Bold Open New Year With 6-1 Win Over Lions

TORONTO — The No. 10 nationally ranked Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's hockey team picked up right where they left off, opening the new year with a commanding 6-1 win over the York Lions in a physical matchup.

The Bold enter 2026 on a high, extending their win streak to seven games as they continue to assert themselves at the top of the OUA Western Conference standings.

"We had a long break, over a month, and we knew today was important to be ready to come and build momentum off of how we finished the year, and we came ready today," said Gavin Grundner.

TMU struck early in the first period, earning a power play in the first three minutes. Daniil Grigorev opened the scoring after accepting a pass from Joseph Ianiello, stepping into the slot and firing a shot past York goaltender Mark Tovell.

TMU continued to push and maintain speed, also successfully killing a penalty shortly after their opening goal.

An interference call against York gave the Bold their second power-play opportunity of the night. In a similar setup, Daniil Grigorev sent a pass to Will Portokalis, who skated into the high slot, burying the puck just 11 seconds into the man advantage.

The Bold had a strong special teams game, finishing two-for-four on the power play and killing all five penalties.

"When you get to playoffs and big moments, special teams are crucial, so for us we wanted to defend at eye level, we want to win the special teams battle," said head coach Johnny Duco. "If we're consistent and executing at a high level in those areas, we give ourselves a really good chance."

The third goal came on a rush from Grundner and Carter MacAdams. MacAdams raced down the right wing, taking a shot at the net that was deflected by Tovell. However, he recovered the puck in the low slot and, with no hesitation, sent it to Grundner, who tapped it into the open side of the net.

MacAdams returned to the lineup after missing eight games due to injury and has made an impact upon his return.

"It was great to be back," said MacAdams. "Obviously it took a couple shifts to get my legs back under me, but I'm playing with good players and they're making the game easy for me. I'm just continuing to play the right way the next few games and get back to where I was."

York responded late in the period with a one-timer to cut the deficit to 3-1 heading into the intermission.

Four minutes into the middle frame, Connor Bowie restored the Bold's three-goal lead with a two-on-one rush, sliding the puck over Tovell's shoulder. The Bold continued to dictate the pace of the game, sending a steady amount of shots against the Lions.

The period ended 4-1 in the Bold's favour, with TMU leading 24-20 in shots.

TMU closed the door in the third period with goals from Brock McLeod, followed by Marko Djordjevic, securing a second 6-1 win over York this season after posting the same result earlier on the road.

"It's important to address it in the room and talk about it and say we're only in this position because of hard work," said Bowie. "There is a reason why things are going well, and just trying to reiterate the things that we're doing to make sure we can continue."

Next up, TMU will face the University of Toronto Blues on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 7:15 p.m. Students can attend for free with OneCard.