TORONTO — The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's hockey team dominated the York Lions 6-3 in a goal-filled game.

After a rough night in Guelph, the Bold returned to the ice with a fresh mindset and a clear plan to bounce back.

"We came in with our game plan to really get all over them and get the puck towards the net, drive the high-danger areas, and that's what we did," said Liam Ross. "That's why we ended up coming out successful."

The Bold executed that game plan within the first two minutes of the opening period. Slava Melikov sent a shot from beside the right goalpost, where Ryan Cooper caught the rebound, rushed in, and jammed the puck past York goaltender Dawson Smith.

The goal marked Cooper's first in the OUA and came in just his second game played. Fittingly, he scored it alongside roommate Chase Lefebvre.

"It felt great," said Cooper with a smile. "It helps when you play with your roommate, so the chemistry is there right away. It was nice to get that out of the way pretty quick."

Head coach Johnny Duco made lineup changes for this matchup, and the adjustments paid off immediately. Duco pointed to the new-look line as a major factor in the win and easily the stars of the game.

"The line of Lefebvre, Melikov, and Cooper really pushed the pace today and gave us exactly what we were looking for," said Duco. "An offensive line with a lot of speed, and I thought they did a really good job for us tonight."

Just 36 seconds after Cooper opened the scoring, Brock McLeod—assisted by Spencer Shugrue—added a second goal against his former team.

With two early goals on the board, the Bold continued to play with speed and urgency.

York managed to respond when an intercepted pass in the Bold's defensive zone led to a Lions goal.

TMU answered less than two minutes later. Lefebvre sent a cross-ice pass to Ross, who fired a shot from just above the left face-off circle to restore the two-goal lead.

The first period ended with the Bold ahead 3-1 and outshooting the Lions 17-6.

The second frame saw TMU continue to apply relentless offensive pressure, stringing together strong puck movement and piling up chances. A minute past the halfway mark of the period, Lefebvre capitalized in front of the net. After a rebound from Hunter Donohoe, Lefebvre collected the puck in the crease and sent a backhanded shot past Smith to extend the lead.

The Bold weren't finished. Before York could recover, Ross struck again. On a 2-on-1 rush with Gavin Grundner and Will Portokalis, Grundner took the initial shot and Ross got the rebound, scoring his second goal of the night.

Ross was quick to credit the overall team effort instead of just his individual performance.

"The whole team had a good performance," said Ross. "We were winning battles, getting on pucks quick, and it showed on the scoreboard."

By the end of the second period, TMU collected two more goals while York scored one, sending the game to the final intermission with the Bold leading 5-2.

In the third period, the Bold continued to push. After managing just one goal the previous night against Guelph, TMU made a point of quickly rectifying the situation tonight.

"We had better urgency today, right off the hop," noted Duco. "We had better execution offensively. As a coach, it's not like our guys don't want to score, and they are going out there trying not to score. They are all trying to do things that they think can help them put the puck into the back of the net. We started doing those things."

With two minutes of the game remaining, a familiar duo—Gavin Grundner and Will Portokalis—rushed into the offensive zone on a two-on-one, and Grundner passed the puck across to Portokalis, who fired a shot into the back of the net.

The Bold closed out the night with a 6-3 victory and dominated the Lions offensively, outshooting them 42-20.

With only two games left in the regular season, TMU now looks to carry this momentum forward. McLeod spoke about the team's approach heading into the final stretch.

"I think the same way we've been doing things the whole year: process-oriented and not getting ahead of ourselves," said McLeod. "It's pretty easy to think ahead in terms of playoffs and national championships, but I think it's just about continuing to get better every day."

Next up, the Bold will face the Brock Badgers on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 6:15 p.m. Students can attend the game for free with their OneCard.