The 2022 FIFA World Cup was full of storylines in the group stage of the tournament.

World-class players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi continued to dominate, while underdog teams like Morocco and Japan have shocked the world. Let us take a look at the must-watch matchups in the round of 16.

Netherlands vs USA:

The Netherlands remain undefeated thus far in the tournament, finishing the group stage with a record of two wins and one draw. Although the Netherlands have been playing a very defensively structured game, only conceding a goal in the group stage. An unlikely hero has also emerged for the “Oranje.” Cody Gakpo is currently tied with four other players – Kylian Mbappe, Marcus Rashford, Enner Valencia and Alvaro Morata – leading the tournament in goals with three, more than the entire USA team.

USA only scored two goals in their three group stage matches as they managed to win one and draw two, only giving up one goal, which came against Wales in their opening match. The United States 4-3-3 “holding” formation makes it difficult for teams to make runs around the back line and allows them to control possession throughout their matches. United States midfielder Brenden Aaronson is a massive part of their possession game as he ranks number one in the tournament in player possession.

Both teams are built for a possession-based game and both are very sound defensively but Netherlands has the edge on the offensive side of the ball and that should be enough to propel them into the quarter-finals.

Argentina vs. Australia:

For the second time in their country’s history, Australia is headed to the round of 16 after going 2-0-1 in the group stage. In the two games, they won while the other teams failed to score a goal against them, winning against Tunisia and Denmark 1-0. Their 4-2-1-3 formation allows them to play a back line of five when the opposition tries to play balls into the box, not allowing many balls to get towards keeper Danny Vukovic. The formation also leads to quick counters, with the two wingers out wide making runs for the midfielders or back lines to play the ball over the top of the defence. Australia will need to be defensively sound and choose their counters wisely in order to have a chance over the stacked Argentina side.

For the fifth time in a row, Argentina has advanced to the round of 16. After losing their first group stage match to Saudi Arabia, Argentina bounced back and won their next two to finish at the top of Group C, looking like their dominant selves. Messi led the way with two goals and one assist in three games. He had help from youngsters Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Max Allister as they all scored their first-ever FIFA World Cup goals. Argentina led their group with the highest expected goal per 90 differential at +1.74, which was 1.44 higher than any other country.

On paper, Argentina should have no trouble outing Australia in the match, but with Australia’s persistent defence and ability to keep the ball out of their own box, Argentina may be up for a tougher fight than expected in a potential last match on the world stage for Lionel Messi.

Portugal vs. Switzerland

Portugal finished at the top of Group H with two wins and a loss, the loss coming in their last game against South Korea after they had already secured their spot in the round of 16. The Portuguese dominated possession in all of their games thus far having the ball 60 per cent of the time in all three games. Though there seems to be some turmoil in the Portuguese dressing room surrounding star player Cristiano Ronaldo. After a substitution in the 65th minute of their matchup against South Korea, Ronaldo was seen directing vulgar terms in the direction of the coach. Of course, Ronaldo has denied swearing at the coach and instead suggested he was directing his words at South Korean players while heading off the field. Despite some of the drama surrounding the team, Portugal heads into the game against Switzerland the clear favourites in what could be Ronaldo’s last game at the FIFA World Cup if Switzerland can manage to get past the round of 16 for the first time since 1954.

In what was arguably the most entertaining game of the World Cup so far, Switzerland won their final group-stage game against Serbia 3-2 to advance to the knockout stage for the third World Cup in a row. The matchup against Serbia showed that this team is not built like teams prior, as Swiss teams are often built from the backline up and have trouble on the offensive side of the pitch. Breel Embolo is Switzerland’s striker and leads the team with two goals in as many games. His ability to track through balls from midfielders – Remo Freuler, Granet Xhaka and Denis Zakaria – makes him dangerous in and around the box. But when Embolo is not leading the offence Switzerland is fine with sitting back and playing a possession-based game until the defence gets lackadaisical and opens up.

That being said, Portugal may be the favourite in the match due to their stature as a country. But with the tactics Switzerland plays with, they may be able to catch the Portuguese on the counter if they get too complacent.

All World Cup matches can be watched on TSN or CTV and the full schedule/bracket for the rest of the tournament can be found here.

Starting out the season with a 1-3 record heading into the weekend, the men’s volleyball team has not had the same torrid start as their women’s counterparts.

Though all of their losses have come against highly-ranked Guelph and McMaster teams (currently ranked third and first respectively) their lone win came against the winless University of Waterloo.

Facing off against an undefeated Windsor Lancers side in a weekend back-to-back would also almost certainly make getting back into the win column difficult.

The men displayed some good effort in the first set, showing that they weren’t going down without a battle. After an early seven-point run, the Badgers were able to hold onto their lead for the rest of the set, capturing the first 25-19.

The second set was equally close, though the fortunes were reversed. Brock and Windsor traded points, but Windsor eventually came out with the 25-19 victory.

Where the second had seen both teams trading individual points, the third set was all haymakers. Both sides went on lengthy scoring runs, keeping the set close. A late run helped the Lancers pull away 25-20.

After losing two sets in a row, Brock was forced into a fourth set against the top-ranked team in the OUA. This time though, the Lancers flexed their muscles and demonstrated why they had earned that rank. Brock seemed to have lost their fight in the final set, falling 25-13 and losing Friday’s match 3-1.

Setter Grant Reddon and outside hitter Devin Cooney both turned in complete efforts.

