Women’s hockey preview: Badgers hungry for playoff return

The Brock Badgers women's hockey team is on a mission to return to the playoffs.

Last season, the team experienced a roller coaster ride with a record of 12-12 and earned a spot in the post-season for the first time in six years, meeting a goal they set out to accomplish at the start of the season.

"It was significant that we made playoffs and played .500 hockey," said head coach Margot Page. "Our fitness focus paid off as we are seeing the work habits they had in the off season. We are quite happy with it as a coaching staff."

The Badgers roared out of the gate in the first half of the 2017-18 season, and earned a spot on the U SPORTS Top 10 national ranking for a few weeks. However, the team lost momentum during the holiday break.

"We did fight hard to get a playoff spot," said Page. "It was good to see our character come out to achieve that in the end."

The Badgers led the league in save percentage (.939) and deployed a successful power play (fifth in the OUA), but Guelph bumped Brock out of the first round of the playoffs.

Motivated and hungry for retribution, the players collectively worked closely with strength and conditioning coach Vicki Bendus and the Brock Sports Performance facility during the off season.

"As a team, we really wanted to start developing championship-minded athletes on and off the ice this season," said Page. "It was an important first step in laying the foundation for becoming a championship team."

The Badgers have 16 returning players led by OUA all-star goaltender Jensen Murphy (Kingston, Ont), and 10 new players.

Brock will ice a young defence corps this season.

"We have a high expectation for our returning players to take on a huge leadership and mentorship role to the new Badgers," said Page. "Being so young, we will have a learning curve this season. We will have a fast, high-energy, physical team that will be a lot of fun to watch. This is a passionate group."

The Badgers lost leading scorer Christina Ieradi to graduation, but boast a strong crop of forwards with a pair of third-years in playmaker Annie Berg (Beamsville, Ont) and goalscoring centre Amanda Ieradi (Sittsville, Ont).

The blueline will be led by shutdown defender Brenna Murphy (Odessa, Ont), a senior who is also the team's captain, and offensive defenceman Paige Cohoon (St. George Brant, Ont), who was named to the OUA's All-Rookie team last season and finished second in the OUA in scoring among rookie rearguards.

"We would like to build upon all the things we worked on last season: elite-level fitness; making the playoffs; stronger academics; and community involvement," said Page. "While accomplishing these goals, we want to enjoy the journey as a team."

The Badgers launch their 2018-19 campaign at home versus the Laurier Golden Hawks at Seymour-Hannah Arena on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 2:15 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Walker Sports Complex Welcome Desk or on game day at the arena beginning at 1 p.m.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#89 Christina Ieradi: F; 5' 3"; 4

#7 Amanda Ieradi: F; Third Year

#8 Brenna Murphy: D; Fourth Year

#10 Annie Berg: F; Third Year

#93 Paige Cohoon: D; Third Year

#72 Jensen Murphy: G; Fourth Year

Players Mentioned

#89 Christina Ieradi
: 5' 3"; 4
: F

#7 Amanda Ieradi
: Third Year
: F

#8 Brenna Murphy
: Fourth Year
: D

#10 Annie Berg
: Third Year
: F

#93 Paige Cohoon
: Third Year
: D

#72 Jensen Murphy
: Fourth Year
: G

Brock University Athletics

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned