  Matched-filter based PyCBC searches have successfully detected $\sim
\mathcal{O}(50)$ compact binary merger signals in the LIGO-Virgo data. While
most PyCBC searches have been designed to detect stellar-mass binaries, we
present here a new search that is optimised to detect short-duration \ac{GW}
signals emitted by intermediate-mass black hole mergers. When applied to the
first half of the third observation run data, the optimised search
re-identified the \ac{IMBH} binary event, GW190521, with a false alarm rate of
1 in 727 yrs, significantly lower than the previous PyCBC search result of 1 in
0.94 yr. Analysis of simulated signals from \ac{IMBH} binaries with generically
spinning components shows an increase in sensitivity by a factor of 1.2 to 3
over previous PyCBC searches.