Reddon distributed 26 assists, with eight digs, five kills and two blocks, while Cooney had 11 digs, three assists, a block and an ace.

…

Undeterred by –or perhaps in response to—the previous night’s lackluster finish, the Badgers came out firing in the second leg of their back-to-back.

In what had been the story of the weekend, Brock found themselves in a tight first set against the Lancers. The score staying within four for the entire set, the Badgers knotted the game late at 22. Though the Lancers collected the next three points to secure the first set, they weren’t in the clear yet.

In the second set, Brock once again tied the score at 22. This time, it would be Brock’s turn to take the set, winning 25-23.

The third set, though won 25-18, was the most spread out of the evening and Brock looked comparatively in control heading into the fourth set.

The final set was a complete battle of attrition. The score stayed within three virtually the entire time with neither side getting anything in the way of tangible separation. Finally, after trading the final six points, a block by Cooney and Jacob Ferland gave Brock the 25-23 set victory and the 3-1 win over the previously undefeated Windsor Lancers. Brock improved to 2-4 in the regular season.

There were a number of performance standouts on the night. Notably, Reddon continued to impress with a game-high 49 assists, along with 11 digs and an ace.

Kylar Code led both teams with 20 kills, while Cooney and Sauli Lianga each added 15.

The men’s volleyball team next play in Toronto in a back-to-back with the Varsity Blues. For their full schedule and results, check out gobadgers.ca.

The Badgers men’s hockey team headed to Toronto on Thursday, Nov. 24 to play their 12^th game of the season against the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold.

The Bold were tied for first in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West division and second in the OUA overall. A win for the Badgers would move them to third in their division, within one point of TMU for first.

The game started without much in the way of dangerous opportunities or either side setting themselves apart, but a boarding call that drew a post-whistle scrum at TMU’s blue line gave Brock an early man-advantage. Cole Tymkin put the Badgers up by one in the powerplay’s dying seconds, scoring on a deflection off a Zach Taylor wrist shot.

Brock kept the majority of pressure in TMU’s side, but surrendered the game’s second goal three minutes later on a shot that leaked through goalie Andy MacLean.

Tymkin responded with seven minutes remaining, scoring his second of the night, poking in a rebound to put the Badgers up by one, a lead that they would hold going into the second period.

In what was turning into a chippy game, the first ended with another scrum, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

The Bold quickly tied the game, ripping a wrist shot by MacLean on a 2-on-1 rush five minutes in. The scrappiness of the game would start to hurt Brock in the second. Two straight penalties for high-sticking and slashing delivered two straight TMU powerplay goals.

In keeping with the tone of the game, the third period began with two straight penalties, one for either side.

After a short powerplay and a successful penalty kill, the Badgers controlled play for most of the third period. Brock got more opportunities on the rush, gaining TMU’s zone with possession and denying entry into their own. Brock also led considerably in shots. However, they just couldn’t solve TMU’s goalie.

Dominating the run of play for several minutes, a Badgers goal seemed imminent, however, a high offensive zone turnover sprung the Bold for a breakaway. The goal put them up 5-3, and largely out of reach from the Badgers with only six minutes remaining.

TMU’s goal gave them some new legs, but Brock continued to put the press on the Bold. Brock’s offensive pressure did not materialize in any goals.

Another late break for TMU gave them their final goal, beating the Badgers 6-2.After the loss, the Badgers sit at 8-4, good for fourth in OUA West. TMU, who are 10-3-1 after 14 games, are first in the OUA West and five points up on the Badgers.

The Brock Badgers next play at home next Thursday, Dec. 1 where they return to Canada Games Park to take on York University. They will then play back-to-back games against Guelph, first in Guelph on Friday Dec. 2 and then at Brock again on Dec. 4. For the men’s hockey team’s full schedule, look here.

On Nov. 25, the Brock women’s hockey team headed to Waterloo to face Wilfred Laurier for their first of three eventual matchups this season.

Brock dominated the first ten minutes of the game, not allowing Laurier a ton of offensive zone time as they cycled in the Laurier zone and peppered the goaltender with shots. But through the second half of the first, Laurier started to generate chances off the rush, forcing the Brock goaltender Tiffany Hsu to make eight saves.

Hsu’s best save of the period came at the 11:55 minute mark when Laurier had a two-on-one and Hsu slid across her crease to make a glove save, robbing the Laurier player.

Laurier came out strong to start the second period, managing the first shot on goal. The Goldenhawks continued to press forcing the Badgers to ice the puck three times. On the defensive zone draw following the icing, the Badgers lost the draw, leading to a shot on net in which Hsu was not able to control the rebound and Laurier player Chloe Davidson scored, putting them up 1-0, early in the second period.

But it would not take Brock long to respond as just over one minute later Claudia Murphy’s shot from the point was tipped by Maddie Nicholson off the pad of Acadia Carlson. Nicholson proceeded to shoot the puck off the goalpost and Camie Matteau Rushbrook batted home the rebound for her first OUA goal, tying the game 1-1.

The rest of the second period was dominated by the Badgers as they outshot Laurier 13-7 and hit one post towards the end of the period.

The third period was back and forth action but Laurier was the better team, managing to up Brock in the shot differential nine to seven. But neither team found the back of the net and for the fifth time this season, the Badgers headed to overtime.

Brock controlled the first minute of overtime cycling it in the Laurier end leading to a shot on goal that was smothered by Carlson. The Badgers won the offensive zone draw leading to another minute of sustained zone time but they were unable to get any shots on goal.

The Goldhawks countered the other way on a two-on-one but a shot off the left wing was calmly stopped by Hsu. The next five minutes of overtime would solve nothing as the battle between goaltenders Hsu and Carlson continued. The game would need a shootout in which Brock is 1-1 this year.

The first eight shots from each team were stopped by the goaltenders. It would be Brock’s Mishayla Christensen in the bottom of the ninth round that beat Carlson low glove to end the game. That marks Brock’s second time winning back-to-back games this season, the last time coming off a shootout win against Queens on Oct. 29.

The Badgers returned home the next day for the matchup against the Western Mustangs. A game that was influenced heavily by the referees as 22 of the 60 minutes were played on the powerplay between the two teams.

Despite Brock’s sustained pressure throughout the game, managing at least seven shots in each period and another terrific performance from Hsu who made 15 saves in the second, a late third-period goal by Western’s Sarah Irwin was the only one in the game.

Brock lost the second of the back-to-back, 1-0 as they continue to struggle at home.

Brock’s next two games are at home on Dec. 2 and 3 against Nippising and Waterloo.

Tickets can be bought here or the game can be streamed on OUAtv. All scores, stats, and the schedule can be found at gobadgers.ca

Entering the third week of November, the Badger’s women’s volleyball team has not exactly been a Badger-affiliate reporter’s dream, especially after their first two regular season wins; they’re just too good.

They haven’t lost a single game (and only four sets) over the regular season and pre-season, which means they just haven’t provided a lot of content. Fresh off an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship and already looking to be in peak form, the women’s volleyball team have delivered a spectacular, if drama-less start to the season.

On Nov. 12 with a game in Guelph, the Badger’s kicked off the regular season with an eight-day period containing four matches, starting with a doubleheader against the Gryphons.

The first set would offer some early intrigue in a back-and-forth effort. Though Brock would score the game’s first points, Guelph and the Badgers traded points, neither team being able to piece together a scoring run of more than three until late in the set. Guelph stayed within two until Brock turned on the jets up 14-12. After scoring six of the next seven, and 11 of the final 19, Brock took the first set 25-20, which would be the closest of the day.

After 7-3 scoring runs for Brock to start both the second and third sets, the Badger’s grabbed commanding leads that they never relinquished, leaving Guelph on Saturday with a game one victory.

On the following day, the Badgers returned to Bob Davis Gymnasium for their home opener, also against Guelph. This home opener was also cause for greater celebration than normal, giving the opportunity to reveal the banner for the Badgers’ 2021-22 OUA Volleyball Championship.

Despite dropping the first three points and five of the first seven, the Badgers never let their championship pedigree be questioned for more than a second.

After having a little trouble beating Guelph in a 20-25 first set, the Badgers came right back and decimated Guelph by a score of 25-12 in the second set. Though there was some more resistance, in keeping with the season’s theme, Brock defeated Guelph 25-17 in a final set that was never really in question, delivering Brock another 3-0 victory and a weekend sweep over the Guelph Gryphons.

The total-team efforts also revealed some key performers from the weekend. On Saturday, Sara Rohr quarterbacked the offence providing 21 assists, while adding two aces and a block. Aleiah Torres anchored the defence with 16 digs in the match. Grace Pyatt led the team in kills with nine, while Madison Chimienti had a strong all-around effort with six kills, two aces, eight digs and an assist.

On Sunday, Chimienti continued her strong body of work with a game-high ten kills, two aces and an assist. Christina Jovetic was also impressive with seven kills, two aces and three blocks. Rohr and Torres continued to perform in their roles perfectly, leading the game in assists (23) and digs (8) respectively.

Nov. 18’s game against the Waterloo Warriors would be a bit of a different story.

Though they would eventually come out on top, the first set was a close one. The Warriors pushed Brock hard all set, but after going up 11-10, Brock would be able to fend off the Warriors and hold onto their slim lead for a 26-24 victory.

The second set was much the same. Even closer than the first set, the lead in the second flip-flopped several times but with Waterloo maintaining the upper hand throughout most of the frame. A loss seemed imminent with Waterloo up 24-21, but a quick four point run by Brock got them out ahead by one, and they made good on their opportunity, winning 27-25.

After collecting the first two points of the third, Brock fell behind 6-3 before roaring out to go up 12-9. Neither side could muster up more than three points in a row for the rest of the set, leaving Brock and Waterloo to trade short runs. Brock’s comeback effort would come up short, falling 25-21.

The fourth set would start as the most even of them all. The advantage changed hands several times and the score differential only rose above two once before Brock took a 19-16 lead. The Badgers frittered away their largest lead of the set on a four point run, losing 25-22.

In what looked to be their first real challenge of the season, the Badger’s faced a fifth set for the first time in a regular season or playoff game since 2020. In keeping with the rest of the sets, it wasn’t going to be easy either.

An early six-point stretch by Brock got them an early 9-4 lead, but a couple three-point runs kept Waterloo within two. Ultimately, it wouldn’t be enough, as the Badgers came out 15-13 and won the game three sets to two.

Chimienti, Jovetic, Rohr and Torres all continued to impress with fantastic performances. Sara Rohr had a game-high 60 assists, which also made up over half of the total assists in the game, in addition to her 13 digs. Torres’ 26 digs were also a game high, while Chimenti (17 kills) and Jovetic (13 kills and two aces) rounded out the Badger’s offensively.

The Badger’s next played at home against McMaster University on Nov. 20 where they continued their winning ways. Though the Badgers dropped the second set, they won comfortably in sets one and three, and dominated the fourth set 25-10. Rohr, 36 assists and 10 digs, and Chimienti, 17 kills and 11 digs, held the fort for Brock as they improved to 4-0.

For the Badgers’ complete schedule and results, keep up to date with their gobadgers.ca page.

Fresh off of splitting two games against Lakehead University last weekend, the 6-3-0 Brock men’s hockey team returned home, looking to move on from their third loss of the season.

Two wins on the weekend could help them move into the top two of Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West Division.

The first game against the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks kicked off Friday evening at Canada Games Park. With a 4-5-1 record, the Golden Hawks also sat within striking distance of the Badgers on the table.

It took some time for the Badgers to get their feet under them.

In what was mostly a scoreless first period, Brock struggled to create many high-quality chances and couldn’t finish on what opportunities they did have. Though there were spurts of Brock having dangerous rush opportunities, two early penalty kills kept them on their heels.

This lack of discipline would cost Brock their first goal, coming on the powerplay with 12 minutes remaining in the period.

As the first wore on, Brock began to have more offensive zone success off of low-to-high plays and work below the goal line. However, the Badgers still had difficulty gaining the zone with control and couldn’t solve the Laurier goaltender.

Thanks to this strong work off the cycle, Brock left the first with all the momentum in their favour, even if this hadn’t paid dividends on the scoreboard just yet.

That change would come soon enough.

A late penalty by Laurier put Brock on the powerplay to start the second.

Spending over the entire first minute of the second in the Golden Hawks’ end, Brock snapped the puck around and battled to keep plays alive, eventually getting to Tyler Burnie who cashed in on his third goal of the season with a left circle wrist shot.

Less than two minutes later, Brock grabbed their first lead of the game, putting the press on Laurier. Marrying the transition abilities we saw early in the first, with the cycle and second-effort game of the late first, Jordan Stock walked into a right circle wrist shot that beat the goalie clean.

They weren’t done yet either. In only 25 seconds, Tyler Rollo put Brock up by two on a low slot snapshot preceded by a quick net-front pass by Adam Berg.

In a more comfortable position, Brock did not maintain the same urgency for the rest of the second. With the exception of a Brock powerplay and a brief spurt in the last five minutes, after Brock’s third goal, the second period was mostly a neutral zone game.

Though not creating very much and relying increasingly on the dump-in, Brock also didn’t surrender much in the way of high-danger chances until Laurier brought the game within one with a minute 30 remaining. After a great penalty kill with a couple of shorthanded chances, Laurier grabbed their second of the game on a jam play in front.

After 40 minutes and only a one goal separation, Friday’s game looked like an even matchup entering the third with both teams struggling and controlling in spurts of the contest.

Bringing the energy they left the second with, Brock pushed the pace early, forcing turnovers in the neutral and offensive zones, and attacking off the rush, creating dangerous looks on net.

After a powerplay and numerous good looks, the mounting pressure against Laurier eventually came to a head on a Ethan Sims deflection for a 4-2 lead.

From there, the floodgates were open. Laurier had no further answer for Brock’s fourth goal, and surrendered two more in the next five minutes, losing 6-2.

Defenceman AJ Cook was the standout performer on the evening, earning four assists, two of them being primary helpers.

…

After a game where they dominated for stretches and looked passive in others, Brock was hoping to parlay Friday’s big win on Friday into a full 60-minute effort on Saturday against the Waterloo Warriors.

This vision took over a period to materialize.

After a scoreless first period with only two penalties, neither side were able to eke out a discernable advantage, though it would not stay that way long.

Zach Taylor started the second period off with a bang, slapping a point shot past Waterloo for the game’s first goal.

After some strong forechecking and a slick no-look, backhand feed from below the goal line by Jacob Roach, Captain Jared Marino potted his sixth goal of the season in tight.

Laurier would add their first goal with the minutes ticking down in the second, but like in Friday’s game, their closeness would be short-lived.

30 seconds was all Adam Berg needed to reclaim the two-goal lead. Brock padded this lead seven minutes later on a point shot by Olivier Desroches, firing one past the goalie’s blocker for his first OUA goal. The final goal of the game came with a little less than half of the third remaining. Tyler Burnie’s breakaway tally stood as the final marker, giving Brock a 5-1 win to cap off their 2-0 weekend.

The win put Brock at an 8-3-0 record on the season, good for second in the OUA West and tied for fourth in the entire OUA.

Brock’s next game comes against Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) on Thursday, Nov. 24 in Toronto. At 8-3-1, TMU is breathing right down Brock’s neck, so this next match could be a key one. For the team’s full schedule and results, check out their gobadgers.ca page.

On Nov. 18, the Brock Badgers men’s basketball team closed out their three-game homestand against the Waterloo Warriors.

The Warriors were winless heading into the game, while Brock was on a winning streak.

The Badgers played well from the hop, going 10-1 to start the game. Jesse Barnes had an impressive play in the paint, grabbing the offensive rebound and putting it back up, nabbing the bucket and the free throw at the line, which he drained.

Brock’s defence didn’t allow a field goal until the 6:38 mark of the quarter as Waterloo struggled mightily on the offensive side of the floor.

