TORONTO - The TMU Bold got the job done in game two of their OUA West Final series against Brock, forcing game three with a 5-1 victory on Saturday night.
Kyle Bollers registered a pair of goals in the victory, leading the Bold offensively. Also playing big roles for TMU were
Elijah Roberts and
Carson Gallagher, with the line mates each recording a goal and an assist. The win sets up a winner-take-all game three against the Badgers on Sunday night, with the winner hosting the Queen's Cup next week.
"Really proud of the way the guys responded tonight. I thought we played exactly how we wanted to and set the tone early," said head coach Johnny Duco on the pivotal win.
As play got started in the must-win game two for TMU, the Bold were the stronger team. Despite a strong opening they were not rewarded for their efforts as a defensive zone turnover in the slot allowed Brock to grab an early 1-0 lead. It was a similar position to the one the Bold found themselves in on Thursday, having also allowed an early first period goal in game one.Â
Unlike game one, however, the Bold quickly responded with Gallagher burying an Elijah Roberts pass to the slot at 4:38 of the period. The goal, Gallagher's second of the postseason, came at a much needed time for the Bold, who recaptured any lost momentum from surrendering the opening goal.
"Our line's been pretty good all season. We've got great chemistry down low and I think that's where we excel, below the goal line," said Gallagher of his line's identity. "Really just getting to the net and crashing the net, that's why we've been successful."
The remainder of the period continued the physicality of game one, as well as the undisciplined penalties. The Badgers would fail to convert on two opportunities, while the Bold went 0-for-1. TMU would outshoot the Badgers 13-6 in the frame, but were unable to break the tie as the teams entered the break.
Elijah Roberts would put the Bold ahead 3:40 into the second, with a wrist shot that fooled the Brock netminder. Then off the ensuing faceoff, Bollers recorded his third goal of the playoffs with a highlight reel finish, dancing through Brock defenders to double the Bold lead.
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"I don't like Brock at all. (It stems) From our first year when we lost to them and we could've went to the Queen's Cup. There's some bad blood there that five or six of us haven't forgot," said Bollers on the relationship between the two sides.
After the Bold outburst, opportunities came quickly for both sides as the game opened up. The Bold would receive the majority of the scoring chances, with each line rolling effectively and generating sustained zone time. Brock would come close to cutting the deficit in half with a point shot in front of a screened Kai Edmonds, but the goalie's best friend would keep the Bold lead at two as it rang off the post. Edmonds, arguably the Bold's best player in Thursday's loss, was spectacular again tonight, stopping 20 of 21 shots he faced in the victory.
The third period was a nervous 20 minutes for Bold fans in attendance at the MAC. The Badgers found opportunities on Bold turnovers and by taking chances offensively. The Badgers' over-aggressiveness would come back to bite them, as a slick aerial pass from Cole Cameron found Bollers in alone for his second of the contest. The three goal cushion would be enough for the Bold, who cruised through the remaining 9:21 of action to a 5-1 victory after a Ryan Wells empty net goal.
"It's obviously going to be a challenge going down there tomorrow, they're a really good team on home ice so we're going to have to 'pick our socks up' in terms of the way we played in game one," said Duco on the challenges facing the Bold in game three.
Game three is scheduled for a 6 p.m. puck drop from Canada Games Park, with the winner facing either UQTR or McGill in the Queen's Cup final.
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