By Kiarra Swaby / October 19, 2022 / Sports
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s hockey team began their regular season last Friday, with championship aspirations a top priority in the hope of winning their first national title.
The Bold ended off last year with an impressive 11-4 OUA regular season record but ultimately fell short, coming fourth overall during the 2022 University Cup playoffs.
“In the end, we just weren’t sharp enough,” said TMU men’s hockey coach Johnny Duco. “It was evident we didn’t bring the same level of energy and execution that we thought we could carry over from the big win against UNB through to our next game.”
OUA rookie of the year and TMU Bold forward Kyle Bollers had similar thoughts to Duco’s when asked what he believed went wrong at the end of last season.
“After beating UNB – who is arguably the number one team in the league – we were on a high and that felt like everyone’s championship,” said Bollers. “People did not think we were going to get to the national tournament, let alone that far and we did, but from there, we lost focus going into our next game.”
Despite the back-to-back losses to Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) and St. Francis Xavier University (StFX), the 2021/2022 season was the best the team has seen in program history.
Coming into his first season with the TMU hockey team, rookie forward Will Portokalis shared what he will bring to the team to get the Bold back into a playoff position and ultimately win the national championship.
“I have always been a pretty offensive player,” Portokalis said. “I think my poise with the puck and how I am able to find pockets and ultimately score goals will make me an offensive threat for the team.”
With the season starting off on a high for the Bold, head coach Johnny Duco explained new strategies the team focused on during the off-season in preparation for the year ahead.
“Strength and conditioning was a huge area we felt we needed to improve on,” said Duco. “Last season I felt as though we could have been a little faster and fitter which would have helped during those back-to-back games we had in the playoffs.”
The Bold will return to the ice on Thursday, Oct. 20 for their first home game at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.
Check out the TikTok interview with the TMU Bold below: