The series for the Brock Badgers women's hockey team is far from over.
 
Going up against the No. 4 nationally ranked and No. 1 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West seed Laurier Golden Hawks, the No. 5 OUA West seed Badgers dropped Game 1 of an OUA quarterfinal matchup 3-0 on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at the Waterloo Memorial Recreational Complex in Waterloo, Ont.
 
Megan Thiessen stood tall in the contest, stopping 29 of Laurier's 31 shot attempts, highlighted by a 10-save shutout in the first period.
 
"We can't give them an inch," said head coach Margot Page "Laurier is a veteran team and they will take advantage of any space given to them."
 
From puck drop, tension was high as Brock took an early body-checking penalty, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
 
After killing off the power play, the Badgers struggled to find their footing offensively, only managing six shots across the 20-minute frame.
 
Thiessen came up big with 10 saves, holding off another Golden Hawks' power play before going into the intermission tied at zero.
 
It took five minutes into the second period for the tie to be broken, and it was off the stick of Laurier's Kylie Laliberte.
 
The Badgers' offensive woes continued, with the Golden Hawks finding the back of the net one more time before the final intermission came.
 
"We competed really well in the first and second," Page said. "Laurier gave us no space in the third and we could not get to their net."
 
Heading into the final period down 2-0, Brock did their best to claw their way back in. Laurier played defensively, frequently dumping pucks in deep before eventually breaking free and scoring the empty netter to secure the victory.

The Badgers killed off all four of the Golden Hawks' power plays and will look to build on that penalty-killing success while finding their offensive game to keep their playoff hopes alive.
 
The focus is now on Game 2 as down 1-0, the Badgers have moved to must-win territory as they host the Golden Hawks on Friday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. at Canada Games Park. Tickets can be purchased at University Tickets.