The flight back home is going to feel much sweeter for the Brock Badgers men's hockey team.  

After dropping Game 2 the night prior, the No. 6 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West Badgers shocked the home crowd at Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay, Ont., with a 4-2 victory over the No. 3 West seed Lakehead Thunderwolves in Game 3 of a best-of-three first-round series. 

"I continue to be proud of this team's resolve and togetherness," said head coach TJ Manastersky. "It's a special group." 

Leading the Badgers was Alexis Cournoyer, who scored two goals, giving him three in just two games. Ryan Stepien continued his strong series with a goal and an assist to reach eight points, while Ryan Johnstone added the other Brock goal. 

In net, Ben Bonisteel continued to impress, stopping 21 of 23 shots to secure the win. Over the series, he made an incredible 90 saves to help the Badgers advance to the quarterfinal round. 

"He was solid again," Manastersky said. "He continues to make the timely saves you need to win in the playoffs." 

Lakehead struck first just over halfway through the first frame to take an early 1-0 lead. 

A pass from Zack Stringer made its way past a Thunderwolves' defender to the stick of Cournoyer, who made no mistake to tie the game at 1-1 after 20 minutes. 

Like the first frame, the hosts were first to score, doing so in just one minute and 47 seconds in the second. 

From there, the floodgates opened for the Badgers, who scored three unanswered goals on 15 shots. 

Cournoyer picked the top-right corner for his second of the night as the Badgers took advantage of a 2-on-2 rush. 

Involved in the next two goals, Stepien continued to provide the spark, first feeding a pass down the ice to Johnstone, who made a backhand move on the breakaway to give the Badgers a 3-2 lead. 

Less than two minutes later, Stepien then put the puck past Lakehead's Carson Cherepak to give the Badgers a 4-2 advantage heading into the final period. 

Bonisteel and the Badgers were up to the task in the third as they killed off a late penalty and made six saves in the frame to secure the victory and advance in the postseason. 

"The key for us was our composure, discipline and playing our bench," Manastersky said. 

Both teams committed eight minutes worth of penalties, but neither side could capitalize on the man advantage, while the Badgers held a slim edge in shots 25-23. 

Looking ahead, Brock will face the No. 10 nationally ranked and No. 1 OUA West seed TMU Bold in the quarterfinals. Game 1 is set for Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 6:15 p.m. at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, while Game 2 returns to Canada Games Park on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, will be played on Sunday, March 1 at 6:15 p.m. back at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. 

"TMU is always a challenge," Mastersky said. "We are excited for the opportunity to compete with them again."

Tickets for the home game go on sale for Brock students on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 8 a.m., while the general public can purchase tickets on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 8 a.m.