A 7-0 run by the Badgers over the next three minutes would increase the lead to double digits for the first time in the game. Brock’s dominance would continue throughout the rest of the quarter as they outscored Waterloo 27-12, but only shooting 34.78 per cent from the field.

Brock would turn the shooting percentage around in the second quarter shooting 50 per cent. The Badgers had multiple contributors in the second quarter with eight of their buckets coming from five different players.

The game was over at the half as the Badgers were up 50-20 as Waterloo had shot just seven of 30 through 20 minutes. Brock continued to dominate in the third quarter, outscoring Waterloo 23-13 and leading by 42 points at the 5:22 mark of the quarter.

Waterloo managed to outscore Brock 20-14 in the fourth quarter but the game was well out of reach as Brock won 87-53. The Badgers would nab their third win of the season, improving to 3-1 and keepng the Warriors winless at 0-4.

11 of Brock’s 13 players contributed as head coach Willy Manigat flexed his depth playing no player for less than 12 minutes.

Michael Matas scored 15 points shooting six for ten from the field and three for three from the line. He also managed five rebounds in two steals in what was his best performance of the season thus far.

Jesse Barnes shot a whopping 80 per cent from the field in addition to his five rebounds, one assist and one block. Barnes also added three points at charity stripe.

Barnes and the rest of the Badgers squad carried their momentum into the Nov. 19 matchup against the McMaster Marauders, winning 75-67. The team was led by the efforts of Isiah Bujdoso who notched his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The Brock Badgers now sit number fourth in Canada University rankings and look to continue their success in their sixth game of the season on Nov. 25 against York University in Toronto.

All games can be streamed on OUAtv and Brock’s next home game is Dec. 2 against the Carlton Ravens. Tickets for that matchup can be bought here. For the rest of the seasons schedule and information on the team head to gobadgers.ca

This weekend, the Brock Badgers men’s hockey team shipped off to Thunder Bay for a back-to-back against the Lakehead University Thunderwolves.

The double-header kicked off on Friday, Nov. 11. Brock entered the weekend with five wins and three losses, one spot ahead of their opponents in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West division. Lakehead had a 4-3-2 record entering the match.

The standing-flipping potential of the games was not lost on either side as both got off to a tenacious start.

Brock drew the game’s first penalty at 3:48 elapsed, something that would ultimately cost them as the Badgers gave up a shorthanded goal less than 30 seconds later.

Brock would not sit behind for long. After drawing another powerplay for goaltender interference, the Badgers’ luck would change. At 8:17 elapsed, Cole Thiessen put one by the Lakehead goalie to tie the game at one early.

The scoring would not stop there in a high-event first period. Two minutes after tying the game, Brock would take an interference penalty of their own, putting Lakehead up a man. Lakehead made short work of the advantage; 2-1 Wolves.

A minute and a half were all it would take for the Badgers to get back in the thick of things. Tyler Rollo potted one to again tie the game, a 2-2 score that both teams would take into the intermission.

The second period, especially considering the high-octane first, was considerably more tame, at least from a scoring perspective. The Wolves and Badgers both had power plays that would come and pass; neither team could find an answer for three quarters of the period.

Finally that changed. With 13:22 passed in the frame, a full period since the game’s most recent goal, Cole Thiessen delivered. With a blue-line laser that found its way through traffic to beat Lakehead clean, Thiessen grabbed his second of the night.

As the game went scoreless for the remainder, Thiessen’s tally would stand as the game winner, giving Brock their first victory of the weekend, and goalie Andy MacLean his second consecutive win.

Saturday

Much like Friday’s game, Saturday started with an early first period goal against the Badgers. Unlike Friday, Brock would have difficulty finding their way back into the game.

Lakehead found the net just over two minutes in. After a lull and a cross checking penalty on Brock, Lakehead found themselves on the powerplay, which they promptly ended with a goal 30 seconds later.

After doing little but trade penalties for the rest of the period, Brock found themselves with a man advantage early in the second. Again however, Brock’s powerplay would hurt them giving up another shorthanded goal.

The second and early third continued more or less unchanged, with no scoring and frequent penalties.

Lakehead scored a rare even-strength goal six and a half minutes in. Brock’s Cole Tymkin finally found a response in the dying seconds of the third. With less than 15 seconds remaining, the marker would be little else but a consolation, as Brock fell 4-1 to Lakehead.

Mario Peccia manned the crease for the Badgers and despite allowing four goals had a strong effort. Peccia was peppered with 38 shots against and had a few big saves down the stretch.

After finishing the weekend even, the Badgers now sit at 6-3-0 on the season, fourth in the OUA West division.

The men’s hockey team returns to Canada Games Park this weekend to play another back-to-back with games against Wilfrid Laurier (Nov. 18) and University of Waterloo (Nov. 19). For their full schedule and results, please consult their gobadgers.ca page.

With most teams sitting at around 15 games played, as of Saturday, the league is quickly approaching one fifth of the NHL regular season.

Here, separated by division, we’ll break down the key areas of interest in the season’s early stages.

Atlantic Division:

Our breakdown starts with the Atlantic, which has typically been the top division in the Eastern Conference and in the NHL. Despite most projecting the Leafs, Panthers and Lightning to cruise to playoff spots, the early season has offered some intrigue in this regard. The Panthers, Leafs and Lightning currently sit second, fourth and fifth place in the Atlantic respectively. The Panthers are tenth in the league, respectable, but not what was expected of last year’s offensive juggernaut. The Panthers have been held back by a D-corps that have been hurt by injuries and the offseason loss of Mackenzie Weegar, though Brandon Montour (a sneaky Norris Trophy candidate) is doing his best to cover their tracks with four goals and 15 points in 12 games.

