The National Hockey League (NHL) is currently in a strong place regarding its competitiveness and balance across all 32 teams. 

Despite the parity across the league when it comes to star power on each team and the ability to generate excitement around every franchise, the NHL, under commissioner Gary Bettman, is in preliminary talks to expand to 33 teams, and soon after 34.  

The state that is the front-runner to be home to the 33^rd team right now is Utah. With billionaire Ryan Smith – the owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz – looking to bring hockey to the state of Utah, many are wondering where the team would play. The NBA team plays out of Salt Lake City and has ranked top 50 per cent in the NBA over the last number of years, showing they have a passion for professional sports.  

With the rich history of hockey in Salt Lake City – home of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games with the story of the Lucky Loonie – Ryan Smith believes that they would be able to provide “premium sports and entertainment experiences for the people of Utah and visitors from around the world.”  

The NHL may also be looking to relocate short-term to Utah with all of the talk surrounding the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes have been playing out of Arizona State University (ASU) for the past two seasons. This stadium is located in Tempe, Arizona which is close to downtown Phoenix and in a better location than their previous rink in Glendale. Unfortunately, the rink was made for NCAA hockey, meaning it only holds 5,000 fans. To put that into perspective, their old arena in Glendale, Arizona held 19,000 fans and the next smallest arena in the NHL currently is the Canadian Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba which holds 15,321 fans.  

Edmonton Oiler Zach Hyman, has been outspoken about the Arizona Coyotes home arena. “It’s fine to play once or twice but to play a 41-game season here, it’s not ideal,” Zach Hyman told media members before their game against Arizona on Feb. 19. “LeBron James doesn’t play in front of 5,000 people. So why should Connor McDavid, you know? It’s kind of crazy, right? We want to be in the same realm as the NFL or NBA or MLB. Come on.” 

The Coyotes have been trying to find a new arena to play in for the past two years but have been able to find a piece of land that would be affordable to build on. Bettman is starting to get fed up with how long it is taking for Arizona to find an arena but is also adamant that hockey “can work in the desert”.  

“We’re in a better position to resist moving than maybe we were 20 or 30 years ago,” Bettman said. But why? When the Winnipeg Jets and Atlanta Thrashers were struggling with attendance years ago Bettmann did not give them a second chance to show that hockey could work in that market. Arizona is on its third building in the past twenty years and has been losing the NHL money for much of those two decades. Why is he so persistent that hockey will work in the desert when it has not for so many years?  

Either way, we will likely see a team in Salt Lake City in the near future. Whether that be through expansion or the relocation of the Arizona Coyotes is yet to be known. 

The Brock men’s basketball team continued their playoff run on Feb. 28, playing in the semi-finals against the Western Mustangs.  

Western had the home-court advantage and was coming off a blow-out win in the quarter-finals against Laurier, similar to the Badger’s 23-point win over the University of Ottawa.  

Brock started the game tying their best offensive quarter of the OUA playoffs thus far, scoring 24 points. Jordan Tcheunte and Jevon Brown led the offensive surge in the first quarter with nine and seven points respectively. Tcheunte was perfect from beyond the arc and Brown had two big steals that led to points on the transition. The Badgers led 24-19 after the first.  

The scoring slowed for both teams in the second with the Badgers scoring 17 and locking down Western, who managed just 13 points. They took a 41-32 lead into halftime with continued standout performances from Brown and Tcheunte.  

The Mustangs would not allow the Badgers to trot to the finish line. They found a second wind mid-way through the third quarter, tightening up their defence and holding the Badgers to just 13 points in the first 10 minutes out of the break. 

They stopped the offensive firing power of Tcheunte and Brown, holding them to just five points combined in the quarter. A big performance from Mustangs Tyson Dunn brought the team within five to start the fourth quarter, 57-52.  

Western outscored the Badgers 9-4 in the first four minutes of the quarter and were within just one point of the lead before Tcheunte got the Badgers back on track with a floater, to extend the lead back to three.  

The two teams traded two-point buckets over the next three minutes until Brock’s Isiah Bujdoso got one to fall from long range, extending the Badgers’ lead to two possessions – four points – with just over three minutes to play.  

On the next Badger possession, Bujdoso drove into the paint, fell hard to the floor and could not get up. Mustangs stormed down the floor with the extra man and sunk a wide-open three to bring the game back to within one point. Brock called a timeout and Isiah Bujdoso was subbed off due to the injury on the prior play, which gave freshman Xavier Fearon a chance to play in the most important minutes of the Badgers’ season.  

Western tied the game at 72 with 1:38 left in the game. The following two possessions were empty but with just 29 seconds left, Jordan Tcheunte took the game into his own hands and nailed a three-pointer over the hand of the Mustang defender, 75-72.  

Despite a late push from the Mustangs and missed free throws to ice the game by the Badgers, the game ended 75-72 and your Brock Badgers advanced to finals for a chance to at the Wilson Cup for the second time in just three seasons.  

– 

On March 2, the Badgers travelled to Kingston for the OUA championship game (Wilson Cup) for a rematch of the 2022 finals that was hosted and won by Brock. There were 12 players from the 2022 finals set to play in the game.  

The first quarter was an offensive frenzy with both Brock and Queens scoring at will, neither team able to contain the other. Jevon Brown and Kevaughn Ellis led the way with eight and six points, also draining two buckets from beyond the arc. Brock led after the first quarter 28-23.  

The second quarter saw the Badgers get the better of Queens once again. This time both teams had cleaned up their defensive play and as the Badgers were held to just 19 points and the Gaels 15. Badgers led at half, 47-38.  

In front of their home crowed Queens came out in the third quarter a reinivigourated team. They outscored the Badgers 20-15 and held them to just under 29 per cent shooting from the field.  

With 10 minutes left to play and the Wilson Cup on the line, the Badgers and Gaels entered the fourth quarter seperated by just four points, Brock 62, Queens 58. Cole Sylas nailed a three over two Badgers to get the Gaels back to within one to to start the quarter. From this moment on it was a back and fourth game filled with much emotion.  

The Badgers maintained the lead through most of the quarter trading points with the Gaels. That was until a Isaac Krueger nailed a three point to tie the game at 73s with 3:51 left on the clock.  

The game stayed tied for the next minute as Brock failed to convert on their next two possessions and Queens missed two free throws to take the lead. With 2:42 left on the clock, freshman Andrew McKenna let one fly from long range and got it to drop, 76-73 Badgers. But the game was not close to over.  

After a few empty possessions due to great defence and high nerves, Queens’ Michael Kelvin answered McKenna’s three tying the game at 76 with just over a minute to play.  

Brock could not convert on their last two possessions, giving Queens last possesion of the game. The rebound was grabbed with 12 seconds left and Queens rushed up the court. Brock dropped back into their defensive coverage and Queens handed the ball off to Cole Sylas – who had 26 points – and Sylas called Iso-ball.  

Sylas challenged the Brock defender, stepped back and hailed up a three over two defenders. The bank was indeed open and the Queens won the Wilson Cup in stunning fashion, 79-76.  

Despite the heart breaking loss in the finals, the Badgers season is not over yet. They will compete at the U Sports nationals in Quebec City on March 8 against Dalhousie University in a do-or-die quarterfinal game.  

For more information on the team, visit gobadgers.ca.  

The Brock women’s hockey team concluded their season last weekend losing in their final game to the Western Mustangs, thus missing playoffs. Although it was the first time in multiple years that the Badgers have missed playoffs, that does not mean the season was a failure.  

The Badgers started their season with back-to-back wins against the Laurier Golden Hawks and the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on the road. This theme would continue with road games throughout the rest of the season. In those first two games, it was stellar performances from Madelyn Walsh – three goals in two games – that had the Badgers off to a hot 2-0 start.  

The following six games did not fair well for the Badgers as they lost five of the next six – two at home, three on the road – and gave up four or more goals in four of those contests.  

The Badgers returned home in mid-November with a chip on their shoulder after a three-game road trip and won back-to-back games against York Lions and TMU Bold before dropping the third game to the Varsity Blues. In these games, goaltender Kenzie Harmison bounced back giving up just one goal in the first two games while stopping a total of 51 shots. These two performances added to her two stellar performances from earlier in the season where she posted two shutouts, one against Laurier and the other against York.  

Unfortunately, the Badgers’ return home did not spark a winning streak as they ended up dropping their next four games but these ones were kept much closer. Two of the losses were by one goal – a 2-1 loss to Western and a 2-1 loss to Ontario Tech in OT – while unfortunate, signalled that the Badgers were playing a more structured game defensively. But more of the same would continue as the Badgers started 2024 losing in four of their first five games, three of them being one-goal games. Goaltender Kenzie Harmison continued to have stand-out performances but the offence was struggling more and more as the season went on.  

