The Brock Badgers men’s hockey team fell 3-2 to the McGill Redbirds, the seventh-ranked team in the country, on Nov. 16 at Canada Games Park.
Samuel Vyletelka made 19 saves for the Badgers with Zack Stringer and Braeden Lewis finding the back of the net for Brock, but it wasn’t enough to withstand a dominant third period comeback by the Redbirds.
The Badgers got on the front foot early outshooting McGill 5-0 to open the contest, looking for revenge after last season’s defeat to the Redbirds in the OUA bronze medal match.
Stringer opened the scoring for the Badgers just over three minutes into the game, as swift passing by Ryan Thompson and Cole Tymkin found the first year forward for his fifth of the season.
Fellow rookie forward Lewis added to the Brock lead later in the period, after Matt Duarte’s neutral zone takeaway set up the former Swift Current Bronco for his first career OUA goal, which gave the Badgers the 2-0 advantage.
The Badgers were eager to extend their lead in the second, outshooting the Redbirds 13-9 in the frame, but relentless pressure by McGill to end the period dramatically shifted momentum and the complexion of the game.
The Redbirds were tenacious on the forecheck in the latter stages of the second, leading to Charles-Antoine Dumont beating a sprawling Vyletelka with the backhand in the final minute of the period — recording his fourth point in his last three games against the Badgers — to cut the Brock lead in half entering the third.
McGill wasted no time levelling the game in the third, as William Rouleau deflected Mitchell Prowse’s point shot through Vyletelka’s five-hole 25 seconds into the period to tie the game at two.
The Redbirds weren’t done there, displaying their resilience and resurgence that led them to winning the U Sports bronze medal last season. The OUA’s fifth-ranked powerplay showcased their strong hockey sense, with Maxime Pellerin finding Brandon Frattaroli back door with a cross-seam pass, who buried it into the open cage to give McGill the lead midway through the frame.
But the Badgers were destined to find the equalizer, generating offensive zone pressure in the winding minutes of the game, looking to force overtime.
However, the Badgers were unable to beat Alexis Shank in the final frame, as Frattaroli’s team-leading sixth goal of the season stood as the game-winner. The loss snapped the Badgers’ two-game winning streak, as it was McGill’s ninth straight win against Brock dating back to the 2010-11 season.
The Badgers outshot the Redbirds 23-22 in the game, but failed to capitalize on their four powerplay attempts, as the powerplay was the difference in the contest.
Next, the Badgers (6-5-2) host the number two ranked Concordia Stingers (12-0-2) on Nov. 22, followed by a matchup against rival Toronto Varsity Blues (7-6-0) on Nov. 23, both at Canada Games Park.
For more information on the Badgers men’s hockey team, visit gobadgers.ca.