Sunday, April 27, 2025
Brock's Only Independent Student Newspaper
One of the only worker-managed newspapers in Canada

Men’s Hockey stay undefeated at home after two wins

|
|

Badgers’ men’s hockey returned to Canada Games Park this past weekend with two more games, looking to add to their sparkling record. 

They were slotted against two lower-rung teams (Windsor Lancers and Ontario Tech Ridgebacks), leaving with a good chance to add to their hold on first place in the OUA. 

Windsor was the Badgers’ first opponent, playing on Friday, Nov. 3rd. The Lancers, despite having the third-lowest goals-for in the OUA, struck first and quickly.  

Windsor’s David Jesus found the back of the Brock net only 1:14 minutes into the first period.  

On the other hand, the Badgers have one of the OUA’s highest-powered offences with only Queen’s having scored more goals than Brock’s 46. Brock demonstrated their offensive pressure throughout the first, and freshman Cale Sanders was eventually rewarded with his first career OUA goal.  

The second goal came near the first’s midway point, and remained the final goal of the frame, sending the two teams to the first intermission tied at one apiece. 

Brock got at it in the second just as quickly as Windsor had in the first. On a feed from Ethan Simms, Matt Duarte banked his second goal of the season to give the Badgers the lead. Though there were almost two-thirds of the game remaining, the Badgers didn’t have to expend much down the stretch to secure the win.  

Penalty trouble to both sides opened up the ice, but not the score.  

Tyler Burnie notched his team-leading seventh of the season six minutes into the third, but by then, the Badgers had mostly turned off the gas.  

After outshooting the Lancers 12-8 in the first, they maintained only a slight 11-10 shot edge in the second and dropped all the way to a 5-12 disadvantage in the third. This hardly seemed to matter as the Badgers went on to secure a 3-1 win.  

It was both the Badgers’ and starting goaltender Connor Ungar‘s eighth win of the season, a statistic that both the Badgers and Ungar lead the OUA in.  

On Nov. 4th at 4 p.m., both the Badgers and Ungar would look to tack on a ninth win against the 4-4 Ridgebacks.  

The Badgers controlled the run of play early, and thanks to some undisciplined play, the Badgers found themselves with two powerplays less than a minute apart. On both man-advantages, the Badgers snapped the puck around until they found a cross-seam shot, finding the red-hot Tyler Burnie for the game’s first goal, and Jacob Roach for the game’s second 35 seconds later. 

Shortly after the second powerplay ended, the Badgers pinned Ontario Tech in their own end, generating a turnover that landed squarely on the stick of Zach Taylor in the slot, who rifled Brock’s third goal of the night past the goalie’s outstretched glove.  

Just as it seemed that Brock had stretched the game out of hand, Ontario Tech scored 12 minutes in, and then again with less than a minute remaining in the first.  

The Ridgebacks wouldn’t stop there either. Both teams traded rush chances for the first 15 minutes of the second, with neither side able to find the net until net-drive produced a rebound goal for Ontario, tying the game at three.  

Brock put the pressure right back on after the goal. A powerplay generated a ton of momentum for the Badgers, culminating in Jacob Roach earning and delivering on a penalty shot. 

Less than two minutes later, Brock’s electric powerplay got yet another look, and Jacob Roach got yet another goal, securing a hat trick. 

Brock extended their lead further in the third period, with goals from Justin Brack and Jonah Boria, rounding out the final score at 7-3. 

Following Saturday’s match, Burnie is tied for fourth in the OUA with eight goals in 10 games. Jared Marino is second in the OUA in assists with 11 over eight games, while Brack is tied for fifth with nine in 10 games. Roach is tied for sixth in the OUA in overall points. 

Connor Ungar also continues a season that is phenomenal by all accounts. Ungar is first in the OUA in wins (9), Goals Against Average (1.79) and Save Percentage (0.942), positioning him as the clear top goalie in the league and one of the best in Canadian University hockey.  

The Badgers play in two more games next weekend, one at the University of Waterloo against the Warriors on Nov. 10th, and then at home on Nov. 12th against Wilfrid Laurier University. For more information, visit gobadgers.ca

More by this author

RELATED ARTICLES

Women’s sports threatened by new research cuts  

The intersection of politics and sports took another sharp turn when the Trump administration issued a sweeping directive through Executive Order 14168, removing the terms “female,” gender,” “pregnant” and “LGBTQ+” from all federal research grants. 

By the numbers: Alex Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goal-scoring record 

The chase is over: Alex Ovechkin has broken Wayne Gretzky’s 31-year NHL regular season goal-scoring record. 

Gala caps off Brock’s winning sports year 

The athletic term at Brock University closes with a celebration recognizing student athletes, coaches and teams who defined the 2024-25 season.  

Florida’s journey to winning NCAA championship  

With the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four concluded, the stage was set for the national championship game between the University of Florida Gators and the University of Houston Cougars. 

UConn women finish season as champions 

The University of Connecticut Huskies clinched their 12th NCAA National Championship by defeating the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, marking UConn’s first national title since 2016.  

Bayern Munich threatens legal action against Canada Soccer following Alphonso Davies’ knee injury 

German soccer club Bayern Munich have threatened to sue Canada Soccer in the aftermath of Alphonso Davies’ ACL tear, suffered during the latest international window. 

Banner SZN: Recapping U Sports winners of the 2024-25 indoor season 

Another U Sports season full of excitement, disappointment and triumph is in the books, leaving one team standing amongst each sport at the end of a grueling season. 

Ouellette, Hood named The Brock Press’ Rookies of the Year 

Rémi Ouellette (men’s track and field) and Sydney Hood (women’s hockey) have been selected as The Brock Press’ Rookies of the Year for the 2024-25 season.