By D’Arcy Bagley

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s hockey team defeated their inner-city rivals, the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues, 3-2 on Friday at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).

The Bold were looking to bounce back after falling short against the Lakehead Thunderwolves in a 3-2 loss on Oct. 30 and put on a show for a crowd filled with students from schools across the Toronto District School Board.

“[We paid] tons of attention to detail this week in practice around our defensive game,” said TMU head coach Johnny Duco. “If you can keep your opponent to two goals or less, I don’t know of many times we’ve lost when we’ve done that.”

TMU generated a flurry of offensive chances to start off the first frame. In the 11th minute, U of T’s first-year forward Massimo Fazio drew a cross-checking penalty. On the ensuing power play, TMU’s second-year forward Carter MacAdams scored his second goal of the season on a deep passing shot in the offensive zone.

To Duco’s pleasure, the Bold stayed proactive, capitalizing on many offensive opportunities throughout the contest.

“Obviously for us, special teams was the difference today,” said Duco. “Being able to come through on some of our power plays…[made] a big difference in that game.”

The second period began with the Bold on another power play, looking to best U of T’s fourth-year goalie, Jordan Fairlie. Fairlie, who denied 37 shots against the Brock Badgers on Oct. 29, has been a weapon for his opposition, and the Bold proved no exception.

The two rivals pushed each other back and forth on the ice, with both teams generating a number of high-danger chances. The pressure led to a net front collision involving rookie Bold netminder Mason Beaupit, which left him grappling for his stick.

The Varsity Blues saw the opportunity instantly, as third-year forward Ryan Gillespie put his team on the board just five minutes into the frame.

In the final period, the Blues began red-lining their offence before TMU’s second-year forward Gavin Grundner answered back by splitting the U of T defence and drawing a penalty. Third-year Bold defence Joseph Ianniello blasted a one-timer over the glove of Fairlie to give the Bold a 2-1 lead.

Keeping the momentum running, second-year forward Ryan Cooper banged home a rebound to score his first goal of the season and double TMU’s lead. 

In the final minutes, U of T pulled their goalie in an attempt to make a late-period comeback. Though they were able to get one more on the board after a laser-sharp snipe from third-year forward Sean Clarke, Beaupit was able to shut the door for the final 40 seconds after U of T’s second goal, driving home the win for TMU.

The goaltender, who has played a crucial role in the early stages of the Bold’s regular season campaign, stopped 24 of 26 shots against.

Ianniello praised the rookie after the game, saying, “[He] came up pretty big at the end of the game there. So, kudos to him and the rest of the team.”

UP NEXT: The Bold will face off against the Windsor Lancers tomorrow at the Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex. Puck-drop is set for 4 p.m.