The Badgers were in a rut and needed to finish their last nine games just over .500 if they wanted a chance to make playoffs. They won three of their next four which boosted them into the last playoff spot in their division and set them up for success in their last five games. Defender Ashley Robitaille and forward Jenna Duarte were stand-out performers in this stretch with their performance on and off the score sheet. Duarte registered three points in the three wins and Robitaille played stand-out defence and contributed on the offensive side of the puck with a primary powerplay assist in the 2-1 win over Windsor.  

But for the Badgers, hot turned to cold and they followed the great four-game stretch with three close games in a row. It all came down to the last two games against Western. Brock battled hard and Harmison had her best two performances of the season but they were only able to nab one of two games, both of which went to overtime.  

Although the Badgers missed the playoffs, they saw major growth from some of their younger players like Jenna Duarte; and seniors such as Ashley Robitaille, Madelyn Walsh and Kenzie Harmison had their best seasons as Badgers.  

With the season concluded the Badgers will have spots to fill on the roster with the potential departure of seven seniors: Teegan Dalby, Kenzie Harmison, Claudia Murphy, Madeline Nicholson, Ashley Robitaille, Camie Matteau Rushbrook and Kara Thomas.  

For all box scores, stats and more on the team, visit gobadgers.ca.  

Three Stars of the Season (selected by The Brock Press)  

3rd Star: Ashley Robitaille (28GP, 1G, 6A)  

2nd Star: Jenna Duarte (22GP, 7G, 5A, 1PPG, 1GWG) 

1st Star: Kenzie Harmison (28GP, GA/AVG 2.32, SV% .922, 4 SO) 

Carleton Ravens, Canada’s top-ranked team, defeated OUA East Division rival Queen’s Gaels 63-55 to win the Critelli Cup for the second straight year. 

Kali Pocrnic, 2023-24 OUA first-team all-star, led the reigning U SPORTS National Champions with a game-high 20 points, scoring six in the first quarter. 

The fourth-year guard began the game on fire, draining two of her six made three-pointers in the opening three minutes, leading the Ravens to an 8-0 run to start the game. 

It wasn’t until the midway point of the first that Queen’s got on the board, but points were hard to come by for the Gaels in the opening quarter. The Ravens did a fantastic job on the defensive end, registering three steals and two blocks, forcing the Gaels to take low-percentage shots.  

As such, Queen’s shot an abysmal 14.3 per cent (2-14) in the quarter, while Carleton shot 31.3 per cent (5-16), leading to a 13-6 lead after one. 

In the second, the Gaels’ Laura Donovan – who led her team with 18 points – nailed a three a minute-and-a-half in cutting the Queen’s deficit to six, but it was the closest they’d come in the second quarter.  

Carleton’s Teresa Donato was the focal point of the Ravens offence in the second, scoring nine of her 15 points in the frame, including four field goals. 

The Ravens outscored the Gaels 23-12 in the second, taking a commanding 36-18 halftime lead. 

However, the Gaels, destined to avenge their losses to Carleton in last season’s Critelli Cup and National Championship, started the third on a 9-1 run as their stars finally showed up. 

Donovan kickstarted the comeback attempt, opening the quarter scoring one of her team-high three triples while Bella Gaudet contributed with five of her nine points in the frame. On the glass, Julia Chadwick was tenacious, securing six rebounds in the quarter, finishing the game with a double-double (14 points and 17 rebounds). 

Gaudet, the OUA leader in three-point percentage during the regular season at 43.1 per cent, nailed a crucial three in the final minute of the third, cutting the deficit to eight, before a late Ravens bucket restored their double-digit lead, 44-34, entering the fourth. 

In the fourth, the teams traded baskets through the opening five minutes until a 5-0 run by the Gaels cut the deficit to three – the closest the score was all game. 

But Pocrnic, the four-time all-star, quickly reimposed Carleton’s two-possession lead draining a pivotal three-pointer, erupting the Raven’s Nest. Yet, moments later, Chadwick nailed a pair of free throws to get Queen’s back within three, 56-53, before Pocrnic once again scored from beyond the arc, solidifying the victory. 

The Ravens held on to win 63-55 and claim their fourth OUA women’s basketball title in school history. 

Both the Carleton Ravens and Queen’s Gaels will head to Edmonton, A.B. to compete in the U SPORTS National Championship from March 7^th to 10^th. For more information on OUA women’s basketball, head to oua.ca. 

The Badgers’ men’s volleyball team was defeated 3-1 by the Queen’s Gaels – the nation’s fifth-ranked team – in the OUA semi-final, setting up a pivotal third-place match on Saturday against the Guelph Gryphons with a spot in the U SPORTS Championship on the line. 

Kylar Code led the Badgers in kills with 21, tallying a game-high 23 points, while Grant Reddon led the team in both assists (42) and digs (12). 

Both Code and Reddon were influential early, leading the Badgers to an early 8-4 lead. However, the Gaels responded with three consecutive points, leading to back-and-forth action midway through the set. 

With the set level at 13, Devin Cooney smashed one of his 10 kills in the match, starting a 6-1 Brock run, giving the visitors a 19-14 lead. But the home side was relentless, storming back on an 11-5 run to take the lead, 25-24. 

Facing set point, Cooney and Code – the Badgers’ leaders in kills this season with 247 and 178, respectively – bashed back-to-back kills, Brock’s 13^th and 14^th kills in the set, to re-take the lead, claiming set point of their own. On set point, the Gaels committed their ninth attacking error of the set, the most by either team in any set, gifting the Badgers the 27-25 first set victory, pushing them one step closer to the Forsyth Cup final. 

Eager to avenge their opening set debacle, Queen’s started the second set with a bang, exploding to a 5-1 lead before extending their advantage to 15-9 midway through the set. 

The Badgers briefly fought back but were unable to withstand the tumultuous Gaels attack. Queen’s hit extremely well in the second, registering 13 kills and only one attacking error on 26 total attempts for a .462 hitting percentage – the highest by either team in any set – leading to the 25-17 set win. 

With the match tied at one set win apiece, the third set was critical as both teams brought their A-game. The teams combined for 31 kills in the set, 16 for Brock and 15 for Queen’s, and only seven attacking errors. 

The Gaels went up early, but the Badgers quickly responded as the teams traded points for much of the set. With the set tied at 22, two straight kills by Liam Strong and Code gave the Badgers set point, itching closer to the OUA Championship and a spot in the U SPORTS Final 8. 

However, the narrative swiftly changed after a Brock service error and a Queen’s ace – an area they dominated, tallying 13 aces compared to Brock’s five – gave the Gaels set point, nearing the third set victory. 

On set point, the Gaels committed a service error, before a Badgers’ service error on the next point gave the one-point advantage right back. With Queen’s up 26-25, the fifth Brock attacking error of the set handed them the 27-25 set win to take a commanding 2-1 lead in the match. 

The fourth set began with more back-and-forth action as neither team held larger than a two-point lead until the Gaels blew the set open. Up 11-10, Queen’s went on an 11-4 run to take a 22-14 lead, three points away from their first Forsyth Cup appearance since the 2019-20 season. 

But the Badgers were keen on not letting that happen. Brock rallied for four consecutive points to pull within four points of the Gaels.  

Yet, on match point, the Gaels registered their 52^nd kill of the match to win 3-1 and eliminate Brock from Forsyth Cup contention. 

Next, the Badgers (3^rd seed; 15-5 record) host the Guelph Gryphons (4^th seed; 15-5 record) in the OUA Bronze Medal Match on March 9^th, with the final berth in the U SPORTS Volleyball Championships up for grabs. For more information on the Brock Badgers’ men’s volleyball team, head to gobadgers.ca.  

Looking back on a successful regular season for the Badgers’ women’s basketball team, it’s time to highlight The Brock Press’ award winners: Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player and Most Valuable Player recipients. 

Rookie of the Year: Vienna Vercesi 

Vienna Vercesi’s impact on the team emerged as the season progressed, playing a pivotal role in the Badgers’ 11-game win streak en route to finishing atop the OUA Central division standings. 

The Niagara Falls native led all Badger rookies in points per game (5.1), rebounds per game (2.9) and field goal percentage (46.7 per cent) during the regular season. 

Vercesi’s breakout performance came against McMaster on Feb. 10^th, nearly registering a double-double, notching career highs in both points (10) and rebounds (8). The five-foot-11 forward showed tremendous growth in that game, using her size and strength to gather rebounds and be an interior scoring threat – something that she can use to exploit the opposition in the seasons ahead. 

Runners-Up: Shailah Adams, Brookelyn Keltos 

Defensive Player of the Year: Madalyn Weinert 

Madalyn Weinert is not just one of the best defenders in the OUA, but countrywide too. Weinert led U SPORTS in blocks per game (2.0), while ranking fifth in Ontario in steals per game (2.5) and sixth in defensive rebounds (6.5). 