The Leafs, who are 7-5-3 have had well-documented struggles early in the season, but are still currently in the last wild card playoff spot in the East. The Leafs’ season has been confoundingly frustrating, losing in uninspired efforts to some of the worst teams in the league, but following these up with disciplined wins over some of the league’s best. Goalie Ilya Samsonov has been the difference for the Leafs, so it will be important to watch how they perform with him injured.

The Senators on the other hand, a team many suggested could make a playoff push or even challenge Toronto for the best team in Ontario, is currently the third worst team in the NHL and is enjoying a seven game losing streak.

On the other end of the table, the Boston Bruins, who many expected to fall off with long-term injuries to star players, did nothing of the sort. Thanks to Patrice Bergeron’s comical longevity, Hampus Lindholm’s emergent play as the the Bruin’s #1 defenseman and David Pastrnak scoring at will, the Bruins look like an early contender. Though the Detroit Red Wings are a surprising second place in the Atlantic, with a -5 goal differential, its a trend that is unlikely to continue.

Metropolitan:

The Metro, another classically strong division, has also flipped expectations somewhat. The New Jersey Devils are in full-blown wagon mode. With the third best record in the league and an eight-game win streak, the Devil’s roaring start boils down to the big steps forward taken by Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt, and to them finally getting some half-decent goaltending.

The Hurricanes sit right behind the Devils, with Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov leading the charge.

The New York Islanders and New York Rangers follow, taking up the last two playoff spots in the division. The bottom four of the Metro is interesting. Though Columbus was widely expected to be bad (and are exactly that as the worst team in the league), the Penguins, Capitals and Flyers are all defying expectations slightly.

The Capitals and Penguins have both suffered from the natural progression of their players and not being able to do a lot to replenish the team’s talent. Pittsburgh in particular, though despite winning their last two, have dealt with this, evidenced by a six game losing streak, the longest under head coach Mike Sullivan’s tenure with the team. Finally, Philadelphia was expected to be horrific, and though there’s nothing special about a 7-4-2 team, it is certainly better than expected.

Central Division:

The Central might be the NHL’s most wide-open division right now, even if that is only because no team has done enough to separate themselves from the pack. The Jets lead the division with an 8-3 record and have the least points of any division leader. They have allowed the fewest goals in the league, mostly thanks to Connor Hellebyuck, re-entering himself into the conversation for the top goalie in the league.

Dallas, who sits just behind, are also buoyed by the excellent goaltending of Jake Oettinger, while Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson –fifth in points and eighth in goals – have also been exceptional.

The Avalanche have been fine, but they are also clearly missing some of their offseason losses like Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky, as well as Captain Gabriel Landeskog who remains on the Long-Term Injury Reserve. The rest of the division isn’t much to write home about.

The Minnesota Wild have been mediocre, but not in any way that’s particularly interesting.

The Blackhawks and Coyotes have both been better than expected, they’re both still .500, so not really anything to get excited about. Nashville and St. Louis have also both been worse than expected, but both of these are easily attributable to run-of-the-mill goaltending troubles. I would not expect much to change over the season, except for some flip-flopping between the top four teams.

Pacific Division:

The Pacific looks like it will be a division without much intrigue. There is a definite upper and lower class in this division. The top of the crop are the Vegas Golden Knights, who have the best record in the league at 13-2. The Kings and Kraken have both taken steps forward, the Kings on the strength of their young players improving (notably Gabe Vilardi who is fourth in the league in goals) and the Kraken thanks to some savvy offseason additions.

The Oilers, despite video-game level (and somehow predictable) starts from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, still sit in the middle of the pack. Jack Campbell has struggled mightily in the Oilers crease, and may have even lost his starting job to Stuart Skinner.

The Calgary Flames are also still finding their legs. Though they filled the holes left by Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk admirably with Kadri and Weegar, they were a team that was bound for some regression from last season.

The lower class of this division can fairly comfortably give up on the season and focus on getting their best draft position possible.

The Vancouver Canucks have had some public struggles. Even with an MVP-level start from Erik Karlsson, the San Jose Sharks are very bad.

The Anaheim Ducks are somehow worse with the worst goal differential in the league. Though the Kings and Kraken may flip with the Oilers and Flames, the Pacific seems more or less set.

The Contender Class:

1. Vegas Golden Knights
2. Boston Bruins
3. Carolina Hurricanes
4. New Jersey Devils
5. LA Kings

Give up, tank for Connor Bedard:

1. Columbus Blue Jackets
2. Anaheim Ducks
3. San Jose Sharks
4. Ottawa Senators
5. St. Louis Blues

After the Brock Women’s hockey team lost their last game against Ontario Tech on Nov. 5, they hosted Windsor on Nov. 12 looking to end a two game losing streak.

The Badgers nabbed the first chance of the game off the rush, leading to an offensive zone faceoff. The faceoff was won to defenceman Marisa Freeman who took a shot through traffic that was tipped in the high slot and grabbed by the Windsor goalie Kristen Swiatoschik.

Brock continued to press as they out shot Windsor five to zero in the first two minutes of the game.

The Lancers had their first chance at 15:02 off a shot from the right wing, but this was smothered by goaltender Harmison.

