The Brock Badgers men's curling team will be bringing back some hardware to St. Catharines.
Skip Owen Henry, vice Victor Pietrangelo, second Sean Kirkland, lead Patrick Sipura and alternate Daniel Krowchuk dropped only one contest over the weekend en route to a second-place finish. Both Pietrangelo and Sipura were named OUA First Team All-Stars for their performances over the bonspiel.
"The key to success was our team chemistry," said head coach Jordan Thin. "The joy and ease of which the men's team can have both on and off the ice is the reason we win."
The 2024 edition of the provincial championship took place from Friday, Feb. 2 to Sunday, Feb. 4 at the Guelph Curling Club in Guelph.
With the finish, the Badgers have qualified for the U SPORTS Championship hosted by the Aitken University Centre and Capital Winter Club in Fredericton, NB from Tuesday, Mar. 12 to Sunday, Mar. 16.
"It means so much to me to play so well all week and lead this team of my three friends to an OUA silver medal," said Henry.
Going up against the three-time defending champion Laurier Golden Hawks in the gold medal match, the Badgers scored early. After a one-point second end, Brock rattled off a two-point steal in the third. From there, the Golden Hawks took control of the momentum, scoring in each of the next four ends to win it 6-3 in seven.
The semifinal saw the Badgers match up with the Guelph Gryphons for the second time this season. After four ends, the score was tied 1-1. The Badgers scored two in the fifth end and a key steal in the sixth to take a 4-2 lead. The two teams traded points in the next two ends, and the Badgers came out victorious 5-3.
Brock started off Day 3 with a decisive 8-3 quarter-final win over the York Lions that finished in seven ends. The Lions took the lead after three ends by a score of 2-1, but it was all Badgers from there, earning seven points in the next three ends.
"I have played a lot of really competitive curling, and the moment after winning the quarter-finals today was one of the best," said Henry. "To see all the pieces come together at the right time and have a shot to qualify for the U SPORTS Championship is a dream come true. I was just lucky it was the exact shot I wanted to throw at the start of the game."
In round-robin action, the defending bronze medalists started strong, winning both contests on Day 1.
In the first contest, the Badgers defeated the Queen's Gaels 9-6. Brock scored three points in the first end and held off the Queen's comeback. After earning a point in the seventh end to go up 8-6, the Badgers sealed the win with a one-point steal in the final end.
They followed this up with an 8-4 win over the McMaster Marauders. After giving up the first point, the Badgers notched three-point ends twice to double up their opponents.
In the second day of the bonspiel, the Badgers continued their winning ways, besting the Laurentian Voyageurs 9-3. The Voyageurs took the lead after two ends, but the Badgers exploded for three points in the fourth end and four points in the seventh. Laurentian conceded after that, ending the game in seven ends.
In their final round-robin match, the Badgers blanked the Western Mustangs in five ends. Brock scored at least one point in each, causing Western to concede the contest early.
With the silver medal, the Badgers best their third-place finish from a year ago.
Up next, the Badgers will have over a month to prepare for the U SPORTS Championship in Fredericton, NB that takes place from Tuesday, Mar. 12 to Sunday, Mar. 16.