She earned a season-high six steals on Feb. 3^rd against Western while picking up a season-high six blocks a few weeks later on Feb. 17^th against Nipissing. 

Weinert’s defensive masterclass is a big reason why Brock ranked near the top of the OUA in every statistical category of team defence. 

The Badgers allowed the eight-fewest points per game (60.9) while limiting the opposition to the sixth-lowest field goal percentage (33 per cent) and second-lowest three-point percentage (24.3 per cent) this season. 

Weinert will be looked upon to lead the team to another defensively sound season in 2024/25. 

Runners-Up: Noor Bazzi, Madison MacInnis  

Most Improved Player: Oluwatito Akinnusi 

After starting only one game last season, Akinnusi started all 23 games this season, providing a much-needed spark for the Badgers this season. 

The sophomore forward elevated her game in 2023/24, averaging 14.2 points per game – over 10 points more than her 3.8 points per game last season – along with 8.9 rebounds and a much-improved 52.7 field goal percentage: the third highest in the OUA. 

Akinnusi gained the attention of many after her stellar performance against McMaster on Nov. 25^th in the annual Paint the Meridian Red game. The Kleinburg, O.N. native notched a career-high 37 points on 15-for-26 shooting, earning her OUA Female Athlete of the Week honours. 

The Psychology major is also tenacious on the glass, grabbing a total of 278 rebounds this season – 80 offensive and 198 defensive – including a career-high 16 rebounds twice; first in the season opener against Toronto on Nov. 3^rd and again on Nov. 24^th versus Queen’s. 

Yet, Akinnusi’s game can still reach another level, something that coach Mike Rao will look to next season especially as she and Weinert are developing into one of the best duos in the OUA. 

Runners-Up: Madalyn Weinert, Noor Bazzi 

Most Valuable Player: Madalyn Weinert 

Weinert is not only the Badgers’ Most Valuable Player, but the province’s MVP, being named the OUA Women’s Basketball Player of the Year while being selected as a first-team all-star for the first time in her career. 

The third-year forward led the country in points per game (22.5), tallying double-digit points in all 23 games this season. Weinert’s season-high 34 points on Jan. 27^th against Lakehead reached a milestone of 1,000 points in her OUA career. 

The St. Catharines native also shot the ball very efficiently, finishing the year with a 52.2 field goal percentage – the fourth-best in the province – while grabbing the fifth-most rebounds per game (9.6). 

In total, Weinert tallied career-highs in points (494), assists (98), steals (54) and blocks (44) during the regular season. 

Runners-Up: Oluwatito Akinnusi, Angeline Campbell 

Weinert and the Badgers will look to rebound after a disappointing OUA quarterfinal loss to TMU and go on a deep playoff run next season, looking to qualify for the U SPORTS Final 8 for the first time since the 2021-22 season. 

The Badgers certainly made things interesting in their semi-final victory over Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold on March 1^st.  

After handing the first two sets to the visiting Bold after some lacklustre play, Brock surged back to win the next three sets, completing a reverse-sweep and moving on to the Quigley Cup, where they’ll have a chance to defend their provincial title.  

Set one started close, but after giving up six straight to go down 16-10, the score soon got away from them. TMU pushed on against a floundering Badgers side, stretching the score to 20-11.  

Brock couldn’t recover and dropped set one 25-16. It was only the second time that the Badgers had lost a set by nine or more points this season. It was also only the 14^th set they’d lost all season, now playing their 24^th game including the regular season and playoffs.  

Set two was different but no better. Brock was right there with the Bold in the first half but fell apart after tying the game at 12. TMU went on an 8-1 run to put the Badgers on their heels and cruised to the finish line, again winning 25-16.  

At this point in the season, the Badgers had not once been beaten this resoundingly in two straight sets. Even in their 1-3 loss to McMaster, Brock lost their three sets by a combined 15 points while TMU managed to outscore the Badgers by 18 points in only two sets.  

Brock now found themselves in uncharted territory. The Badgers had never been down 0-2 at any point this season and now had to chart these unfamiliar waters with their season hanging in the balance. This intensity took itself up a notch with Brock and TMU again tied 12-12.  

Looking destined for a repeat of set two, the Bold went on a 4-0 run to go up 16-12. Not willing to be counted out, this time the Badgers went on a 4-0 run of their own, tying the game again at 16.  

From there on, the two teams could do little to separate from the other. TMU would go up by a point or two, only to immediately be matched by Brock. The Badgers tied the game at 22 not once having secured a lead while the Bold had never gone up by more than two.  

However, for the first time since taking an 11-10 lead early in the set, Brock turned the tables on TMU, as Laurin Ainsworth punched in two straight kills to go ahead 24-22. Sadie Dick put the finishing touches on the set with a kill, winning 25-22 and staving off elimination.  

Finally shaking off whatever playoff jitters they had come into the game with, the Badgers turned up the heat in the fourth set.  

Tied 5-5, a 5-1 Brock scoring run forced a TMU timeout. The pause in play did nothing to sway the momentum out of Brock’s favour as they followed this up with another 5-1 run, now leading 15-7.  

While TMU had been dominant in the opening two sets, both times leaving with hitting percentages north of .400, they couldn’t do much of anything right in set four. Though Brock recorded their second-lowest kill total of the game in set four (seven), the Bold gave up 11 errors on 30 attempts, also with only seven kills of their own to show for it.  

As a result, nothing much changed after Brock took their eight-point lead. Closing the set with two more TMU errors, Brock took set four 25-13, tying a frenetic game 2-2.  

Now having forced the Bold into a playoff set, the Badgers took no prisoners. Three errors immediately gave Brock a 4-1 lead, a deficit TMU never recovered from. The Bold made things somewhat interesting, bringing themselves within two down 6-4, but the Badgers immediately wiped out all hope of a comeback, going on an 8-1 run to take a 14-5 lead. Brock only needed one point to win and secured it thanks to a TMU service error.  

After putting the Badgers on the ropes through three strong sets, the Bold’s collapse was total and unceremonious. In the first three sets, TMU surrendered a measly seven errors on 99 attempts while the Badgers gave up seven errors in each of the first two sets alone. In their next 46 attempts, the Bold gave up an eye-popping 17 errors while collecting only 12 combined kills.  

In an all-around effort from the Badgers’ corps, Emily Foest was the standout performer, leading the team in both kills (14) and digs (18) while also adding two aces and an assist for good measure.  

Brock will hold home-court advantage on Friday, March 8^th as they play host to the McMaster Marauders in their Quigley Cup title defence. Though they were the third seed, the Marauders could pose a challenge as they are one of only two teams this season to hand the Badgers a loss.  

For more information, visit gobadgers.ca. 

On Sunday, Feb. 25^th, the Chicago Blackhawks honoured one of their all-time great players—and one of the best Americans to ever lace them up—defenceman Chris Chelios in a lengthy jersey retirement ceremony.  

However, you might have missed the event in light of another significant Blackhawks moment that happened the same night: the return of Patrick Kane.  

After being traded to the New York Rangers at last year’s trade deadline and signing with the Detroit Red Wings earlier this season, Sunday was Kane’s first game back at Chicago’s United Centre in almost a year.  

Kane’s return received as much, if not more fanfare than Chris Chelios’ ceremony.  

Kane took three solo laps around the ice during the game’s first TV time out, showered with a raucous ovation from the home crowd throughout. He saluted the Chicago crowd during a two-minute tribute video, showcasing his many highlights from the Blackhawks’ glory days. He even got a shoutout from Chelios himself, who said that Kane “will go down as the greatest American-born player.” 

After Kane scored the overtime winner to deliver his Red Wings the victory over his old team, it wasn’t much of a surprise to his name plastered all over the media throughout the night and into the next day – a fitting end to a storied momentperiod of his career.  

Mark Lazerus—The Athletic’s Blackhawks writer—in particular waxed poetic over Kane’s heroics, first in his piece “Patrick Kane steals Chris Chelios’ thunder as ‘Showtime’ returns to Chicago” and again in another piece two days later that illustrated how Kane had effectively “passed the torch” to Chicago’s newly-minted franchise player, Connor Bedard.  

Based on his comments, you’d never know that only three months and 19 days earlier, Lazerus had written a piece urging Blackhawks fans to not “lose sight of a painful past.” 

Considering the deeply disturbing case brought against the Blackhawks by former player Kyle Beach, Lazerus lectured his readers that it was important “to be reminded that some of your heroes from those early 2010’s teams… allegedly bullied Beach and John Doe with homophobic taunts.” 

Perhaps not keen to make things too heavy on his audience, Lazerus did make sure to soften the blow of the “lawsuit [that] might seem cruel if you’re a Blackhawks fan” pointing to the “good news” of the Blackhawks’ “bright future” that “put them in danger of becoming quite likable”. 