The very next shift, Brock won the defensive zone draw and proceeded to advance the puck into the Windsor zone. In this extended shift, Brock controlled the cycle, moving the puck low to high and getting shots from the outside, none beating Swiatoschik.

Swiastoschik was the story of the first period as she made a total of 15 saves, fending off many high-danger scoring chances off the rush or scrambles in front of the net.

The Badgers dominated the first period and nothing would change at the start of the second. However, a Windsor turnover just minutes into the period led to a semi-break and the Badger forward was not able to finish after completing a spin move on the goaltender.

Brock’s Marisa Freeman had a chance mid-way through the period as she rushed from her own blueline, splitting her way through defenders before riffling a shot off Swiastoschik’s pad.

Brock’s goaltender Kenzie Harmison stood her ground as Windsor pushed back towards the end of the period. She made four key saves in the last three minutes, one being a spectacular glove save off a two on one rush.

After 40 minutes the Badgers were outshooting the Lancers 30-10, but the score remained 0-0.

Windsor came out for the third, a reinvigorated team. Harmison was forced to make an early blocker save from a slot shot, followed by a glove save that trickled just wide. Brock answered back with a chance of their own, as Mikayla Flanagan got robbed in the slot with Swiastoschik making the glove save.

The first five minutes of the third proceeded to be back and forth as the shots were even at four a piece.

At 11:23 Brock Captain Kaitlyn Colonna took a boarding penalty in the defensive zone, handing Windsor their first powerplay of the game. The Badgers won the defensive zone faceoff leading to a three on two rush where Rebekah Feld slid the puck over to Marin Green who made no mistake; the Badgers were up 1-0 with 8:29 left to go in the game.

The Lancers would look to equalize on their remaining powerplay as they set up in the offensive zone, moving the puck around the outside and trying to find a lane towards the net.

The penalty ended but a long shift for the Badgers in the defensive zone led to a scramble in front of the net, allowing Maggie Peterson to bat home the rebound, tying the game at one with 6:31 left to go in the period.

The goal however did not take the legs away from the Badgers as they proceeded to have an offensive zone shift where Swiastoschik had to stand strong in order to keep it a tied game. Swiastoschik efforts led to a one-on-one the other way and Brock’s Marin Green took an interference penalty.

Windsor proceeded to score on the powerplay as Maggi DeWolf-Russ deked around a couple of Brock defenders and beat Harmison up over the glove to take the 2-1 lead at the 16:18 mark in the third.

The Lancers scored again just under thirty seconds later – off a scramble in front – Maggie Peterson netted her second of the game and the eventual game-winning goal.

Brock pulled their goalie for the extra attacker and Windsor’s Devan Andresak scored to make it 4-1, with just over one minute left. The Badgers however, played until the very end and Mikayla Flanagan scored in the final 10 seconds as the Badgers fell to the Lancers 4-2 for their third loss in a row.

Brock’s next game is Nov. 16 in Guelph and can be streamed live on OUAtv.

The Brock Men’s Basketball team hosted the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Nov. 11 and 12 in what amounted to a matchup between two of the top 10 Canadian university basketball teams. 

Brock was ranked third in the country heading into the Nov. 11 matchup while Lakehead was ranked eighth.

The Badgers won the tip off to start the game but came up empty on the first possession of the game. Brock’s Isiah Bujdoso netted the first point of the game shooting one for two at the line.

Lakehead answered back on the next possession, shooting one for two at the line for an odd 1-1 start to the game.

Brock would take over on the next several possessions. Godsman Kwakwah contributed nine points on a 11-0 scoring run for the Badgers. An early double digit lead as Brock went up 16-3 just over halfway through the quarter.

Lakehead ended the 11-0 run with a pull up jumper at the top of the key, making the 16-5.

However, Brock dominated the next two minutes scoring five more points, one being a three pointer from Jevonnie Scott. Followed by a three pointer by Lakeheads Javier Fernandez to answer right back and a steal on the following Brock possession to bring it back to single digits, for the first time in six minutes.

The last two minutes of the quarter was back-and-forth as Lakehead’s Fernandez piled on to his prior five points, sinking two more three’s while Brock continued to move the ball around taking high percentage looks and shooting 62.5 per cent in the quarter. Brock led 30-20 after quarter number one.

The Thunderwolves came out flying to start the second quarter hitting back to back threes and Javier Fernandez increased his point totals to 15 before the two minute mark of the quarter.

At the 7:50 mark, a foul was called against Brock sending Lakehead to the line. The next three minutes would be more of the same as the refs made their mark on the game sending each team to the line four times before the halfway mark of the quarter.

The rest of the quarter was competitive as Brock forward Michael Matas and Lakeheads Eric Gonzalez both scored nine points in the quarter. Brock led at the half 54-46 shooting 19 for 32 from the field and 13 for 15 from the free throw line.

Brock was not able to carry that consistency into the second half. They started off the quarter 0-3 from the field and failed to score a basket for the first two minutes of the half. Lakehead scored first at 8:48, reducing the Brock lead to just six points.

The Thunderwolves guards had a hot quarter, scoring three three-pointers, while the Badgers managed zero throughout the quarter. Brock’s meager shooting in the quarter would allow Lakehead to get within three just before the end of quarter. That being said, Matas had a timely offensive rebound leading to a layup as the Badgers headed to the fourth up five.

Badgers Isiah Bujdoso scored the first basket of the fourth quarter increasing their lead once again, but got a technical foul on the play, allowing Lakehead to shoot one.

