By Isabella Ibrahim

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s hockey team completed their last preseason game with a 3-2 shootout loss against the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Wednesday.

The Bold, coming off a win over the McGill University Redbirds on Sept. 26, looked to build momentum before they head on a stretch of away games from Oct. 9-24.

Second-year forward Ryan Cooper opened the scoring in the first period, finding the back of the net in the seventh minute to give the Bold a 1-0 lead. TMU continued to stay defensive, creating chances throughout the frame and outshooting U of T 12-7 after 20 minutes of play.

“We think we have a really deep team. We’ve got waves of pressure, we can come at you with four lines and three or four sets of defence and we think that’s a strength in our team,” head coach Johnny Duco said.

In the second period, there was more back-and-forth play, with both Toronto teams battling for possession. TMU drew a pair of penalties to start–including high-sticking and roughing–both inflicted on fifth-year Bold captain Connor Bowie.

U of T responded with a goal of their own, as second-year forward Ryan Watt tied the game in the 10th minute. TMU responded well into the period when third-year forward Slava Melikov regained the lead, assisted by second-year forward Lachlan Wells, reinstating the Bold’s one-goal advantage. TMU continued their offensive pressure, finishing the period with a 20-13 upper hand in shots.

“It’s always nice to give my team another chance to be ahead in the game. Obviously we have a lot of stuff to work on, but I think if we play good like we can, we are going to be pretty successful this year,” said Melikov.

The third period became the most intense stretch of the night as U of T were pressing hard for an equalizing goal. TMU had a powerplay opportunity in the 14th minute, but were unable to capitalize on the opportunity for an additional insurance goal.

With third-year forward Spencer Shugrue booked for slashing, the penalty handed U of T more time to re-organize their offence.

As the time wound down, U of T continued to apply pressure and ultimately found the levelling goal late in the third frame. Tying the game 2-2, the Bold’s final preseason game went to a sudden-death overtime.

After seven minutes of end-to-end action, neither TMU nor U of T were able to find a winner, forcing the game to a shootout.

A successful target shot from U of T third-year forward Jeremi Tremblay and a failed Bold effort to convert a breakaway chance in the fifth minute meant TMU fell 3-2 to the Blues.

Despite the loss, TMU’s offence remained a highlight, finishing the night with 36-31 shots over their city rivals.

The Bold will now turn their attention to their regular season campaign, with the next four games all on the road.

UP NEXT: TMU will play their first regular season fixture against the Guelph University Gryphons on Oct. 9 at the Gryphon Centre Arena