So, what caused Lazerus—and the hockey world as a whole—to change their tune?  

Probably that Kane signed with a new team on Nov. 28^th, 2023, only 22 days after Lazerus’ infantilizing, self-gratifying piece. Holding strong would’ve forced the hockey media to do something quite difficult: to admit that Kane is not a player worthy of our respect and admiration.  

As Lazerus himself so aptly put it, “the sheer number of people who failed Kyle Beach is staggering.” 

As long as the NHL media, all of these people who promised to “do better” in their coverage when the investigation came to light, refuse to make difficult choices about who they celebrate, that number will continue to grow.  

We can continue to honour Beach’s legacy by refusing to honour those of the people who sat idly by while it happened: especially Kane.  

… 

You might think that it’s unfair to rope Kane in with the Beach case. With all that Beach says he went through with the Blackhawks, it might be unfair not to.  

Beach’s case was exposed years after he had retired, partially due to the NHL’s culture of silence and how resoundingly the leadership group of the Blackhawks failed Beach. It became widely acknowledged that everyone in the dressing room knew what was going on.  

Beach alleged that he was “subjected to humiliating trash talking by his teammates during scrimmages where coaches were present” and was “repeatedly” called gay slurs. It was alleged that in one incident during a training camp, a teammate asked if he “missed his boyfriend Brad [Aldrich],” his assaulter. Kane was an established star player on the Blackhawks throughout Beach’s time in the Blackhawks organization. Though Jonathan Toews’ deflecting comments were disgusting, Kane’s opinions on the matter were just as tepid. After the fact, Kane was playing as an Alternate Captain of the Hawks and said he “knew Kyle [Beach] pretty well from a couple different training camps.” Kane followed up by saying, “I feel bad for him, if that stuff happened.”  

Kane also called Stan Bowman, the General Manager of the Blackhawks who was fired for his role in covering up the abuse, “a great man who did a lot of things for me personally.” 

Even outside of the Beach case, Kane has a track record of ending up in the tabloids for all the wrong reasons. 

On Aug. 9^th 2009, Kane and his cousin were arrested and charged with felony robbery, criminal mischief and theft of services after beating up 62-year-old cab driver Jan Radecki in Buffalo, New York. Kane had provided $15 for a trip that came out to $14.80 and, after Radecki told them he didn’t have 20 cents in change, he punched the cab driver. Kane apologized to several people—his family, the Blackhawks, their fans—but not Radecki. Kane ultimately took a plea deal and had his charges reduced, avoiding jail time. Kane was also ordered to apologize to Radecki by the court.  

Almost exactly six years later, Kane was the subject of a sexual assault investigation in Hamburg, New York. The District Attorney opted not to press charges, citing insufficient evidence. The case became even more convoluted when it came to light that the complainant’s mother had tampered with the rape kit, rendering it inadmissible as evidence, discrediting the complainant and effectively ending the investigation. To this day, it is impossible to say what exactly occurred on Aug. 6^th, 2015.  

At this point, let me be clear: Patrick Kane is a tremendously skilled hockey player who, by most measures, has had a fantastic career in the NHL. That said, even if you were to choose (wrongfully) to ignore his long and substantial patterns of deep-seated character issues, he still should not be considered the greatest American player of all time. Or, at least, it’s not so clear-cut. 

There are a few other players whose names I’d like to throw into the ring for consideration.  

Mike Modano is the first obvious candidate. Modano currently holds all of the career scoring records among American players. He has the most goals by an American-born player (561), the most points (1374), the most playoff points (146), the most games played (1499) and the most game-winning goals (92). With Kane coming off a hip replacement surgery in the offseason and his career drawing to a close, virtually all these milestones will be out of his reach.  

While not American-born, Brett Hull is an American and almost undoubtedly has the highest peak of any American NHL player. Hull not only has more points and goals than Modano, but he’s probably had the most ludicrous goal-scoring stretch of any player not named Gretzky or Lemieux.  

Between 1989-90 and 1991-92, Hull did in fact outscore Gretzky and Lemieux, scoring 72, 86 and 70 goals in those three seasons. Even after statistically adjusting for the high-scoring era Hull played in, those 86 goals remain the highest single-season adjusted goal total of all-time. 

There is still one current player who is on-pace to come close to Hull’s 1990-91 total: Auston Matthews. It’s too early to call Matthews the greatest American player ever, but it might not be to call him the best. He’s the best goal-scorer in the NHL since Alex Ovechkin, and if he keeps up his current pace, could reach a level even Ovechkin has never hit.  

Matthews’ scoring is even more impressive considering his high level of defensive play, an area where Ovechkin, Hull and Kane have all been unspeakably porous. All three have been regarded as some of the singularly worst defensive players in the game throughout their careers, while Matthews has received votes for the NHL’s top two-way player every year of his career save two.  

All this is to say not that Kane is a bad player. There is certainly a strong argument that he is the best American player ever. But is it enough to wipe away everything else he has done off the ice, and is this the way American hockey wants to be remembered? 

The NFL off-season has only just begun and we already have some league-altering news that was announced Feb. 23.  

All NFL team’s salary caps will be rising to $255.4 million dollars, an increase of $30.6 million from last season, marking a 13.6 per cent increase. The salary increase marks a historic season revenue as the NFL has not seen a salary cap increase of this magnitude since 1994, when the salary cap was first introduced.  

This news comes at a relief for a few teams in the NFL that were projected to be over the  the previously projected cap increase from $240 to $245 million. The Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers can all breathe a sigh of relief as they no longer have to make trades/cuts to get under the cap.  

This will also benefit teams such as the Los Angeles Chargers who have a lot of “overpaid” players that they were looking to cut such as Joey Bosa.  

Many fans are excited about the cap increase as they think their team will be able to spend more this offseason. However, according to reports from many analysts and executives around the league, many teams have been operating in the red over the past two or three years.  

The salary cap increase has led to teams getting a head start on franchise-tagging players. The Cincinnati Bengals franchise tagged their WR2 Tee Higgins on Feb. 23 which allows them until July to sign him to a long term extension or renegotiate the one-year deal for the upcoming season. Some players have opted for the latter in the past two seasons, two being star running backs Saquon Barkley (NYG) and Josh Jacobs (LV).  

With the NFL draft under two months away, teams will start to get active in trade discussions and transactions leading up to the big days on Apr. 25 through 27.  

To keep up to date on all NFL news, visit NFL.com.  

The Brock Badgers’ women’s basketball team fell 73-65 to the TMU Bold in the OUA quarterfinals, losing their first game at home all season, eliminating them from the OUA playoffs. 

Despite the loss, Madalyn Weinert shined for the Badgers, scoring a game-high 27 points while adding 15 rebounds for her 10^th double-double of the season.  

Angeline Campbell also contributed for the Badgers, making her presence felt from the opening tip. The Toronto-native nailed three of her five made three-pointers in the opening five minutes of the game, tallying 11 of her 21 points in the first quarter. 

Campbell’s first quarter dominance kickstarted an impressive opening 10 minutes for the Badgers. The Badgers limited the Bold to only three made field goals on 14 attempts, while forcing four TMU turnovers, leading to an 18-10 lead after one. 

In the second, the Badgers continued their superiority growing their lead to 15 points midway through the quarter, 28-13, until the Bold found their shooting stroke. 

Catrina Garvey initiated the comeback with a three-pointer before teammate Jayme Foreman hit back-to-back triples in a 30-second span to cut the Brock lead to just three. Garvey nailed another triple after Campbell scored a pair of free throws, capping a 16-3 run to close the half. 

The Badgers had a slim 31-29 halftime lead, but it was quickly erased at the beginning of the third. 

Foreman and Garvey continued their immaculate shooting, each scoring a three-pointer sandwiched around a trio of free throws, opening the half on a 9-0 run to take a seven-point lead. 

The Badgers responded with a couple of mini runs of their own. Oluwatito Akinnusi scored six of her eight points in the third as Weinert added five, cutting the TMU lead to four entering the fourth quarter. 

Opening the fourth, Campbell drained a three as TMU committed a foul, resulting in the basket to stand and Brock getting another possession which Weinert capitalized on, completing a rare five-point play to take the one-point lead. 

However, it didn’t take long for TMU to retake the lead. 

Corrynn Parker went on a 5-0 run before Garvey followed suit with five consecutive points of her own – finishing the game with 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting – leading to a maintainable lead which the Badgers were unable to reclaim. 

The Bold were victorious 73-65, advancing to the OUA Semi-Finals to face the Queen’s Gaels on Wednesday, while eliminating the Badgers from the playoffs. 

Stay tuned to next week’s edition of The Brock Press for a year-end review of the Badgers’ women’s basketball team’s 2023/24 season, including the Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player and Most Valuable Player awards, as determined by TBP. 

