By Victoria Cha
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s hockey team secured a strong 1-0 win against the University of Guelph Gryphons at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Thursday night.
The Bold returned to their home rink after spending the past weekend on the road, earning a shootout win over the Windsor Lancers and a shutout loss to the Western Mustangs on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 respectively.
In a step up from their 3-0 loss to the Lancers, the Bold stood up to the Gryphons with heightened power in both offence and defence.
“Especially on the defensive side of the puck, I thought we executed our game plan really well, which was to try to control the middle of the ice and force them to have to come up outside the dots,” said head coach Lisa Haley.
From the start of the game, the Bold and the Gryphons demonstrated a shared prowess on the ice. In what became a sixty-minute game of cat-and-mouse, both teams had equal shot attempts.
Where the Bold pursued, the Gryphons followed suit. Whenever Guelph seemed to find empty space, the Bold surrounded them.
After continuous affairs of sending the puck around the boards, the Bold found ways to dominate Guelph’s zone—shot attempts by third-year forward Gaby Gareau and second-year defender Jayden Fox threatened to break the lock.
First-year forward Michelle Gao and fourth-year forward Jaime Magoffin retaliated and tried to get Guelph on the scoreboard, but couldn’t seem to bury the puck in the net.
When their opponent’s offensive presence grew, the Bold strengthened their defence. A witty block of a cross-crease pass from Magoffin by fourth-year defender Megan Breen saw her dive onto the ice to keep the TMU net protected.
A threatening chance for Guelph came as third-year forward Britni Yammine lost control in the offensive zone, allowing Guelph to seize possession and race into the Bold zone.
This had no impact on the Bold, though. A short time later, near the midway mark of the period, third-year forward Ahalya Julien-Medeiros’ shot from the blue line was deflected in the slot by third-year defence/forward Jess Pollard, sliding past second-year Guelph goaltender Sophie Helfenstein. In her third game of the season, Pollard gave TMU a 1-0 lead.
“The team had a really good look today. As soon as [Julien-Medeiros] shot that puck, I knew that I was in the right spot. We practice it all summer and at every practice, so I knew being in that spot was a great place to be,” said Pollard.
Having secured her first goal of the season—and first as a member of the Bold—Pollard continues to be a reliable contributor for TMU, even if she doesn’t play every night.
“She’s a player in our team that’s a real heart and soul type of player and earns every opportunity that she gets,” said Haley. “It’s awesome to see that came off her stick tonight to get the winning goal for us.”
In the final half of the period, Guelph’s attempts to tie the game were unsuccessful. As the visitors struggled with missed passes and lost shot opportunities near the net, the first period ended 1-0 in the Bold’s favour.
Guelph came out rowdier and more desperate in the second period. Helfenstein found strength in her crease, stopping a pair of forceful shots by second-year forward Megan Bergmanis and fourth-year forward Payton Kerr.
Midway through, both teams were greeted by penalty calls. A trip of graduate forward Mia Morano by fifth-year Gryphons defender Meaghan Chittick gave TMU their first power play, but an interference call against fourth-year forward Cailey Davis evened out the ice for Guelph.
A four-on-three power play caused by a hooking penalty by third-year forward Maeve Sutherland-Case gave TMU another ounce of hope to increase their lead but consistent defensive efforts from Guelph killed their power plays, ending the period with no changes on the scoreboard.
The last stretch of the game started slowly. Both teams displayed consistent power offensively but even the Gryphons’ final acts of desperation to get breakaway and rebound shots couldn’t get past the Bold’s solidified defence.
Coming out of a timeout with just over a minute left, the Gryphons pulled Helfenstein from the goal. Nevertheless, a last-minute equalizer miracle just wasn’t in the cards for the Gryphons. The end of the period saw Davis dive to the ice to block a final Gryphon shot, securing a 1-0 win for the Bold and third-year goaltender Alexia Stratos’ first shutout of the season.
“That was a huge team win, and it felt really good. I knew the girls in front of me were going to [block pucks] for me too, and I had to do it for them as well,” said Stratos.
UP NEXT: On Nov. 23, the Bold will seek revenge after a 3-0 loss last week against the Western Mustangs. Puck-drop is set at 1:15 p.m. at the MAC.
Leave a Reply