By Nolan Boivin

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s hockey team fell 3-2 to the Lakehead University Thunderwolves in a shootout on Friday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).

After securing a 5-2 victory in Thursday’s home opener, the Bold returned to the ice looking to complete the early weekend sweep against the Thunderwolves. Both squads entered Friday’s game with identical regular season records, sitting at two wins and three losses each.

Lakehead broke the scoreline early in this game, notching a goal just before the seven-minute mark after an early turnover at the TMU blue line. A Thunderwolf’s drop pass found second-year Aidan Litke, who wired the puck over the blocker and past first-year Bold goaltender Mason Beaupit, striking an early 1-0 lead for the opposition.

The Bold looked towards any chance to respond, but fifth-year Thunderwolves goaltender Carson Cherepak stood tall, turning aside several odd-man opportunities to keep TMU off the board to start.

With the period winding down, a sneaky flip pass sent third-year forward Spencer Shugrue alone against the keeper. After drawing a hooking penalty, the Bold used the man-advantage to level the score at one all, capitalizing with just two seconds remaining on the power play.

The goal came from fourth-year defenceman Jaden Raad, tallying his first of the regular season with a shot from the top of the right circle, marking the game at 1-1.

The Thunderwolves came out firing on all cylinders to begin the middle frame, but Beaupit stood tall, making numerous saves against dangerous opposition chances.

The Bold eventually found their footing halfway through the period after Raad sent a saucer pass towards second-year forward Mark Djordjevic, who buried the one-timer to give the Bold their first lead of the night. 

However, Lakehead continued their tenacious forechecking. Their efforts were later rewarded with three minutes to spare in the period. Second-year Thunderwolf forward Josh Lehto ripped a shot from the left wall over Beaupit’s glove to draw the game back even at two apiece.

After the two teams traded chances in both the third period and seven-minute overtime period, neither team found a winner, eventually sending the game to a shootout.

Cherepak and Beaupit stole the spotlight in the shootout, making flexible stops to deny any chances at victory for their rivals. After four rounds of saves, it was first-year forward Luca Ricciardi who scored the winner for the Lakehead Thunderwolves to seal the 3-2 victory for his squad.

Following the game, TMU head coach Johnny Duco was vocal on the frustration of the team’s performance, especially after their win the night before. 

“To be honest, disappointing,” Duco said. “I thought we showed we can play last night, and it was extremely encouraging. And then to come out today and kind of be back to the way were the first four games… It’s disappointing that we continue to have guys that just aren’t able to bring it at the level we need to.”

Duco added that the lack of consistency throughout the lineup made it difficult for the Bold to maintain full control of the game.

“When you have like one or two lines that can go out there and tilt the ice… and then you got to play other people, and they go out there and they’re not competitive…You leave the team vulnerable,” said Duco.

Despite the loss, fifth-year Bold captain Connor Bowie pointed fingers to the strong play of the special teams, who killed all three penalties on the night.

“If you win the special teams battle, usually it gives you a pretty good chance to win the game,” Bowie said. 

UP NEXT: The Bold will tackle their inner-city rivals, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, on Nov. 6 at the MAC. Puck drop is set for 11:15 am.