The Brock Badgers’ men’s volleyball team beat the Western Mustangs 3-1 in the OUA quarterfinals, advancing to Friday’s semi-final against Queen’s. 

Kylar Code led the Badgers in kills with 22, while Sauli Lianga and Grant Reddon were the only Badgers with double-digit digs, tallying 12 and 10 digs respectively. 

Reddon was influential early, picking up three of his game-high 46 assists on the opening four points of the match. 

However, the Mustangs responded with a 5-0 run to take a three-point lead before Brock went on a 4-0 run of their own, highlighting the back-and-forth nature of the set. The seesaw battle continued for much of the set, until another 4-0 Badgers run led to a 20-13 lead, resulting in the 25-20 opening set victory. 

In the second set, the Mustangs once again were dominant early, going up 7-2 and 15-5. 

The Badgers briefly cut the Western lead to just six, 18-12, but an exhilarating Mustang attack was too dominant to overcome. The Western attack registered 10 kills in the set, including one on set point to win the second set 25-18 and tie the game at one set win apiece. 

In the third, the back-and-forth battle continued, with neither team having more than a four-point lead throughout the entire set. 

The Mustangs were up first, but back-to-back kills by Code and Devin Cooney – who finished with 18 kills in the match – gave Brock their first lead of the set with a slim 19-18 advantage. 

Western responded with a kill of their own, but Cooney’s third kill of the set reclaimed the lead. Then, with the Badgers up 21-20, Lianga registered kills on the next four Badgers’ points – for four of his seven kills in the match – to win the set 25-20 and take a massive 2-1 set lead, one set win away from advancing to the semi-finals. 

Given the importance of the fourth set, the Badgers were dominant looking to capitalize on the opportunity. Brock registered 15 kills in the set and only six attack errors leading to a .273 attacking percentage, while the Mustangs registered the worst attacking set statistically of either team, with an attacking percentage of .025. 

As such, after a steady opening to the set, the Badgers took control down two, going on a massive 16-5 run and blowing the game wide open. 

Code smashed four of Brock’s 55 kills in the set, including the game-winner, to win the set 25-18 and secure the 3-1 quarterfinal victory. 

Next, the Badgers (3^rd seed; 15-5 record) head to Kingston to battle the Queen’s Gaels (2^nd seed; 15-5 record) in Friday’s semi-final action. For more information on the Brock Badgers’ men’s volleyball team, head to gobadgers.ca. 

Another disappointing NBA All-Star Weekend recently concluded in Indiana after players lacked competitiveness during the events, leaving the league in a precarious position about the state of future all-star weekends. 

All-Star Saturday Night, the first of two marquee days of the celebratory weekend began with a forgettable Skills Competition. 

Players looked disinterested and didn’t even know the rules of the event. Many players went around the first obstacle the wrong way making the event look sloppy – and that wasn’t even the worst part. Anthony Edwards shot left-handed during the shooting component of the course, missing numerous attempts and making a mockery of the competition. 

In the Slam Dunk Contest, Jaylen Brown dunked over a five-foot-three Kai Cenat who was sitting down. Exciting? Not really. Fans in Indianapolis were booing after that dunk to the dismay that the Dunk Contest has been on a rapid decline in recent years. 

Instead of having actual all-stars like Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard compete and win the Dunk Contest, Mac McClung – a guy who plays in the G-League and has only appeared in four career NBA games – is now a back-to-back NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion.  

Fans have a right to be angry, especially when they’re spending big bucks to watch the “all-star” events, yet three of the four Dunk Contest participants weren’t even all-stars or household names. 

But even the actual all-stars weren’t memorable during All-Star Weekend. 

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 50 points in the All-Star Game; ASG MVP Damian Lillard dropped 39, but the narrative is the lack of effort by everyone, leading to the East winning 211-186 in a game full of points and, that’s it. Just points, no excitement. 

No one is asking these players to fight and hustle like it’s Game 7 of the NBA Finals, but a bit of intrigue and excitement is necessary, especially as the league looks to events like the All-Star Weekend to bolster their fanbase and exposure across America and around the world. 

As such, the NBA could (and should) revamp Saturday and Sunday’s components to suit the evolving nature of the sport, to pique the interests of fans and players alike. 

For Saturday’s schedule, the Skills Competition must go immediately. It’s caused too many headaches and has too many moving parts. 

Instead, I’d recommend that the Steph vs. Sabrina event – the lone bright spot of the weekend – be expanded to include more stars from both the men’s and women’s games. Imagine a field where Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, two of the greatest NBA shooters of all time, battle Sabrina Ionescu and Caitlyn Clark, two of the rising stars of women’s basketball, for three-point shooting supremacy. 

Then, picture an NBA 3×3 tournament where players team up in squads of three with the winning team earning prize money. Envision future Hall of Famers LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry up against a young trio of Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic and Trae Young in the 3×3 final. Exciting? You bet. 

But what about the All-Star Game itself? 

The NBA has done East vs. West and LeBron vs. Giannis – but what about USA vs. World? 

USA vs. World would settle the age-old debate of whether America could beat a team full of international players while gaining the attention of basketball fans globally. 

Fans from Serbia would be desperate to see their beloved Nikola Jokic represent the Balkan country on a quasi-international stage, as Canadians would love Shai Gilgeous-Alexander battling the Americans in hopes of a Team World victory. 

However, the NBA may opt for a different route, possibly something like Major League Soccer’s (MLS) all-star game format. 

In MLS, instead of having two teams of MLS all-stars playing head-to-head, there is only one team of MLS all-stars who play against a European team; last year it was Arsenal. 

Translating to the NBA, the NBA All-Stars could battle a EuroLeague team like Real Madrid or a squad of EuroLeague All-Stars. NBA All-Stars vs. Real Madrid – although the NBA guys would likely dominate – would be more interesting than another East vs. West because the Euro side would likely play with a lot of pride and bring their best effort. 

But regardless of the format, a change is needed fast so when the league’s best players head to San Francisco next year for the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend, it can be the most memorable All-Star Weekend in NBA history. 

For more information on the NBA, head to nba.com. 

The Brock men’s basketball team hit the road to Ottawa and played their first playoff game against the Carleton Ravens on Feb. 21. The Badgers were underdogs in this matchup as they snuck into the last playoff spot with a huge win and some favourable outcomes on the last day of the regular season.  

Brock scored the first points of the game courtesy of Isiah Bujdoso’s three-pointer just over a minute in. Bujdoso’s three was followed up by a three from Carleton’s O’Connell, which set the stage for an offensive quarter. The Badgers were efficient in the first, shooting 50 per cent from the field and beyond the arc. They led 19-18 heading into the second quarter.  

Carleton kicked their defensive play into another gear in the second quarter keeping the Badgers to just 11 points, six of which came from forward Jordan Tcheunte. The Ravens ramped up their offence, scoring 21 and led at the half 39-30. The Badgers would look to take control of the game in the second half, tightening up their defence and their free throw shooting, as they missed eight in the first half.  

The third quarter was one of tight defence and missed opportunities for both Brock and Carleton. Each team had only one basket in the first three minutes of the quarter before Jevon Brown hit a long three to get the Badgers offence going, sparking a 9-0 run, giving the Badgers the lead, 42-41. Carleton took control of the game to end the third quarter and got their lead back up to nine, 55-46.  

With the season on the line, the Badgers played their grittiest quarter this season, battling on both ends of the floor. Brock took the lead in the fourth led by senior Jevon Brown, who tallied 13 points and three steals in the quarter. The last minute of the game was one of pure intensity. The Badgers were able to defend their lead as they made crucial free throws to keep the game at two scores. The game ended 70-69 as Carleton made both their free throws with 0.1 seconds left and the clock drained to zeros once the Badgers inbounded the ball.  

With Brock’s win over Carleton, they advance to the quarter-finals against the University of Ottawa on Feb. 24. They carried their momentum from the game prior into this one as they upset uOttawa – who was the two seed – 81-58.  

uOttawa led at the half 45-38 but Brock came out for the second half a new team. They scored 43 points in the second half and kept uOttawa to just 13. Isiah Bujdoso and Jevon Brown led the team in point with 21 and 19, while Jordan Tcheunte and Geores Mfwamba Ngandu both had a double-double.  

With the win on Saturday, the Badgers advance to the semifinals and will face off against the Western Mustangs on the road. The game can be streamed via OUA.tv.  

For more information on the team, visit gobadgers.ca.  

Brock women’s hockey team played back-to-back games on Feb. 16 and 17 against the Western Mustangs with their season on the line. The games had serious playoff implications as the Badgers needed to win both – and have the Windsor Lancers lose both their games – to squeak into the last playoff spot in the OUA West division.  

The Badgers got off to a poor start in the first period on Feb. 16. Western was relentless on the forecheck and the Badgers were unable to get anything going in the offensive zone. Just over 10 minutes into the period,the Badgers took back-to-back penalties at 10:50 and 10:53 giving Western a long five-on-three powerplay.  

The penalty killers and goaltender Kenzie Harmison were able to weather the storm and kill off both penalties to keep the score tied at zero. It was not until the 14-minute mark that the Badgers registered their first shot on goal. The Badgers were able to sustain some pressure in the Western zone before the Mustangs took the game back over. Luckily, the first ended 0-0 with the shots favouring Western 14-2.  

The second period was a more even fight as the Badgers came out with some pep in their step. They were able to sustain pressure in the offensive zone and get some quality shots off but Western’s netminder Ella Brabook shut the door.  

Brock got a powerplay halfway through the second and was unable to convert. The shots in the second period were 11-8 Western and the score was still tied at zero.  

The third period mirrored the first but Western was not able to beat Harmison. After 60 minutes, Brock and Western needed overtime. 

The Badgers controlled the puck to start the overtime and did not take long to end it. Ashley Robitaille beat the Western defender on one to the outside and then beat Brabook’s short side to win the game 1-0. It was Robitaille’s first ever OUA goal and it kept the Badgers’ playoff hopes alive.  

Kenzie Harmison secured the 35-save shutout and was easily Brock’s best player on the night.  

The following day, the Badgers played in their last regular season game which was also senior night. The seven seniors honoured included: Teegan Dalby, Kenzie Harmison, Claudia Murphy, Madeline Nicholson, Ashley Robitaille, Camie Matteau Rushbrook and Kara Thomas. The game mirrored that of the day prior as Harmison stood on her head through three periods and led the Badgers into overtime despite being outshot 37-24.  

The overtime period only lasted 38 seconds and it was a  two-on-two rush finished off by Elizabeth Gauthier of the Western Mustangs that ended the game 1-0. The Badgers missed the playoffs for the first season since 2017-18 and finished with a 10-18 record.  

For more information on the team, visit gobadgers.ca. 

Holding strong as the second-ranked women’s program in the country, Brock’s women’s volleyball team punched their ticket to the OUA semi-finals after a convincing 3-0 sweep of the Western Mustangs on Feb. 24^th.  

After beating the Waterloo Warriors on the 21^st in the first round to advance to the quarter-finals, the province’s ninth-ranked Mustangs had little go their way against the Badgers.  

Western managed to tread water in the early stages of the first set, keeping the score within two. However, up 9-7, Brock soon managed to pull away.  

Setter Sara Rohr took control of the set at that point, landing three straight service aces to extend Brock’s lead to 13-7. 

Rohr’s streak set the table for the rest of the Badgers’ attack and contributed to a 13-3 run, putting them ahead 21-10. Brock then scored four points to Western’s two, winning the set by a convincing 25-12, leaving most of the Mustangs’ points being scored before either side hit double-digit points.  

After faltering in the back half of the first set, Western came back with a determined effort to open set two.  

After several Badger errors and three kills by Mustang Lael Harrison, Western managed to take eight of the set’s first 11 points for a five-point lead. Nevertheless, Brock, thanks to five combined kills from Madison Chimienti, Emily Foest and Gigi Markotic, the Badgers were able to tie the game at eight before taking a 9-8 lead.  

In what proved to be the evening’s most competitive set—and the only one where the Mustangs hit above .100 per cent—Western was able to stay with the Badgers long enough to keep things threatening.  

After the Mustangs tied the game back up at nine, Brock went on a 10-2 run to put some distance between themselves and their challengers. Though Western outscored the Badgers 7-6 from that point forward, it was a futile effort as they still lost the set 25-19.  

In set three, with their backs against the wall, the Mustangs were again able to admirably keep stride in the first half before crumbling in the second half. Western led with a 1-4 margin before Brock closed the gap and went ahead 6-5. Though Western was able to even the score twice following the lead change, once the Badgers scored two straight to go up 9-7, there was no turning back.  

The Mustangs got within one down 10-9, but that was the extent of their comeback. Committing five errors and surrendering two aces, Western gave up seven straight points, falling behind 17-9.  

That run spelled the end for the Mustangs and for their season. Brock would outscore Western 8-4 the rest of the way, taking the set 25-13 and advancing to the OUA semi-finals.  

Markotic and Chimienti—who was named Player of the Game—were the standout performers for the Badgers. Markotic led both teams with 11 kills, while also adding two aces and three blocks. Chimienti had an incredibly efficient night on the attack, putting down nine kills on 13 attempts, all while committing only a lone error. In addition to her three aces in the first set, Rohr added two more down the stretch to complement her game-high 31 assists.  

Brock plays their semi-final game next Friday, March 1^st facing off against the TMU Bold who, in their win over the University of Toronto, won their first playoff match in five years. On a seven-game win streak, it will be up to the Badgers to halt their momentum.  

For more information and Brock’s full playoff schedule, visit gobadgers.ca. 

Content warning: violence, sexual assault 

In a case that has now dragged on for close to six years, one former and four current NHL hockey players have been formally charged with sexual assault in connection to a crime perpetrated by members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior team.  

On Jan. 24^th, five unnamed players were told to surrender to the London, Ontario Police Department to face charges. Former Ottawa Senator Alex Formenton was the first player to volunteer himself to the police on Jan. 28^th and was followed by the four current NHL players—Dillon Dube, Michael McLeod, Carter Hart and Cal Foote—two days later on Jan. 30^th.  

The allegations against the five players first came to light in May 2022 when it was reported that Hockey Canada had settled a lawsuit launched by a woman known only as “E.M” who stated she had been assaulted by eight men, some of whom were, at the time, on Canada’s 2018 World Junior Team. In July of 2022, the London Police Department, which had previously closed its investigation into E.M’s allegations in 2019, reopened its investigation.  

Hockey Canada resultingly found itself in a media firestorm, leading to revelations that the national sports body had faced charges of this nature before in separate cases. It was also uncovered that they maintained a “slush fund” funded through minor hockey registration fees. This “slush fund” was used to pay out sexual assault lawsuits against member players. Subsequently, Hockey Canada’s Board, Chair and CEO all stepped down and had their national funding suspended, though this was reinstated on Apr. 16^th, 2023.  

On Feb. 5^th of this year, after lawyers for all the accused had to appear in court, London Police Chief Thai Truong hosted a press conference to offer an apology for his department taking almost six years to levy charges against the accused. However, many felt that Truong’s statement was severely lacking. Truong offered little explanation why the initial investigation was concluded in 2019 without any charges laid. Truong also tried to say that the “sexualization” of women in society contributed to these crimes, further deflecting blame by saying that there is a “widespread prevalence of violence against women” in society.  

A spokesperson for the Office of Independent Police Review, the watchdog for Ontario police services, told TSN’s Rick Westhead that they would decline to comment on whether the London Police will be investigated for its handling of the 2019 investigation.  

There seems to be a lot of deflection and avoidance across the hockey sphere regarding this investigation.  

Cale Makar, star player for the Colorado Avalanche and member of the 2018 World Juniors team had this to say about the charges: “It was a very fortunate bounce to not obviously be a part of something like that. I’m just going to leave it to the people who are handling the work right now. I can’t stress enough that I wasn’t part of that.” (My emphasis) 

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was also pressed for comment on the charges laid against the five current and former NHL players. 

“99.9 per cent of players, certainly in our league, conduct themselves appropriately,” said Bettman. “To take a handful of players in this or in other situations and use those allegations and condemn a particular sport, I don’t think is reflective of what we are.” 

Bettman’s comments are certainly an interesting position to take, especially considering other incidents that have come to light just in the last two weeks. 

On Feb. 2^nd, though he was found not guilty, former NHLer Mike Ribeiro faced two charges of sexual assault in Texas. However, as the jury deadlocked on a count of attempted sexual assault, it’s possible that the Canadian who played 1074 games in the NHL could be retried on this charge.  

On Feb. 7^th, Oshawa General’s forward Connor Lockhart—who was also drafted two years ago by the Vancouver Canucks—was suspended indefinitely due to a Durham Regional Police investigation against him.  

Two days later on Feb. 9^th, former QMJHL player Noah Corson was found guilty of sexually assaulting an underage girl while he was playing for the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Two other junior hockey players, one of them Corson’s teammate in Drummondville, had previously pleaded guilty to playing a role in the assault.  

There is something deeply diseased in the sport of hockey and how this case unfolds, and how the NHL and other major hockey leagues respond, may very well dictate how—or if—the sport moves forward.  

The five accused hockey players are set to appear in court on Apr. 30^th, 2024.  

After entering striking distance of the top spot in all of U Sports, Brock’s women’s volleyball team dropped a match on Feb. 2^nd against the McMaster Marauders, who are currently third in the OUA. Following a convincing three-set victory over the Marauders on Feb. 3^rd, the Badgers maintained their top position in the OUA with a 16-2 record.  

