Photo: Matt Garies/McGill Athletics
Written by Blake Hanlin
Maybe one doesn’t bite the bronze, but it’s a medal nonetheless.
With a final of 3-2, the McGill Redbirds took the bronze medal back home in a late comeback over the TMU Bold. Funnily enough, the two teams were opponents at the beginning of their 2023-24 campaigns, and now they finished it off in a very contested matchup.
“We started the year with 3 losses and then ended up taking those losses, growing from them, and getting better,” Redbirds Head coach David Urquhart said.
The bronze bash saw an early marker in the first. In the last game of his U Sports career, senior Elijah Roberts opened the morning’s scoring by banking one by Alexis Shank. After this year, Roberts plans to take a hiatus from hockey in what might be his last game ever; getting on the scoresheet felt emotional.
“For when I look back years from now, it will be kind of cool that in my final game I scored a goal.” Roberts said.
Action only came in a plethora of penalties from the Bold and Redbirds for the remainder of the starting frame. That was until a late spark from Stephane Huard, his dangle with 5 seconds remaining around Kai Edmonds neutralized scoring headed into the second.
Play throughout the halfway frame was back-and-forth but yielded little to nothing. The OUA competitors were neck-and-neck and traded opportunities, but they headed into the third still tied.
What a time to get your first goal of the season. Jackson Doherty went bar down on a clapper from the right faceoff circle; Captain Chris Playfair set him up perfectly to give TMU the lead with 10 minutes to go in the third.
Spoiler alert from Brandon Frattaroli. The Redbirds centre slapped his stick in front to find the back of the net with just under six minutes remaining.
Then, Frattaroli struck again! Brandon did his best Bobby Orr impression, sprawling in the air after tucking it home for the game-winning goal and his 2nd of the game.
“I found a way to put that in and [I’m] so happy for a bronze medal this year.”
Both teams entered the Sunday morning contest looking for a silver lining to end their season. Because of clutch moments from Frattaroli, McGill found a way to end their season on a high note despite failing to make the U Cup finals. In both locker rooms, many players might have played their last game at the Canadian University level and maybe their entire career. It was a heartbreaking ending for some, but certainly a victory that the McGill faithful will cherish.
