GUELPH—The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's hockey team broke open a tight contest in the final frame to defeat the Guelph Gryphons 4-1.
After an exciting, up-and-down pre-season, the Bold started the 2026-27 season on the road at the Gryphon Centre and opened the regular season in the right way.
In the first period, the Bold gained possession off the opening face-off, with captain
Connor Bowie drawing the first win of the season. Shortly after, the Bold created a two-on-one opportunity, but
Carson Lloyd was unable to convert on the initial attempt.
Ryan Cooper couldn't gather the rebound before Gryphons goaltender Olivier Ciarlo corralled the puck.
Within the first nine minutes, TMU was not short on shot opportunities, highlighted by
Crossley Stewart. On two occasions, Stewart swept down the left wing to send a deflected shot toward Ciarlo. Meanwhile, Bold netminder
Mason Beaupit remained largely untested as TMU stayed strong in the defensive zone, repeatedly feeding the puck up ice to generate rushes
Sticking true to their system—in contrast to the Gryphons' dump-and-chase approach—the Bold relied on structured offensive attacks to generate high-quality scoring chances, with both
Jacob Strizzi and
Carter Streek getting quality looks.
A tripping call on
Jaden Raad put the Bold in a tough spot. The Griffins capitalized on the man advantage to record the first goal of the game.
Less than a minute later, the Bold were given a 5-on-3 opportunity to even the score—and they made no mistake. Receiving a backhand pass from
Daniil Grigorev,
Gavin Grundner looped around from the right wing into the slot, snapping a shot right through the pads of Ciarlo.
Later in the period, a drop pass from Cooper to
Marko Djordjevic sparked a high-danger sequence in front of the blue paint, but Djordjevic's attempt caught the skate and stick of two Gryphon defenders before crossing the line.
Going into the first intermission tied at 1-1, the Bold outshot the Gryphons 13-3.
The Bold continued to showcase their offensive prowess in the second frame with quality shots from
Slava Melikov,
Easton Kovacs, and Grigorev.
Guelph began applying pressure of its own, generating two separate odd-man rushes down the wings, but Beaupit remained a wall in net to turn both attempts away.
A slower second period kept the score 1-1, setting up a decisive third period.
Both teams came out in the final period with urgency and speed, vying to take control. Beaupit continued his dominance in the crease, turning aside shot after shot to keep Guelph at bay.
Eleven minutes into the final frame,
Brendan Tomilson broke the deadlock. Grundner sent a backhand pass up from the goal line that deflected off a Gryphon skate right into the high slot. Tomlinson came down from the blueline and ripped a shot through traffic past Ciarlo, putting the Bold ahead 2-1.
The momentum stayed with TMU. Just three minutes later, Bowie—assisted by Grundner and
Jack Rimmer—tapped in a feed at the top of the crease to extend the lead to 3-1.
Grudner had a productive season opener with a goal and two assists, picking up right where he left off last season and showing exactly why he wears an "A" on his jersey this year.
With a minute left on the clock, Djordjevic added an empty-netter to firmly seal the victory for the Bold.
TMU finished the game outshooting Guelph 40-22.
Up next, the Bold travel to St. Catharines to face the Brock Badgers on Saturday, Oct. 10. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m and fans can catch the game live on OUA.tv.