Though close from the outset, the Badgers opened with a strong first set.  

For the first half of the set, the Marauders gave Brock some issues. Due to some quick scoring bursts, McMaster held a three-point lead for much of the early parts of the game, holding on to it as they went up 9-12.  

From then on, Brock was able to turn the tide in their favour with some scoring bursts of their own, establishing a three-point 17-14 lead after tying the game at 13. 

The Badgers nursed that lead into the final stretch, winning set one 25-20 off an Emily Foest kill, her seventh of the set, contributing to an eventual game-high 13 kills in the match. 

Brock started set two up 4-1, but immediately surrendered a 5-0 run to the Marauders, putting the Badgers on their heels down 6-4. Though McMaster was able to parlay that into a more commanding 10-14 lead, another 5-0 run—this time for the Badgers—seemed to put them right back in the game, now up 15-14.  

Nevertheless, after a Marauder time-out, they got right back to work reclaiming their lead and did so, going up 16-19, prompting a time-out from the Badgers.  

The Badger timeout unfortunately had little effect as McMaster outscored Brock 6-4 following the call, leading to a 20-25 Marauder second-set victory.  

Set three was significantly more in McMaster’s favour off the hop. Tied through the set’s first 10 points, the Marauders pulled away with a six-point run, taking a hefty 5-11 lead over Brock.  

Brock didn’t have much of an answer to McMaster’s third-set explosion, which was the Marauder’s most prolific of the night, both in terms of kills (13) and attack percentage (0.226). McMasters’ 5-11 lead quickly became a more daunting 9-18 advantage that the Badgers simply could not recover from. They put in a valiant effort, scoring nine of the final 16 points, but still lost 18-25. 

Now in a position that they’d never been in thus far this season—down two sets and looking to force a fifth—the Badgers again came out flat.  

Tied 6-6, Brock fell victim to an 8-1 run by the Marauders who, now up 14-7, forced the Badgers to play from behind. To their credit, the Badgers did manage to pull out all the stops for a remarkable run of scoring, closing the gap to 20-21. For all their hard work, it still would not be enough, losing the set 22-25, only their second loss of the season.  

The next day, the Badgers came out with a vengeance, sweeping the Marauders 3-0, though sets one and two were both tightly contested.  

Tied 8-8 in set one, Brock was able to give themselves a four-point cushion going up 14-10, though struggled to build upon that. They maintained that lead as far as 17-13, but a 6-1 run by the Marauders put them up 18-19 and again on the front foot. However, thanks in part to four errors by McMaster, Brock secured set one 25-22.  

McMaster came out swinging in set two and held the lead for most of the frame. Tied 11-11, McMaster was able to establish a three-point lead of 12-15 that became a 15-18 lead and then a 17-20 advantage.  

Brock was able to score the next four points to take a 21-20 lead, duked it out with the Marauders for a while, and eventually were able to come away with a nail-biting 25-23 set win. 

Initially, set three also promised to be just as tightly fought, with the Badgers clinging to a slim two-point lead, but up 16-14, Brock turned on the jets, outscoring McMaster 9-3 down the stretch and won the final set 25-17 in convincing fashion.  

With two more games under their belt, Brock has their final two still in store. Though both are against the Waterloo Warriors in Bob Davis Gymnasium, only one is this upcoming week, landing on Feb. 10^th.  

For more information, visit gobadgers.ca. 

After entering striking distance of the top spot in all of U Sports, Brock’s women’s volleyball team dropped a match on Feb. 2nd against the McMaster Marauders, who are currently third in the OUA. Following a convincing three-set victory over the Marauders on Feb. 3rd, the Badgers maintained their top position in the OUA with a 16-2 record. 

Though close from the outset, the Badgers opened with a strong first set. 

For the first half of the set, the Marauders gave Brock some issues. Due to some quick scoring bursts, McMaster held a three-point lead for much of the early parts of the game, holding on to it as they went up 9-12. 

From then on, Brock was able to turn the tide in their favour with some scoring bursts of their own, establishing a three-point 17-14 lead after tying the game at 13. 

The Badgers nursed that lead into the final stretch, winning set one 25-20 off an Emily Foest kill, her seventh of the set, contributing to an eventual game-high 13 kills in the match. 

Brock started set two up 4-1, but immediately surrendered a 5-0 run to the Marauders, putting the Badgers on their heels down 6-4. Though McMaster was able to parlay that into a more commanding 10-14 lead, another 5-0 run—this time for the Badgers—seemed to put them right back in the game, now up 15-14. 

Nevertheless, after a Marauder time-out, they got right back to work reclaiming their lead and did so, going up 16-19, prompting a time-out from the Badgers.

The Badger timeout unfortunately had little effect as McMaster outscored Brock 6-4 following the call, leading to a 20-25 Marauder second-set victory. 

Set three was significantly more in McMaster’s favour off the hop. Tied through the set’s first 10 points, the Marauders pulled away with a six-point run, taking a hefty 5-11 lead over Brock. 

Brock didn’t have much of an answer to McMaster’s third-set explosion, which was the Marauder’s most prolific of the night, both in terms of kills (13) and attack percentage (0.226). McMasters’ 5-11 lead quickly became a more daunting 9-18 advantage that the Badgers simply could not recover from. They put in a valiant effort, scoring nine of the final 16 points, but still lost 18-25. 

Now in a position that they’d never been in thus far this season—down two sets and looking to force a fifth—the Badgers again came out flat. 

Tied 6-6, Brock fell victim to an 8-1 run by the Marauders who, now up 14-7, forced the Badgers to play from behind. To their credit, the Badgers did manage to pull out all the stops for a remarkable run of scoring, closing the gap to 20-21. For all their hard work, it still would not be enough, losing the set 22-25, only their second loss of the season. 

The next day, the Badgers came out with a vengeance, sweeping the Marauders 3-0, though sets one and two were both tightly contested. 

Tied 8-8 in set one, Brock was able to give themselves a four-point cushion going up 14-10, though struggled to build upon that. They maintained that lead as far as 17-13, but a 6-1 run by the Marauders put them up 18-19 and again on the front foot. However, thanks in part to four errors by McMaster, Brock secured set one 25-22.

McMaster came out swinging in set two and held the lead for most of the frame. Tied 11-11, McMaster was able to establish a three-point lead of 12-15 that became a 15-18 lead and then a 17-20 advantage.

Brock was able to score the next four points to take a 21-20 lead, duked it out with the Marauders for a while, and eventually were able to come away with a nail-biting 25-23 set win. 

Initially, set three also promised to be just as tightly fought, with the Badgers clinging to a slim two-point lead, but up 16-14, Brock turned on the jets, outscoring McMaster 9-3 down the stretch and won the final set 25-17 in convincing fashion. 

With two more games under their belt, Brock has their final two still in store. Though both are against the Waterloo Warriors in Bob Davis Gymnasium, only one is this upcoming week, landing on Feb. 10th. 

For more information, visit gobadgers.ca.

It was a banner weekend for Brock Badgers hockey as the men’s squad took down the Nipissing Lakers twice on Feb. 2nd and 3rd. The wins propelled the Badgers to their highest win total in program history (21) and—based on the OUA’s standing tie-breaker rule—sit in first place in the OUA, tied with McGill. 

In addition to the team records, goaltender Connor Ungar, who came over to the Badgers this year after four seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL), also broke Brock’s single-season win record with his 20th win of the season. The old record of 19 was previously held by Logan Thompson, who currently plays for the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. 

The Badgers would make Ungar work for the record though. 

Nipissing was locked in early and pushed the Badgers back on their heels in their defensive zone. Brock’s Matthew Duarte took a roughing penalty less than three minutes into the first, further compounding the pressure. 

Thankfully, Ungar and the Badgers stood tall, denying all of the Lakers’ opportunities and turned what could have been an early blow into a rallying point. 

Brock owned possession for the back-half of the period but was unable to find the match’s opening marker. 

In what has been a hallmark of the Badgers’ play this season, Brock’s special teams units spent a lot of time on the ice in the second period, without any goals going either way. Brock has spent the sixth-most time in the OUA on the powerplay and penalty kill combined. 

While the penalty kill has been stellar, ranked second in penalty kill percentage (87.7) and third in goals allowed (14); the powerplay has been mediocre, ranked 13th in efficiency (17.6) and eleventh in goals scored (19). 

After two failed Badgers’ powerplays and three successful Badger penalty kills, Brock finally broke through at even strength with only 30 seconds remaining. Cristophe Cote sprung Riley Gannon to break down the wing, who made a feed to Tyler Burnie in front that deflected in, though Gannon was credited with the goal. 

After leading by a healthy margin in shots in the second period, the Badgers fell behind in the third, surrendering nearly double the number of shots they took. Nevertheless, Ungar dialled in and not ready to let the record out of his grasp, stopped everything that came his way, including several dangerous looks from the Lakers. 

