The Gaels’ winding road of a season has led them to the final dance.
On March 15, the Queens Men’s hockey team travelled to the iconic Maple Leaf Gardens, now known as the Mattamy Athletic Centre, to take on the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold in the OUA Bronze medal game. The winner of the game would be granted the opportunity to play in the USports Championships held in Halifax.
The Bold finished first in the OUA West in the regular season, finishing with a record of 19-9. They were upset by the Windsor Lancers in the other OUA semi-final, while the Gaels came off a heartbreaking game three loss in their semifinal to the University of Quebec Trois Rivieres Patriotes (UQTR).
READ MORE: Men’s Hockey falls to the University of Quebec Trois Rivières Patriotes in best of three thriller
A high-intensity game, to say the least, began with both teams flying out of the gate. The fast-paced start led to some highly dangerous offensive chances. The Gaels would strike first, just 3:38 minutes into the game, from a seeing-eye shot by defenseman Ian Lemieux, ArtSci ’28, giving the Gaels the early 1-0 lead. The Bold thought they had tied the game five minutes later; however, an early whistle would take the goal off the board, keeping the Gaels lead. They would score late in the first period, which would count this time, to tie the game at one.
The Gaels would push the pace early in the second period and would get rewarded for their strong play with a great pass from Ante Zlmistlic, Sci ’28, and an even better finish by Ethan Larmand, ArtSci ’27, to give the Gaels a 2-1 lead. They would continue to push, but the Bold goaltender would make some big saves, keeping the Bold in it. Eventually, they would add another off a three-on-two scramble in front of the net with OUA goals leader in the playoffs, Nolan Hutcheson, ArtSci ’26, finding the rebound and putting it home. The Bold would score on the power play late in the period to cut the deficit to just 3-2.
A third period for a national championship is as desperate as it gets, specifically for ,the Bold, who trailed in the game. Despite that, the Gaels stood tall, limiting chances and even getting a couple of grade A scoring chances of their own. The Bold tenacious attack finally prevailed, off a blocked shot that landed on the stick of the Bold captain with a wide-open net. The Gaels goaltender Tanner Wickware, MIR ’26, continued his dominant playoffs, stopping 19 shots in the period, sending the game to overtime.
The overtime’s first 10 minutes was a feeling-out period for both teams, who understood the stakes. However, the Gaels looked to be the team in control and generating more scoring chances than their opponent. Every play and every battle was physically evident as the period went on.
Momentum continued to grow in the Gaels direction, as the Bold continued to be on their heels. It was only a matter of time, as Gaels forward Derek Hamilton, ArtSci ’27, collected his own ricochet off a blocked shot by the Bold defencemen. In one motion, he saw his teammate Hutcheson streaking towards the net and gave him a great feed for a wide-open net. Hutcheson’s second goal of the night booked the Gaels tickets to Halifax.
A team that didn’t have a playoff spot on the final weekend of regular season play, now has a chance at a national championship for the second straight year. The Gaels play their quarterfinal game on March 20 against the AUS champion University of New Brunswick Reds at the Scotiabank Centre, in Halifax, puck drop at 7 p.m.
Tags
Men's hockey, OT, TMU, UQTR
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