The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s hockey team clashed with the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold for the third time this season on January 23. The two teams split their previous two meetings, with the Blues winning 2–0 earlier this month and the Bold winning 4–1 back in October.
475 fans were in attendance at Varsity Arena, braving the sheer Toronto cold to watch the cross-town rivalry game. The result was a highly entertaining contest with Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) squeaking out a 3–2 win over U of T.
What happened?
The Blues’ power play has been a highlight of their winning stretch in January, and the unit got a chance to flex its muscles just over a minute into the game. Second-year defenseman Ranvir Gill-Shane scored a beautiful goal from the faceoff circle to give the Blues a quick advantage.
The first period was a masterful display by the Varsity Blues, who continued to thrive by applying pressure through possession and executing a strong transition game. The defensive structure also remained strong, putting bodies in front of opposing pucks to prevent the Bold from getting any quality chances on net.
Although they had few opportunities to score in the first frame of the match, a rare defensive miscue by the Blues allowed the Bold to generate a key rush chance. TMU’s Joseph Ianniello fired a slapshot past Blues goaltender Nick Surzycia to tie the game 1–1. With under a minute left in the period, the Bold took a slashing penalty, which set the Blues up with a man advantage to begin the second period.
That opportunity was not wasted. The power play remained scorching hot, with first-year forward Ryan Evenhuis burying a chance from the low slot to put the Blues up 2–1. TMU’s offence began to find its footing, and they generated numerous chances, including a one-on-one breakaway. Surzycia was stellar in this game, manning the crease to keep the Blues’ lead intact.
The two teams continued to trade chances, and the Bold finally had a breakthrough, scoring a tap-in goal to level the score at two goals apiece. This set the table for a thrilling third period.
Only 57 seconds into the final frame, the Bold scored the eventual game-winning goal to stun the Varsity Arena crowd. Regardless, the Blues showed tremendous fight in the period, as they have all season. They continued to test TMU goalkeeper Kai Edmonds, and Blues captain Mark Cooper nearly fired a loose puck home to tie the game.
The Bold committed a late penalty to give the Blues’ power play a chance to send the game to overtime. Surzycia was pulled to make it a brief six-on-four advantage for the Blues, but despite numerous chances, they were unable to find the tying goal. Surzycia closed the game with 32 saves while TMU’s Hunter Donohoe had a three-assist night en route to the Bold’s 3–2 victory.
What’s next?
The Blues followed the loss with another tight game against the Waterloo Warriors, falling 2–1. They then travelled to Thunder Bay to face the Lakehead Thunderwolves, where they took losses in back-to-back games, 3–6 and 0–4 respectively, to put the Blues sixth in the OUA West. The team will look to regroup and get back into the win column in their next game against the Laurier Golden Hawks as they push for the playoffs.
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