Only feeling like scoring last-second goals that night, the Badgers got their first insurance marker on a Cole Tymkin empty-netter. 18 seconds later, Riley Gannon scored again, adding insult to injury for a 3-0 Badger victory. 

The next day, the Badgers again found themselves in a tightly fought match, though a higher-scoring one this time around. 

It was Nipissing’s turn to strike first on Feb. 3rd as Laker Elvis Gorontzy-Slack scored the game’s opening goal and his second of the season. Barely over a minute later, the Badgers responded with the tying goal when Justin Brack dropped the puck to a trailing Zach Taylor, who scored his seventh of the season off the rush. 

The Lakers found the lead again midway through the second period when Connor Ungar was beaten by a long shot through heavy traffic. However, again the Badgers got right back into the game minutes after thanks to a rush tally, this time coming off Brack’s stick. Brack’s goal was the last of the period before the Badgers began their obligatory parade to the penalty box, though earning two powerplays of their own in the process. 

Still tied 2-2, it was Burnie’s time to put his stamp on this game four minutes into the third. Tymkin wrapped the puck around the back of the Lakers’ net, finding Burnie alone in front to bury his 15th of the season. 

Despite a couple of close calls for both sides—including another ill-timed penalty for the Badgers with two minutes left—Burnie’s would stand as the game-winning goal as the Badgers clung to a 3-2 victory. Brock’s next—and final—game of the regular season comes at home on Feb. 9th against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. For more information, visit gobadgers.ca.

The Brock Badgers’ women’s basketball team fell 84-80 in overtime to the McMaster Marauders, losing their first game in 2024 and ending an 11-game win streak. 

Angeline Campbell, fourth-year guard from Toronto, had a breakout performance, playing a pivotal role in keeping the Badgers within striking distance. The Women & Gender Studies major finished one rebound shy of her first double-double of the season, with a stat line of 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists and a game-high four made three-pointers.

Madalyn Weinert, a likely MVP candidate, also contributed to the Badgers late-game push for victory, tallying 19 points, 15 rebounds – seven of which were on the offensive glass – and seven assists. 

However, it was Oluwatito Akinnusi and Vienna Vercesi who factored in for the Badgers in the first quarter. 

The two bigs combined for 12 of Brock’s 17 points in the frame, eight for Akinnusi and four for Vercesi, who used their size and strength to control the paint by securing rebounds and drawing fouls. 

Yet, McMaster countered by dominating the perimeter by draining a trio of threes at opportune times. Marauder guards Amy Stinson and Jenna Button each nailed a three in the period, as the duo finished with a combined six made three-pointers – two less than the entire Brock team – and 33 points. 

McMaster had a slight 18-17 lead after one. 

In the second, it was the Badgers turn to dominate from beyond the arc. Campbell, the Badgers’ leader in threes made this season, sunk a pair of threes including one in the dying seconds of the half to cut the deficit to three, 38-35, entering halftime, as she continued her dominance in the third. 

The junior guard tallied seven points, five rebounds, three assists and 50 per cent shooting (3-for-6) in the quarter, but quality bench production by McMaster quickly negated Campbell’s contributions. 

The Marauder duo of Sophia Urosevic and Ashley Guerriero led their team with six points each in just four and three minutes respectively, draining a pair of three-pointers, leading to a 58-55 McMaster lead through three which was extended in the fourth. 

The Marauders jumped out to a seven-point lead midway through the quarter before the Badgers stormed back, showing their resilience. 

Vercesi initiated the comeback with a jumper cutting the deficit to five, which also added to her career-high 10 points, as the rookie continues to improve down the stretch. 

Noor Bazzi followed suit with one of her two made three-pointers in game, before Weinert tied the game at 71 with under a minute remaining. 

McMaster reclaimed the lead with half a minute left but Olivia Fiorucci tied the game with eight seconds on the clock, forcing overtime.

In the extra frame, both teams traded baskets trying to avoid squandering a winnable game. Weinert led all scorers with five points in overtime while Button led the home side with four, including a crucial three-pointer leading to the 84-80 McMaster victory. 

Next up for the Badgers (16-5) is the season finale on Feb.17th at the Bob Davis Gymnasium against the Nipissing Lakers (3-17). For more information about the Brock Badgers’ women’s basketball team, head to gobadgers.ca.

The Badgers’ men’s volleyball team beat the Waterloo Warriors 3-0 for their 14th win of the season to remain in third place in the OUA standings. 

Devin Cooney led all players with 13 kills in the match, as KJ Robinson and Sauli Lianga contributed with eight and six kills, respectively. 

Cooney and Robinson began their kill tally early, smashing a combined five kills on the opening eight points, beginning the set on a 7-1 run. 

However, Waterloo did manage to claw back cutting the Brock lead to one, but the Badgers regained control when back-to-back Adam Shapcott aces forced set point leading to the 25-16 opening set victory. 

In the second set, the Warriors tightened up defensively, limiting the number of miscues that were their kryptonite in the first set. Waterloo held the lead for much of the second set, with their largest lead spanning four points, 14-10.

However, on the ensuing possession, Robinson recorded one of his two kills in the set, drastically shifting momentum into Brock’s favour as the Badgers ended up going on a 4-0 and 9-1 run to take a 19-15 lead. 

But the Warriors showed resilience by fighting back making it a one-point set, 23-22, before the Badgers regained control. 

Grant Reddon recorded one of his game-high 30 assists as Cooney perfected the kill forcing set point. On set point, the Warriors committed their fifth attacking error of the set, gifting the Badgers the 25-22 win as they were nearing their 14th victory of the season. 

In keeping the momentum they had at the end of set two, the Badgers got a quick 3-0 lead, courtesy of another Waterloo attacking error – their first of eight in the set – and a pair of kills by Liam Strong. 

But, as was the theme of the match, the Warriors responded with three consecutive points of their own before the Badgers reconquered the lead with the two subsequent points. 

The Warriors once again responded though jumping to a 7-6 lead before the teams traded points resulting in a 14-14 tie midway through the set – which was once again when the pendulum swung in the Badgers’ favour. 

The Badgers jumped to the 21-18 and 24-23 lead, pushing the Warriors to the brink of defeat. 

On match point, Waterloo registered their 18th attacking error of the match, handing Brock the 25-23 set three win as the Badgers sweep the Warriors at home. 

Next up the Badgers (14-5) will face the Waterloo Warriors (10-9) in a rematch on Feb. 16th in the season finale. For more information on the Brock Badgers’ men’s volleyball team, head to gobadgers.ca.

FIFA recently announced the logistics for the 2026 World Cup, including the allocation of games across the three host countries – Canada, the U.S. and Mexico – and the important dates of the tournament. 

The soccer spectacle begins on June 11th, 2026, at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City as Mexico will face a yet-to-be-determined opponent, which will be the only match on day one of the tournament. 

Day two, June 12th, 2026, will feature the opening matches for both the United States and Canada. 

United States’ first group stage game will be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California while Canada opens their schedule at BMO Field in Toronto – which will be renamed to Toronto Stadium during the tournament due to FIFA sponsorship rules. 

The Americans will then fly north to Lumen Field in Seattle for their second game on June 19th followed by a return to the Los Angeles outskirt on June 25th to round out their group stage schedule. 

For Canada, they will also take a trip to the Pacific Northwest as their final two group games will be held at BC Place, the home of the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer, on June 18th and 24th. 

If the Canadians qualify for the knockout stage, their round of 32 and round of 16 game will also be in Vancouver, on July 2nd and 7th, respectively. 

Subsequently, the other games in Canada include three additional group stage games in Vancouver on June 13th, 21st and 26th, and four additional group stage matches in Toronto on June 17th, 20th, 23rd and 26th along with a round of 32 game on July 2nd. 

Following the round of 32 and round of 16, the United States will host all matches from the quarterfinals onwards, with quarterfinal matches occurring between July 9th and 11th, in Boston, Los Angeles, Miami and Kansas City. 

Then, Dallas will host the first semifinal on July 14th while Atlanta will host the second semifinal on July 15th. The third-place match will be in Miami on July 18th before MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey hosts the World Cup Final on July 19th. 

In total, the 48-team tournament – the largest in World Cup history – will feature 104 matches: 13 in Canada, 13 in Mexico and 78 scattered across the U.S. 

The top two teams from each group along with the eight best third-place teams will qualify for the knockout rounds as the groups will be determined during the draw in December 2025 once teams are qualified. 

The qualifying window has already begun in the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa) and CONMEBOL (South America) regions with the OFC (Oceania) and CONCACAF (North America) starting qualifying later this year and UEFA (Europe) beginning their process in March of 2025. 

As hosts, Canada, the United States and Mexico have already qualified. 

For more information on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, head to fifa.com.