RECAP: Ottawa’s Cinderella run continues: #8 Gee-Gees advance to their first ever U CUP championship game with win over the #4 Bold
The #8 Gee-Gees men's hockey team were back in TD Place for the first semifinal matchup of the 2025 U SPORTS BioSteel University Cup. Taking on a fellow OUA squad, the #4 TMU Bold, Ottawa was looking to punch their ticket to the gold medal game.
After taking down the #1 ranked, two-time defending champions, the UNB Reds in quarterfinal action, the Gee-Gees carried their momentum into Saturday's matchup.
With a 4-3 win over the Bold, the Gee-Gees are the first host team to play in the championship game since 2017.
Mitch Martin was the opening goal scorer, firing a canon past TMU goaltender, Kai Edmonds, on the powerplay.
While the Bold found a pair of goals to start the second period, Brad Chenier and Vincent Labelle each hit the mesh to reclaim the Gee-Gees lead.
TMU kicked up the intensity in the third. With only five minutes left on the clock, the Bold scored their third of the afternoon, tying things up once again.
Scoring his second of the afternoon, Martin was the hero for the Gee-Gees, scoring at 19:18 in the third period to send Ottawa to their first ever U CUP final.
"We believed the whole way through. No one really had us coming out of our side," Martin said. "We knew the whole time."
Gee-Gees head coach, Patrick Grandmaitre, spoke on the support the team has received since it's revival in 2015.
"It's crazy. We restarted this program ten years ago, we have always been supported by the university, the alumni, the people that surround our program have been tremendous," Grandmaitre said.
Gee-Gees' goaltender, Franky Lapenna, logged another standout performance as the Bold outshot the Gee-Gees 33-28.
Ottawa will play in the gold medal game at 5:00pm on Sunday night against Saskatchewan/Concordia.
This will be the first time since 2017 that the host team will play in the finals at a U CUP championship tournament.
Scoring Summary
First period:
OTT: Mitch Martin (Brendon Clavelle, Marc-Antoine Seguin): PP 14:04
Second period:
TMU: Jordan D'Intino (Joseph Ianniello, Kevin Gursoy): 11:52
TMU: Evan Brand (Ian Martin, Connor Bowie): 13:24
OTT: Brad Chenier (Andrew Belchamber, Brendon Clavelle): 14:04
OTT: Vincent Labelle (David Lafrance, Charles-Antoine Roy): 19:05
Third period:
TMU: Tyler Savard (Aleks Dimovski, Kevin Gursoy): 14:46
OTT: Mitch Martin (Charles-Antoine Roy, Vincent Labelle): 19:18