Lakehead used the technical foul to change momentum bringing the game within one score on a layup by Nathan Bilamu. They then proceeded to take advantage of Brock’s aggressive defence, finding the open man Tyler Sagl for three, as the Thunderwolves took their first lead of the game with a score of 68-67 at the 5:19 mark.

The next four minutes featured tightly played basketball as both teams traded points. With the score tied and under a minute left, Brock’s Jevon Brown nailed a three to go up 78-75 but Lakehead’s Nathan Bilamu answered right back with a three of his own, tying the game at 78-78.

Lakehead got possession and with a chance to win the game Laoui Msambya missed an uncontested three sending the game to overtime.

Brock came out flat in the overtime as Lakehead took an early five point lead and never looked back. Despite a late three from Jevonnie Scott and the Badgers having last possession, they were unable to tie the game and fell 92-90 in the first of back to back to the Thunderwolves.

The Badgers would redeem themselves on Nov. 12 as they beat the Thunderwolves 81-58. Guard Small-Martin scored a season high 21 points and Jordan Tcheunte had 17 points of his own. The Badgers next game is Nov. 18 against the University of Waterloo at home. Tickets can be bought here or the game can be streamed on OUAtv.

After a brutal end to the month of October where the Maple Leafs lost all four games of their yearly California road trip, it looked like they could be in some trouble.

The Maple Leafs’ big four — Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander — combined for just six goals in the four games and looked disinterested at most times.

Two of the four losses came in overtime, the first to the San Jose Sharks, in which Nylander tried to send a pass rink wide to John Tavares, leading to a breakaway for Sharks defenceman Erik Karlsson. The other was the Ducks, where a missed opportunity by Mitch Marner led to an odd man rush and goal just seconds later.

A two game homestand could not have come at a better time for the boys in blue as they looked to bounce back against the pesky Philadelphia Flyers and first place Boston Bruins.

The Flyers — under new head coach John Tortorella — have looked like a reinvigorated team this season as they were just over .500 going into the game against Toronto on Nov. 2. The Leafs had a battle ahead of them as the Flyers play a tight system and throw the body every time they get a chance.

But the Maple Leafs came out flying, looking like a completely new team than the one who had just played a couple nights prior in Anaheim. The Flyers scored late in the first but it was answered with two quick goals to end the period by Toronto superstar Auston Matthews and Captain John Tavares.

Bottom six forward Zach-Aston Reese — who earned his spot on Toronto through a PTO — scored his first of the season early in the third to give the blue and white a two goal cushion.

Philadelphia got a chance on the powerplay midway through the third bringing the score back within one. But Tavares stepped up and scored two more securing his first hat-trick of the season and leading his team to a much needed 5-2 victory against the Broad Street Bullies.

Their next matchup would be the toughest of the season. The Boston Bruins off to the best start in franchise history — 10 wins and one loss — going into Scotiabank Arena on Nov. 5.

Bruins Captain Patrice Bergeron has yet to lose a step despite being on the back nine of his career at 37 years old. Bergeron has four goals and six assists in 11 games heading into the game against the Leafs and with the return of Brad Marchand to the “perfection line” Bergeron was looking to add to those all star like totals.

Unfortunately for Bergeron, he would have to wait for their next meeting, as Toronto played their best 60 minutes of the season winning the game 2-1.

For the second game in a row the Big Four came to play. Auston Matthews scored both Toronto goals with Mitch Marner assisting on both. Sadly, Toronto netminder Ilya Samsonov suffered a knee injury on the one Bruins goal scored by Brad Marchand. Back-up Erik Källgren took over playing the last period of the game making seven saves on seven shots.

Despite the Leafs big victory against the first place Bruins, they now had a few questions looming around the team. How long is Samsonov out for, who will back up Källgren in their next game and is Matt Murray close to returning?

Well Toronto answered the back up question quickly, signing Toronto Marlies goaltender Keith Petruzzelli to a two-year, two-way NHL contract. Pettruzzelli has just six pro hockey games under his belt with a .922 save percentage and 2.31 goals against average.

In terms of Murray and Samsonov, they were both on the ice taking part in individual drills on Nov. 7 before practice. Murray is expected to return within the next week while Samsonov does not have a timeline for his return.

Källgren got the nod on Nov. 6 in Carolina where Toronto won 3-1 and played another fantastic 60 minutes against a top team in the league. But they weren’t done with the top end matchups as they looked to win four in a row hosting the Vegas Golden Knights at home on Nov. 8.

Unlike the previous two games the Leafs came out flat allowing a goal in the first minute of the game. But a goal just four minutes later from Timothy Liljegren — making his season debut after recovering from a herniated disc — tied the game 1-1.

The Golden Knights scored one more before the end of the period and took the 2-1 lead to the dressing room after 20 minutes.

Toronto came out in full force in the second scoring two — Mitch Marner with his first in six games and Liljegren’s second of the night — only allowing five shots in the period.

Unfortunately, the Leafs could not hold the lead in the third giving up a goal with just over eight minutes left in the third. They would hang on until overtime but Golden Knight Rielly Smith ended it just 23 seconds into the extra frame as Toronto failed to win four straight.

These four games — three at home and one on the road — after a tough California road trip is what the Leafs needed, nabbing seven of a possible eight points against tough opponents.

The Leafs next matchup is against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 15 and can be watched on TSN4 or streamed on Sportsnet now Premium.