By Francesco Cautillo

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s hockey team fell 3-1 against the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) Panthers at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Sept. 27.

This was the second game of the Bold’s back-to-back home match-ups against the Panthers, where they struck first in a physical 5-2 win on Sept. 26.

“You’re always disappointed when you lose but I think it’s a valuable lesson for our young group,” said Bold head coach Johnny Duco.

The game opened with physicality, an ode to this highly-anticipated rematch. The Bold found themselves on the giving end of these big hits to counteract UPEI’s fast-paced start. The Panthers almost found the opener after third-year forward Ben McFarlane’s shot rang off the post.

The Bold finally found their first shot after being outshot 8-0 in the first nine minutes. The chance came from a strategic cross-ice pass, which bobbled up and was desperately cleared by third-year Panthers goaltender Joe Ranger.

The Panthers showed revenge by opening the scoring with a blue-line shot from first-year defenceman Antoine Michaud.

Troubles continued for TMU after first-year forward Carter MacAdams drew a high-sticking penalty, giving the Panthers a chance to increase their lead.

Despite killing off the man-advantage, the Panthers kept the pressure on. After fourth-year goaltender Ryan Dugas saved a shot from the open slot, UPEI were caught off-guard, causing them to give away a penalty for too many men.

TMU gained some momentum from a late power play but the Panthers killed it off, along with any hopes of the Bold to equalize. UPEI dominated the first period, with a one-nil lead and a shot margin of 14-5.

“Our discipline was poor,” commented Duco, adding that “if it wasn’t for Dugas, we might have been worse.”

TMU started the second with a one-goal deficit and another penalty, after MacAdams drew his second of the night from a brawl which ended the first period.

The tone settled and the pacing felt much more even, with both teams going back and forth and having respective chances on goal. 

UPEI took advantage of their lead by switching their strategy to one more physical. However this cost them, as first-year TMU forward Marko Djordjevic leveled the game with a shot through Ranger’s legs.

The Bold would have their momentum stalled with a too-many-men penalty, allowing UPEI to recollect themselves after the equalizer. Goalscorer Djordjevic would then pick up a slashing penalty, putting the Panthers on a five-on-three.

After trading penalties, neither team could find the back of the net, leaving the score deadlocked at 1-1 heading into the third.

First-year defender Matthew Gallant nearly nearly managed to score but his shot hit the top of the crossbar. A fast counter-attack from the Panthers gave them the lead, as first-year forward Donovan Arsenault buried the puck over Dugas’ shoulder.

The physicality doubled in the final 10 minutes of the game, with fights breaking out and TMU still looking for an answer to UPEI’s second goal.

Duco mentioned TMU’s struggle on the power play, stating that “We need our power play to be sharp and you know we weren’t sharp in any area.”

With seven minutes left, the Panthers found their third goal to put them up by two.

With time waning down to two minutes, Dugas was pulled from his net for the extra attacker, but the Bold were ultimately left goalless.

Losing the chance to win four straight matches, the Bold fell 3-1, finishing with four wins in their six pre-season games.

“We’re a top team in this league, and we’re going to get teams’ best,” said a reflective Duco after the loss.

UP NEXT: The Bold will start their regular season against the Wilfred Laurier University Golden Hawks on Oct. 2. Puck-drop is set for 6:15 p.m. at the MAC.