By Francesco Cautillo

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s hockey team fell short in a tight 3-1 loss to the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks on Friday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).

The Bold are coming off a dominant 4-1 win over the Windsor Lancers, hoping to kickstart a win streak and improve their 4-12 record.

Third-year forward Megan Bergmanis, who has logged three points in her last four games, spoke on her recent confidence during her play. “Knowing that I can do it and proving that I can do it has made me push harder,” said Bergmanis.

The snowy atmosphere outside foreshadowed an exciting night of hockey, as these two teams met for the third time this season. TMU hoped to find victory over their western rivals, as Laurier won both of the previous matchups in comfortable fashion, shutting out the Bold on both occasions.

However, while attempting to dig in for a rebound chance, third-year forward Kayla Kondo struck the goalie late, picking up a penalty just five minutes into the game.

Ten seconds into their powerplay, first-year Golden Hawk forward Haley Murphy flung a short-side shot past first-year goaltender Sydney Pyburn, putting the Laurier in the driver’s seat up 1-0.

The Bold had a difficult time finding their defensive coordination in the early stages, as they committed a few icing violations. Accompanied with poor line changes, allowed for Golden Hawk counterattacks and offensive possessions.

After multiple initial saves by Pyburn, Laurier found a rebound with an open net opportunity where TMU was able to keep it at one goal deficit as fourth-year forward Britni Yammine dove for the desperation clearance.

The Bold were given a chance at redemption, as the game’s physicality got the best of Laurier. Fifth-year defender Gabrielle Lehoux picked up an interference call for the game’s second penalty.

Despite many dangerous shot attempts from the Bold, their powerplay proved unsuccessful. The Laurier bench stood relieved, as their second-year goaltender Sarah Howell bailed them out with multiple flashy saves. 

Getting past Howell proved a tough challenge for TMU, as Howell currently stands first in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) in goals-against-average with 0.63.

“[Howell] saw a lot of shots and was able to make some easy glove saves and kill plays and we lost a bit of momentum that way,” said Bold head coach Lisa Haley.

Laurier carried over their offensive threat into the second period, emphasizing pinning the puck to the boards during their possessions. This strategy forced the Bold to focus on long passes to escape the zone, leaving them nothing but scraps for shooting opportunities.

The majority of the second was elapsed in the TMU defensive zone, with the attacking play looking seemingly like second nature for Laurier. Although only up by one, the Golden Hawks systematic playstyle was practically untouchable, reinforcing their record as first place in OUA west.

“They definitely play with a lot of good team structure, and that just means that you’ve got to be as close to perfect as you can be on your end to be able to navigate,” said Haley.

With the final twenty minutes upcoming, TMU faced an uphill yet still achievable battle, hoping to tie the game at one all.

Laurier came out of the change room eager to increase the score, as they opened their third period with a two-on-one chance. Pyburn tracked the pass across, making a stretching stop and following up with a save off the rebound shot. Her challenge would only get harder, however, as first-year defenceman Maddy Collins picked up a hooking call, giving Laurier their second powerplay of the night.

With the penalty killed, the Bold gained momentum on both sides of the rink, creating multiple chances, foreshadowing a tight ending.

The clock waned down to four minutes and TMU still searched for the equalizer. Relentless shots were lifted at any given chance, with the hope that one would slip by the defensive mountain that was Howell.

Even with the net empty for the extra attacker, the Bold fell short as the Golden Hawks picked up a 1-0 win and another shutout.

Despite the loss, Bergmanis remains confident in her squad’s future, mentioning that “we know how hard we have to fight to get into a playoff spot and right now we are trying to do everything we can to get into that position.”

UP NEXT: The Bold will play the second game of their three-game homestand against their city rivals, the U of T Varsity Blues, on Jan. 17 at the MAC. Puck drop is set for 2:15 p.m.