Brock University Athletics

Peter Oleskevich

Box Score

The stick of Owen Guy (#19) breaks during the U SPORTS U Cup quarter-final in Wolfvillem NS on March 31.

StFX STFX 2-0-0, 17-5-1

Brock BROCK 0-2-0, 7-5-2

StFX STFX

2-0-0, 17-5-1

Final

Mar. 31, 2022

Brock BROCK

0-2-0, 7-5-2

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	F
StFX STFX	1	1	1	3
Brock BROCK	0	0	0	0

Game Recap: Men's Hockey | 3/31/2022 3:35:00 PM | Stephen Leithwood

Badgers’ run ends in University Cup loss to X-Men

The Brock men's hockey team saw their season come to an end Thursday, March 31.

A boatload of scoring chances couldn't keep the No. 4 Badgers' national title hopes alive as they lost 2-0 to the St. Francis Xavier X-Men in a single-game elimination during the U SPORTS University Cup quarter-final at Andrew H. McCain Arena in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Interim head coach Kevin Forrest applauded his players for contending for a national title in what was an erratic season during the COVID-19 pandemic, a season which included several key players departing for the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) halfway through the campaign.

"I want our student-athletes to be proud of this year. They worked their tails off all season. We beat some teams that were better than us on paper after the guys we lost," Forrest said. "It wasn't just teammates they lost, but good friends. It took us a while to overcome, yet the character of this team revealed itself pretty quickly."

Brock compiled a record of 7-5-2, including three-consecutive playoff victories before hosting its second Queen's Cup and making its third appearance in the national tournament.

During the post-game ceremony Thursday, Adam Berg was named Player of the Game for Brock while Matthew Struthers, who scored both goals, earned the honour for StFX.

"This season overall proved just how much of a resilient group we are. There were a lot of curveballs thrown our way, but at the end of the day, we made it to the national championships," said Berg, a third-year Business Communications student from Calgary. "Reaching nationals is our goal every year, so it says a lot about the character of the guys in the room. I couldn't be more proud of our team."

The true hero for the X-Men may have been goaltender Joseph Raaymakers, who stood on his head to keep Brock off the scoreboard. He made 35 saves, including a flurry of shots during back-to-back Badger power plays in the third.

Brock outshot StFX 35-32. Captain Jared Marino led the Badgers with six shots while Brock goalie Mario Peccia made 29 saves.

The Badgers also dominated the face-off circle by winning 61 per cent of their draws.

The X-Men drew first blood with a first-period goal on the man advantage. Less than a minute later, Brock centre Tyler Burnie narrowly missed a dynamite scoring chance on an acrobatic save by Raaymakers.

Early in the second, Frankie Pucci had a high-danger scoring chance all alone in front of the net, but Raaymakers denied his point-blank shot.

In third, Peccia made a stellar save on a breakaway by Liam Hawel before Struthers sealed the win for St. Francis with his second of the day.

"We've been the hardest-working team in the playoffs every night, and even today in this game," added Forrest. "I thought we outworked them at every opportunity. StFX is a lot deeper with skill, but we had more heart. You could see that as we played one heck of a game."

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