THOROLD – The Brock Badgers men's hockey team won Friday night's matchup at Canada Games Park against the Toronto Varsity Blues by a score of 3-1.
The Badgers third consecutive win was highlighted by goals in the first and final minutes of the game, while their penalty kill and goaltending allowed them to hold a lead for the majority of the contest. The win gives Brock a six-point cushion over Toronto in the divisional standings, as they rank fourth in the OUA West.
Brock quickly opened the scoring on the first shift of the game as team leader
Jacob Roach one-timed a rebound from a
Johnny Schaefer point shot past Toronto goaltender Jett Alexander just thirty-four seconds in. The Badgers early lead stayed in place by the end of the period in part due to a successful four-minute penalty kill, while Brock goaltender
Roman Basran stopped all 14 shots he saw in the period.
The second frame began with teams trading chances, as Toronto broke through with a powerplay goal five minutes into the frame. Both teams continued to play fast, each getting plenty of chances but two quick Toronto penalties allowed the Badgers to go on a 5-on-3 late in the period. With a two-man advantage,
Frankie Pucci capitalized to give the Badgers a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission.
The Varsity Blues went on the powerplay two more times in the third period, but the Badgers penalty kill and Basran held on to maintain their one-goal lead. Brock captain
Jared Marino scored an empty net goal with less than a minute left in the game to give the Badgers an insurance marker and secure the win.
Schaefer's first period assist assist gave him his eighth point on the season, setting a new career-high. Meanwhile, Basran finished the contest with 34 saves in his third win since joining the team in the new year.
The Badgers next matchup is on Saturday, Jan. 28 when they visit the Waterloo Warriors. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game can be streamed online via
OUA.TV.
BADGERS AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 19-8-1 (W-L-OT)
Conference Record: 15-7-0
Next game: Saturday, Jan. 28 at Waterloo Warriors – 7 p.m. – Waterloo, ON
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