The Brock Badgers' men's hockey team fell 5-2 to the No. 4 nationally ranked McGill Redbirds in the OUA bronze medal game on Saturday, Mar. 9 at Canada Games Park.  

Fifth-year forward Justin Brack and second-year forward Ryan Stepien were the goal scorers for the Brock Badgers.  

The first period started with the Badgers heading to the penalty kill where the Redbirds found the opening goal through Charles-Antoine Dumont on the power play. Minutes later, McGill doubled their lead over Brock as Eric Uba's shot in close found the back of the net. As the period progressed, the Badgers grew into the game and earned chances of their own, including a shot from third-year forward Tyler Burnie that initially caught Redbirds' goaltender Alexis Shank off-guard. The score remained 2-0 for McGill after one period. 

Brock found themselves back in the game early in the middle frame after an early goal from Stepien put the Badgers on the board off an assist from captain Jared Marino. Midway through the second period, McGill increased their lead back to two goals as Caiden Daley found the score sheet. After a flurry of possession and chances from the Redbirds, William Rouleau gave McGill a 4-1 lead over Brock. A 2-on-1 chance from fourth-year defenseman Matthew Barnes and third-year forward Christophe Cote almost resulted in a Badgers goal but goaltender Alexis Shank kept the puck out for the Redbirds. 

The Badgers found themselves with an early period goal again; this time in the final frame of play. First-year defenseman Ryan Thompson skated with the puck down low in the offensive zone and passed the puck into a maze of sticks in front of the net. Brack then found the puck first and brought the Badgers back within two goals of the Redbirds. Looking to close the gap, Brock pushed for a third goal, ultimately out shooting McGill in the third period by a total of nine to seven. It was the Redbirds who added an empty net goal to seal their win.  

Up next, the Brock Badgers' men's hockey team heads to the U SPORTS Championships (U CUP) that will take place in Toronto from Thursday, Mar. 14 to Sunday, Mar. 17. Stay tuned to gobadgers.ca to see where the Badgers will be seeded for the tournament.