who was off to an amazing start. 

The Bold capitalized shortly after their second power play. Fourth-year forward Britni Yammine scored the opening and decisive goal by winning a battle around the front of the net and getting the shot just under second-year Badger goaltender Megan Thiessen’s arm. Yammine, reflecting on the goal, admitted it was a tiring sequence near the end of her shift. “I was pretty tired, but I knew that I couldn’t give up on that puck,” she said.

The second and third periods became a test of will and defence for the Bold as the game grew increasingly physical. The Badgers, who were on a three-game winning streak and averaging almost four goals per game, fought back hard, generating more shots and being aggressive around the net. 

The physicality of the game was embraced by the Bold. Yammine noted, “I love a physical game. That’s my type of play. I think every other girl, too, on our team [gets] a kick out of it.”

The Bold’s defensive core and penalty kill unit were perfect on the night. Head coach Lisa Haley praised their execution saying that, “we’ve been in a lot of one-goal games…and we want to find a way to get on the right side of those.” She then added, “we’re very comfortable being in that situation and it was great to see the level of execution on the defensive side of it.”

With less than two minutes left, the Badgers pulled their goalie but the Bold held strong. 

A major part of that defensive strength was spearheaded by Pyburn, who earned her first shutout of the season, making crucial saves. By the end of the game, the Badgers had doubled up on the Bold with 24 shots to 12, but Pyburn kept the score at 1-0, with her composure being noted as essential. 

Pyburn emphasized the mental aspect of her position, noting, “my dad always tells me being a goalie is 90 per cent mental, 10 per cent physical, so just making sure I’m in that right mindset…just always being mentally prepared for that next shot.”

The win is a major boost for TMU. Haley stated that while they “don’t want to be scoreboard watching” too much, the victory did move them into a playoff spot. 

UP NEXT: TMU will take on the Guelph University Gryphons on Nov. 8 at Gryphon Centre. Puck-drop is set for 7:30 p.m.