TORONTO — Four years ago, a rookie Ahalya Julien-Medeiros was preparing for her first game with the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women's hockey team. 

With butterflies creating chaos in the pit of her stomach, Julien-Medeiros leaned on the coaching staff for advice. It was something that stuck with her years later. 

"There are a lot more games ahead of you," the former coach said. "This is just day one." 

When Julien-Medeiros took the ice for her 100th game against the Nipissing Lakers, there was already a palpable energy and excitement in the air. TMU held its annual game to raise awareness for mental health amongst youth.  

While the Bold ultimately lost 2-1 in overtime to the Lakers, the heartbreaking finish came second to what the game truly represented. 

"I think that's a moral win," said Bold Head Coach Lisa Haley. "Today's game and the meaning behind it are extremely meaningful to us."

With the Bold temporarily ditching their normal blue and gold uniforms for purple attire, it was the team's way of honouring Daron Richardson. The 14-year-old died by suicide in 2010. Richardson sparked a movement to encourage more young people to ask for help and talk about mental health. 

"It's really important that this is talked about," said Julien-Medeiros. "We hope more teams do it in the future because we want end that stigma." 

With the Bold using their platform to help support the future, it was perhaps fitting that Julien-Medeiros had a front row seat to watch rookie Riley Del Monte tie the game at 1-1 late in the third period. Del Monte evaded the defence with stick handling skill reminiscent of Julien-Medeiros, before lifting the puck with a backhand for the equalizer. 

Julien-Medeiros didn't celebrate the tying goal for too long, and before she knew it, she was exhausting her limits during a tense overtime. For Julien-Medeiros, it was business as usual. 

"I didn't even know it was my 100th game until yesterday," said Julien-Medeiros. 

The assistant captain had been informed by teammate Lauren McEachen, who had also hit her 100th game milestone during the night before. The two have been teammates since their days of playing U18 hockey. 

"We've been playing together for around seven years," said Julien-Medeiros. "So for us to hit that milestone together was pretty funny." 

"They both have walked in and been cornerstones since the day they got here," added Haley. 

It was the Bold's 13th one-goal game of the season and their fourth overtime in 2026. During an arduous season, the sheer volume of tight contests has been valuable reps for a young team navigating through injuries. 

"Our resiliency has certainly been tested at times," said Haley.

Rookie Sydney Pyburn, who has been a staple of the team's 'never-give-up mentality', was electric between the pipes once again. Less than twenty seconds into the second period, Pyburn stared down a Lakers breakaway. Without hesitation, Pybrun defused the threat to keep the game scoreless. Moments later, the five-foot-nine netminder made a tremendous read on a Nipissing two-on-one rush. Pyburn stopped 22 total shots in her 17th start of the season. She ranked sixth in total saves (434) and 10th in save percentage (.925) to begin the contest. 

Nipissing scored the game's opening goal when Tessa Kosec fired a seemingly harmless shot from the blue line, which subsequently deflected off teammate Melissa Svienson, before ending up in the back of the net. 

The Bold next take the ice against the Carleton Ravens on Feb. 6. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. on OUA.tv.