TMU Athletics & Recreation

TORONTO— The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold's bid for a weekend sweep slipped away by the narrowest of margins after falling 3-2 to the Lakehead Thunderwolves in a shootout.

"We thought being at home, in our environment, having access to the equipment we have would give us an advantage, but that clearly wasn't the case because they are sleeping in a hotel, eating hotel food and they just beat us," said head coach Johnny Duco.

The Bold hit the ice for the second night in a row to wrap up their two-game series against the Thunderwolves. In the first matchup, the Bold claimed a decisive 5-2 win, setting the stage for their home stand.

In the opening frame of today's match, the tone was set immediately: the Bold were looking for a second consecutive victory, while the Thunderwolves were desperate for redemption.

Lakehead struck in the first seven minutes, despite TMU pulling ahead 6-2 in early shots on goal.

Shortly after, the Bold found themselves on the penalty kill. However, 30 seconds later, a slashing penalty on Lakehead brought the game to 4-on-4, allowing TMU forward Marko Djordjevic to get a quality shot attempt on netminder Carson Cherepak.

Once the initial penalty expired, the Bold had a high-danger shot on their brief power-play advantage. Carter MacAdams sent a dangerous pass to Daniil Grigorev in front of the crease, but the latter was unable to slip it past Cherepak.

Shots continued to trickle in as the Bold returned on the power play. Near chances came from Gavin Grundner—with a shot that bounced off Cherepak's pad—and Connor Bowie, who tried to push the puck past the Lakehead goaltender off a pass from Slava Melikov. 

TMU finally struck gold with seven seconds remaining in the power play. Just below the blue line, Brendan Tomlinson sent a backhand pass to Jaden Raad on the left side, who ripped a wrist shot into the back of the net to tie the game.

The first half of the second period was quiet for TMU in terms of offensive opportunities. On defence, goaltender Mason Beaupit was tested with seven shots by Lakehead, but he stood tall.

Despite the low shot count in the second frame, Djordjevic put the Bold ahead. A cross-ice pass from Raad at the goal line found an awaiting Djordjevic, who dropped to one knee and snapped a shot high into the top-right corner out of Cherepak's reach.

The Thunderwolves responded just three minutes later to even the score.

Unlike the series opener, this match proved to be a much tighter, hard-fought battle, as the Bold struggled to sustain their early momentum from the night before. 

"We showed the way we can play last night and it was extremely encouraging, then to come out today and be back to the way we were the first four games, where we do some good things but there were just not enough players going," said Duco. "It also seems to be a trend where we seem to struggle in game two. We play really well in the first game of the weekend and then in game two we run out of gas."

Heading into the second intermission, the game was deadlocked at 2-2. TMU held the overall shot lead 19-17, but was outshot 11-7 in the middle frame.

The third period was a battle for the tiebreaker, with both teams recording eight shots. Grigorev had a prime chance from the centre of the left circle, but a glove save sent the game into overtime.

Tensions ran high during the 3-on-3 extra frame. It was a fast-paced, back-and-forth battle that spanned from zone to zone. While both teams created drives to the net, much of the focus remained on puck protection against aggressive pressure.

Djordjevic had a strong drive to the net, but couldn't capitalize.

Overtime featured stellar goaltending from Beaupit. On a Lakehead breakaway down centre ice, a Thunderwolf unleashed a heavy shot, but Beaupit made a clean chest save. Shortly after, the netminder pulled off another huge save, dropping into a split to flash the glove on yet another breakaway.

TMU's final quality attempt came from Crossley Stewart, whose shot sailed just wide. With no goals scored in overtime, the game headed to a shootout.

Unfortunately, none of TMU's shooters—Djordjevic, Grigorev, or Grundner—could convert on their attempts. In a tough finish, Lakehead beat Beaupit on its third attempt to seal the victory.

"Focusing on our starts," said Bowie on what the team needs to do to win next week. "Usually if you can have a good start, that can project you into the rest of the game."

Up next, the Bold continue their homestand against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Nov. 6 for a special School Day game. Puck drop is at 11:15 a.m. and TMU students can attend for free with their OneCard.