TMU Moves on to Semifinals after a double OT thriller against Calgary
Photo: Emily Simonetta/TMU Bold Athletics
Written By Blake Hanlin
Deafening cheers, net front rummages, and broken teeth were all featured in the madness on Carlton Street this past Thursday night.
With a final score of 2-1, the TMU Bold took home the contested quarterfinal matchup against the Calgary Dinos. The victory means the Bold advance to the semifinals of the University Cup, to the delight of the hometown crowd.
At the start of the match the TMU faithful rattled Cowbells all over the arena, but Calgary goaltender Carl Tetachuk was not rattled. Tetachuk was locked in, shutting down two early glorious close crease chances from William Portokalis and Kevin Gursoy.
Toronto’s opportunities were quickly erased as momentum switched gears quickly when the Dinos took advantage of their powerplay. Jaeger White whipped a wrister from the point and broke the seal for the game's first goal.
The back-and-forth game continued when Ryan Wells found the back of the net late in the opening period, erupting the sound barrier at Old Maple Leaf Gardens almost like it was 1967.
"It's always good to help your team get a goal." Wells remarked. "Good things will happen sometimes, and luckily it went in."
Despite a quiet beginning to the middle period, Daniil Grigorev had a premier scoring chance when he unloaded a toe drag wrist shot that was absorbed by Tetachuk. Even with the great opportunity, TMU faced punishment. In the same play, Kyle Bollers crashed the net for a rebound, leading to a goalie interference penalty and yet another front-of-the-net scrum between the two teams.
That chippiness continued to the conclusion of the second period, with the two foes struggling to find a reason not to grapple one another.
"It's a full-contact physical sport and both teams know what's at stake here." TMU Head Coach Johnny Duco said. "The margin of error is so small and you're going to fight for all the space out there on the ice."
The third period featured a few early odd-man rushes that TMU should have capitalized on. On the other side of the ice, the Dinos Jake Gricius had a golden chance in the slot to break the tie, but sophomore goaltender Kai Edmonds swatted it away with a stellar blocker save.
With 60 minutes yielding nothing, the nail-biting game headed to overtime. Only a handful of scoring chances were given to the players in extra time, as the referees kept their whistles shut. However, TMU kept up the physical play amid their exhaustion with thundering hits throughout the period.
Now with one overtime in the books, the Bold were again headed into another potential heartbreaking double overtime facing elimination
It only took 4 minutes, as Carson Gallagher continued his hot streak, roofing the game-winning goal. Gallagher’s prowess earned him player of the game honours and the hero in downtown Toronto that night.
"It's an unbelievable feeling, I think this was one of the first times we've had an experience like this, inside this building." Gallagher said about the atmosphere on Thursday night.
In tight contests like these, one team is always sent home packing, with their season dissolving in a matter of seconds. Tonight, TMU prevailed, but their next test will be the most challenging. Toronto looks to extend their season further this Saturday against the historically perfect UNB Reds, which is poised to be an intense matchup.
