TORONTO - The TMU Bold men's hockey team is carrying a win streak into the holiday break. After beating Lakehead 4-3 on Friday night, the Bold beat the Thunderwolves again 7-0 on Saturday. The win puts the Bold at 11-5-0 entering the winter break.
"It's good vibes going into the break," said head coach Johnny Duco. "We can get after it in the weight room and the gym."
The Bold jumped out to an early lead on Saturday on Connor Bowie's fifth goal of the season. An innocuous point shot from Liam Ross provided a rebound that Bowie cleaned up. The Bold would double their lead just minutes later, with Kyle Bollers' 12th of the year. A second Connor Bowie goal would send TMU into the first intermission with a 3-0 lead. It came off an incredible individual effort by Chris Playfair, who found Bowie with a nifty backhand pass.
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It was a good first period for the Bold, who currently sit third in the OUA's west division with a game in hand against second place Toronto and first place Brock.
The onslaught would continue for the Bold in the second. After their hot start, the Bold faced considerable pressure from Lakehead in the start of the second. Ryan Dugas, making his second start of the season, was steady, stopping 33 of 33 shots he faced. None of these saves would be better than his 25th, a sprawling save on a Lakehead 2-on-1.
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"That one was a bit lucky," Dugas said with a smile after the game. "But sometimes when you're playing well everything's going your way."
The Bold would reward his play with a fourth goal coming off a Joe Rupoli point shot that took a favourable deflection for TMU. Daniil Grigorev would add a fifth TMU goal with a perfectly placed shot over the right shoulder of the Lakehead goaltender for his sixth goal of the season.
"He's an unsung hero for sure," said Duco on Rupoli's role. "He's a heart and soul player and someone we count on night in night out."
Holding a 5-0 lead entering the final frame the Bold looked to limit mistakes and minimize the Thunderwolves' opportunities. Carson Gallagher would add a sixth goal off a Lakehead turnover five minutes into the period. The Bold played well defensively in the final twenty minutes forcing Lakehead shots from low-danger areas, and keeping traffic in front of Dugas to a minimum. Bowie would complete the hat-trick with five seconds remaining after failing to convert on what appeared to be his final opportunity on a penalty shot.
"Honestly I knew there was a little bit of time left, so I wasn't too concerned," Bowie said about his mindset after the penalty shot miss. "But we got it done, so that's what matters."
The Bold are back in action in the new year with their first contest of 2024 coming January 4Â against Brock on home ice.
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