The Brock Badgers women’s hockey team went 1-1 over the weekend with an impressive 3-2 shootout victory in Waterloo against the Warriors before a heartbreaking 2-0 loss to the TMU Bold the next day.
Brock Badgers 3, Waterloo Warriors 2 (Shootout)
Jenna Duarte’s shootout winner in the fourth round propelled the Badgers to a 3-2 shootout win over the number seven Waterloo Warriors on Jan. 23, a night that Kennedy Lonson shined in the crease and Taylor Wolsey scored her first career OUA goal.
After a slow first period with the teams only combining for 10 shots total, 6-4 in the Badgers’ favour, Wolsey netted the game’s first goal just over six minutes into the second frame with a booming wrist shot that beat the Waterloo netminder top shelf.
Duarte doubled the Brock lead on the five-on-three power play in the final minute of the second, pouncing on the rebound in front to score her fifth of the season to give the Badgers the 2-0 lead heading into the third.
However, the Warriors displayed resilience all game long, forcing Lonson to make 25 saves in the contest as Waterloo looked to force overtime in front of their home fans.
The Warriors did just that with two third-period markers, a power-play goal by Brodi Levitt to open the period and a late equalizer by Carly Orth, as their momentum carried into overtime.
Waterloo rallied six overtime shots to the Badgers’ one, but Lonson kept Brock’s upset hopes alive with a sensational display of goaltending.
Her stellar play in the crease continued into the shootout, where she stopped all three of the Waterloo shooters, although the Warriors also rejected all three Badgers shooters to force a fourth shootout round.
In the fourth, Duarte broke the shootout deadlock with a filthy deke to outclass the Waterloo goaltender as Lonson denied Waterloo on their attempt to secure the 3-2 road victory for their second consecutive win.
TMU Bold 2, Brock Badgers 0
Looking to win their third straight game, the Badgers played hard at both ends of the ice but two third-period goals by TMU handed Brock the 2-0 defeat at Canada Games Park on Jan. 24.
Kennedy Lonson continued her skillful play in the net by denying the Bold on a penalty shot early in the first period, making one of her 16 saves in the contest.
Her momentum-shifting stop sparked the Badgers as they outshot TMU 9-7 in the first and 14-5 in the second, but neither team could solve the goaltenders as the game remained scoreless entering the third.
In the third period, an early power play for the Bold gave TMU the player advantage which they capitalized on courtesy of Cailey Davis to give the visitors the one-goal lead.
Despite pushing for the equalizer, TMU capped off the road win with an empty-netter to snap the Badgers’ two-game winning streak as Brock fell 2-0.
Next, the Badgers open a homestand against the Laurier Golden Hawks on Jan. 31 before facing the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Feb. 1 at Canada Games Park. Puck drop for both games is set for 6 p.m.
For more information on the Brock Badgers women’s hockey team, visit gobadgers.ca.