The Brock Badgers women's hockey team travelled to Waterloo on Sunday, Feb. 4, where they suffered a 4-2 loss against the Warriors.
Juniors Allison Stevenson and Ella Krushelnicki proved to be valuable for the Badgers, scoring a goal each. Claudia Murphy, Randyll Strongman, Camie Matteau Rushbrook and Allison Moore each contributed one assist. Senior goaltender Kenzie Harmison made 34 saves in the loss.
With only four games left in the regular season, the Badgers look to hold onto their playoff spot in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West Division.
The Badgers managed to hold off several fierce offensive attacks in the first period, despite multiple power plays favouring the Warriors. Harmison stopped all twelve shots on net, including a kick save in the last two minutes of play. Neither team put points on the board, leading to a tied score of 0-0 after the first period.
The Warriors took the first goal of the game, scoring at around the halfway point of the second period. Stevenson was quick to respond with a goal just several minutes later, putting the Badgers on the board and evening the score. Harmison remained sharp as she made nine more saves for the team. Brock and Waterloo found themselves in another deadlock by the end of the second period with a score of 1-1.
In an action-packed third period, Waterloo reclaimed their lead with another goal. A series of penalties led to a 5-on-3 power play for the Warriors, although the team missed several golden opportunities to score. Harmison blocked a number of powerful shots, boasting thirteen saves in the frame. Waterloo then scored for a third time, but it was quickly followed up with an exciting goal by Krushelnicki for Brock. Only a few seconds later, the Warriors scored again to take back their two-goal lead. The Badgers were unable to close the gap and fell to the Warriors.
Up next, the Badgers (8-11-1-4) will face the No. 2 ranked Guelph Gryphons (18-1-3-2) at Canada Games Park on Thursday, Feb. 8. The action starts at 6 p.m. and will be streamed live at OUA.tv. You can also purchase tickets at https://brocku.universitytickets.com.
