TORONTO, ON – In a single-elimination game of hockey, the little things can matter most. For the TMU Bold, no one could have said anything more accurate on their 7-0 loss to the UNB Reds in the first semifinal at the 2024 U SPORTS Men’s Hockey Championship.
Austen Keating, Kade Landry, Camaryn Baber, Sean McGurn, Colton Kammerer and Jason Willms scored for UNB, while goaltender Samuel Richard made 21 saves in the victory, clinching a spot in the final against either UQTR or McGill.
The win marked the 37th of UNB’s competitive season and their 46th in a row in all competitions.
“[Things went wrong] right off the start,” Duco said. Duco has overseen the Bold men’s hockey team since 2017, and in recent history has guided them to the highest of highs (beating UNB in the quarterfinals of the 2022 U CUP) but has also, unfortunately, been through the lowest of lows with them. (TMU was pushed around by UQTR in the next round in 2022 and finished fourth.)
Revenge was on UNB’s wish list, as two years prior in the U CUP, TMU upset the Reds in a quarterfinal that shocked the program. As hundreds of fans donning red and black packed the Maple Leaf Gardens, armed with thundersticks and cowbells, nothing would be sweeter than bouncing the host Bold from the tournament.
However, it wasn’t just the goals that made this performance dominant. Akin to the Reds’ tournament opener against the Brock Badgers, UNB peppered the opposing goaltender. This time around, Kai Edmonds, for the most part, TMU’s brick wall all season, was forced to endure shots from the determined UNB offence. He made 41 saves by the end of the afternoon.
Unfortunately for Edmonds, a blemish on the day was not collecting a rebound quick enough in the first, and seconds later McGurn had snuck a goal.
The glimmer of hope TMU was holding onto, that being a scoreline of goose eggs, had vanished. Soon enough, Jackson Doherty earned a roughing penalty, to the joy of the UNB fans who congregated around the penalty box. The Reds didn’t give up possession on that man advantage until McCallum made it two. A more-than-decent start was vanquished.
Then, with remarkable efficiency, UNB hit the five-spot before the end of the second period. Toronto could only helplessly clear the puck as UNB battled along the boards, using them to their advantage even though Landry described the yellow trim as “a bit dead” a few days before. Ben Corbeil and Brady Gilmour led the charge to ensure the puck kept bouncing in their favour and will go down as potentially unsung heroes from the contest, getting in the thick of hits on the glass.
Building out along the boards, and handling the dirty work that came their way, UNB established a rhythm and formula to goals. Ben Corbeil (one assist) and captain Brady Gilmour (three) led the way there, going down as potential unsung heroes. Both contributed to the defensive effort and were constant outlets to rag the puck on the penalty kill with Cole MacKay.
TMU was forced into mistakes, as the Reds perfectly executed their tactics. The Bold were contained to unthreatening pockets of the ice. And of course, no opportunities were handed over, so power plays were oh-so valuable to TMU. Instead of the offensive magicians that don blue and gold like Daniil Grigorev and Kevin Gursoy posting points, they struggled to even create. Open space was hard to find, and resets were often thanks to UNB’s relentless man-marking.
“I think that’s more on us than them,” said Chris Playfair, who scored 24 points in OUA play. “We didn’t have our legs today… it’s tough to say how good they are because we didn’t challenge them enough.
“We know [they’re good], but at the end of the day we have to look ourselves in the mirror and understand that you know, if you want to beat a defence corps like that… you got to bring your work ethic,” added Playfair.
Frustration was rife on TMU head coach Johnny Duco’s bench, and it made sense. The Bold were stuck in their end, contained to the pockets of the ice that UNB wanted. It’s one thing to develop tactics and a winning system. It’s another to execute them perfectly, as UNB did.
On both of TMU’s power plays, the Reds recorded more shots. In those moments, Gardiner MacDougall’s team preferred tight man-on-man defence. They opted not to clear but to try to rag the puck and cling to their many opportunities.
Where were Kyle Bollers and his 49 points, or Kevin Gursoy and his 31, or the electric Daniil Grigorev? Swallowed into the beast that is UNB this season. Stellar defensive duo Will Portokalis and Artem Duda couldn’t hold back the rush of Cole MacKay, a player who crashed the net on multiple occasions.
In front of a loud and proud travelling Reds contingent, revenge for the 2022 result would be the sweetest accomplishment. The Reds made sure to not let their alumni down and ensured nobody would be flying back to Fredericton tonight.
“Every time these guys get performing in front of our fans and the people of New Brunswick, we’re trying to make a difference in how they feel,” added MacDougall. “The Reds are a lot of people that are proud of what these guys bring in.”
Even though the task of shaking off the loss before the 3rd-place contest, which goes down at 11:00 AM tomorrow, will prove difficult, TMU has the motivation to potentially win the first national medal in program history.
“We’re just motivated, obviously getting embarrassed [today],” said Kyle Bollers, who, despite his brilliance in the OUA, couldn’t manage any major chances on Saturday afternoon. “That stings a bit, but tomorrow it’s a new day.”