LONDON – In a crucial late season game, the Brock Badgers women's hockey team secured their place in the OUA McCaw Cup playoffs with a 2-1 victory over the Western Mustangs in London on Friday night.
Entering the contest in a tie for the fourth and final playoff position in the OUA West alongside the Mustangs, Brock needed to earn a win to book their ticket to the postseason.
Knowing the stakes, the Badgers came out with a ton of intensity immediately pressing Western goaltender Kaitlyn Booth and garnering three powerplay opportunities from the Mustangs early in the first period. Brock would send 11 total shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes, breaking through at the midway point when
Madison Cronkwright found herself in prime position to snap home a wrist shot and put the Badgers ahead 1-0.
Both defences picked up following the first intermission with neither side accumulating more than single digit shots on goal in the second period.
However, offensive action picked right back up in the final 20 minutes beginning with Western finding an equalizer from Gabrielle Lehoux with less than five minutes remaining.
As the clock continued to count down, overtime looked like a certainty, until heroics struck with just 44 seconds left on the clock. Capitalizing off a Mustangs turnover,
Claudia Murphy sent a cross-ice pass to
Ella Krushelnicki who delivered it right back to Murphy setting her up on the game-winning and playoff-clinching goal.
Badgers goaltender
Kenzie Harmison was stellar in the victory finishing the night with 21 total saves, while Booth recorded 25 for the Mustangs.
The win secures a fourth place finish for Brock in the OUA West setting up a Best-of-3 quarter-final matchup with the OUA West leading Waterloo Warriors next week. However, before the playoff series begins Brock still has their season and home finale versus the York Lions at Canada Games Park tomorrow evening. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets for the game can be purchased at
University Tickets and can be streamed online via
OUA.TV.
BADGERS AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 14-11-5-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL)
Conference Record: 11-11-3-1
Next game: Saturday, Feb. 18 vs York Lions – 7 p.m. – Canada Games Park
For all your Brock Badgers updates make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
