By Nicholas van der Ham

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) men’s hockey team dropped their first preseason game after a 4-3 shootout loss to the MacEwan University Griffins at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Friday.

The Bold fought through a 6-5 comeback win on Sept. 17 during homecoming and secured a 4-3 overtime win against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Sept. 19. Despite their recent trend of late heroics, the Bold were unable to extend their winning streak for a third time.

“I don’t think you ever want to be consistently in tight games, but…there’s nothing wrong with getting that experience because as it gets to play-off times, there’s probably going to be lots of close games,” fifth-year captain Connor Bowie said.

In the first period, the Griffins dominated the neutral zone, limiting the Bold’s offensive zone opportunities. As the ninth minute approached, TMU found their opening as second-year forward Ryan Cooper nicked the puck into the back of the net, giving them a 1-0 lead.

Later in the frame, the Bold turned the puck over in the neutral zone as the Griffins began a counter-attack with an odd-man rush. MacEwan proceeded to execute a passing play where fourth-year forward Sam Simard countered, logging a goal for his side.

By the eighteenth minute, both teams stood at 11 shots on goal each as the score remained the same.

Early in the second period, another TMU turnover behind their net meant second-year MacEwan defender Dylan Bidyk slotting in the puck behind first-year goalie Charlie Robertson.

“Right now, our best defence is being sharp with the puck, being clean on the breakout, managing the lines and making teams defend. And I just don’t think we’ve consistently done enough of that,” said head coach Johnny Duco.

After fourth-year Griffins goalie Carson Ironside stopped a bullet from first-year TMU forward Jack Rimmer in the sixteenth minute, frustrations boiled over as the second fight of the game broke out.

“We’ll have three really good shifts, and then we’ll just seem to be on our heels for a shift. I think it really does come down to our execution, executing at an extremely high level. When we do that with the skill that we have, we’re going to be a tough team to play against. When we don’t, we end up defending more than we’d like to and then you’re on your heels, and you’re not dictating the pace of the game,” said Duco.

In the third period, fifth-year MacEwan forward Carter Chorney and second-year TMU forward Gavin Grundner exchanged goals for their respective sides, leaving the Bold and the Griffins narrowly separated at 3-2. 

With less than three minutes to play, fifth-year forward Connor Bowie found the back of the net, sending the game to overtime.

The additional minutes solved nothing, as neither side was able to find the back of the net before the clock ran out, sending the contest through to a shootout.

MacEwan’s third-year forward Kaydn Chabot piped the first attempt past Robertson, with the following shots from either side failing to hit the same mark. As both sides struggled in the shootout, the final goal rested on first-year TMU defender Carson Lloyd. Though calculated in his approach, he was unable to find a way past Ironside.

“We’re lucky that today’s game ended around 3 o’clock so we actually have time to get ready for a quick turnaround,” said Bowie. 

“We’re lucky to have one of the best facilities in the country and we’ll be ready tomorrow.”

UP NEXT: The Bold have less than a 24-hour turnaround before they return to the MAC tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. to face the McGill Redbirds.