Toronto Metropolitan Univ. defeat Mount Royal University in longest Canadian university hockey game on record
U SPORTS men’s hockey broke records on Thursday night as the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold defeated the Mount Royal University Cougars 5-4 in the quarterfinals of the University Cup men’s hockey championship in Ottawa.
Former Saskatoon Blade Spencer Shugrue scored the winner at the 3:27 mark of the fifth overtime, ending a contest that became the longest game in U SPORTS men’s hockey history.
By midway through the third overtime, the game had surpassed a 2016 University of Saskatchewan vs Carleton University game for the longest U CUP tournament game in history. Soon after, it became the longest game in Canadian university men’s hockey history as it wore into a fifth overtime.
Shurgrue, who scored several game-winning goals in the WHL with Saskatoon, netted the winner after 143:33 seconds of playing time and on TMU’s 70th shot of the night. MRU put up 69 shots through the eight periods.
143 minutes later… TMU BOLD is victorious! 🔥
The longest U SPORTS game in history ends with a Spencer Shugrue OT-winning goal in the 5th overtime. 🚨🏒💪
L'HISTOIRE EST ÉCRITE ! 🔥
Le match le plus long de l’histoire de U SPORTS se termine par un but décisif en… pic.twitter.com/LpyZOyXs5L
The total game time also set a record with six hours and 33 minutes of elapsed time, with a delay for fixing the ice midway through the second period and another after the second overtime as crews worked to keep the surface in playable condition.
While the matchup began in front of a relatively empty crowd, fans started to trickle in for overtime, arriving for the heavily delayed University of Ottawa vs. University of New Brunswick matchup.
The longest U SPORTS hockey game on record remains a women’s contest in 2011 that lasted 167:14, ending when Morgan McHaffie scored an Ontario championship-winning goal for the Queen’s University Gaels against the University of Guelph Gryphons.
That 2011 matchup also still holds the record for the longest game in North American college hockey, including men’s and women’s NCAA circuits.
The 2025 U SPORTS University Cup is in Ottawa through the weekend, with TMU’s semifinal against Ottawa or UNB set for Saturday afternoon, while quarterfinal matchups of Queen’s vs. the University of Toronto and the University of Moncton vs. Concordia University are set for Friday.
The tournament’s medal games hit the ice on Sunday, with UNB looking for a third straight national championship.