TORONTO, ON – Carson Gallagher knew that the fans were tired — his body was aching too, as the TMU Bold approached their 10th period of hockey in the last two games, entering the second overtime period against the Calgary Dinos at the U SPORTS Men’s Hockey Championship quarterfinals.
The NCAA D III transfer picked up a loose puck in the slot and fired it over the shoulder of Calgary’s Carl Tetachuk at the 4:31 mark of the second extra frame. It rebounded off the crossbar and into the ice behind the net.
Sending the Maple Leaf Gardens crowd into bedlam and ending the lengthy quarterfinal, he clinched TMU’s second-ever berth in the U CUP semifinals after they first reached that mark in 2022 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
“I’m just glad it went in,” Gallagher said, having also played the five periods against the UQTR Patriotes in a double overtime loss in the OUA Queen’s Cup Final. “It’s an unbelievable feeling. I think this is one of the first times we’ve had an experience like this inside this building, and we appreciate all the fans and students showing up to support us; it’s nice to get a win like this on home ice.”
The Bold will face the top-seed UNB Reds on Saturday at 1:00 pm ET after UNB pushed past the Brock Badgers 4-0 in their Thursday afternoon quarterfinal.
A newcomer this season, Gallagher took a while to get his game up to speed with TMU, adjusting to the level of U SPORTS play after a collegiate stint with SUNY Plattsburgh south of the border.
As the OUA season reached a crescendo and the playoffs a staccato of emotions, he kept his rhythm, becoming a leading depth force for TMU, one to come up with percussion in the biggest moments.
Through 28 regular-season games, the 24-year-old forward scored five goals and 13 points. He’s taken it up a level in the postseason, scoring four goals and an assist in seven games, including Thursday night’s U CUP win.
“I’ve been in situations like that in playoff games and high-pressure games before, and when you keep working as hard as you can, good things will happen, and the puck can bounce loose,” he added. “The playoffs are a grind, but this [U CUP] weekend, too, you have to take care of yourself.”
Gallagher, among other depth role players, have been critical for the Bold in their recent run, with top-line production from leading scorers drying up, forcing the supporting cast to carry the offensive load.
On Thursday, after an early penalty to Zach Roberts sent Calgary to a first-period powerplay, and the Dinos went up 1-0 on a goal from Jaeger White, TMU rebounded quickly. At the end of the first, Ryan Wells scored just his 11th U SPORTS goal, locking the game at 1-1, where it stayed until the double OT winner.
“It was a very similar game to that UQTR game, with double OT, but we ended up on the right side of it here tonight,” head coach Johnny Duco said post-game. “I think the one thing we learned is that the margin for error is so small at this point in the season… It’s a learning curve, a learning opportunity to say we’ve got to manage pucks because every team can punish you when you get to this level.”
While TMU took a slightly different approach to the overtime period, they still threw their talents forward, with defenceman Artem Duda skating past first defenders from the blue line to develop shooting chances and fellow Russian Daniil Grigorev toe-dragging his way into an offensive opportunity.
Even with the nifty moves and slick plays, the second overtime was decided by a loose bounce — like it always is in some ways, but for rare time for TMU, it bounced their way.
Still, while the goal and offensive development from all four forward lines were critical, they were far from the story on the day. Instead, netminder Kai Edmonds stole the show, making 51 saves, the most he’s made in his TMU career. He continued a run that has seen him play at a .971 save percentage through his last three games.
“It’s such a confidence boost to have [Kai Edmonds] back there. You can now take more risks and play your game because he will bail you out, but that was an unbelievable game by him again tonight,” Wells said. “I couldn’t be happier for him with the way he’s playing right now.”
Looking ahead with lessons
When the Bold take the ice on Saturday against UNB, not only will they do so in the comforts of home, but taking on an opponent they’ve experienced closely. Until the win over Calgary, UNB was the only program TMU had beaten on the national stage, with Chris Playfair leading the charge in the quarterfinal victory at the 2022 U CUP.
This time around, despite still having Playfair, Kyle Bollers, Elijah Roberts, Kevin Gursoy, and many more within the group, they bring a more composed approach to the final four, even against a UNB team that hasn’t lost in 45 straight games in all competitions.
“Back in 2022, when we beat UNB, we kind of celebrated like we had won the thing, and then we got our butt kicked against UQTR in the semifinal, but that’s something we’ve been able to learn from,” Duco said. “This is exciting; we’re more mature, and it extends our season on home ice. We get two more games here and play right to the bitter end.”
While the group has learned from 2022 and their previous matchups, including two preseason clashes with the Reds, there’s still no doubt that they enter Saturday’s contest as a heavy underdog, not hiding any cards in admitting the Reds have been the best team in Canada.
It won’t be easy for TMU to beat UNB, but at the end of the day, the mission for every team at the start of each season is to play on the final day. Of the teams from PEI to UBC, TMU is among the four, now aiming to be the last one standing when the last buzzer goes for Sunday’s U CUP final.
“We’re going to need everybody going, from our forwards to our goaltending, to be at a top level,” Duco said. “I imagine the building is going to be rockin’. You saw a heavy dose of UNB supporters here, so I challenge the TMU fans and Toronto community to drown out some of that Red.”