Brock getting playoff tuneup
Badgers open men’s set to for hockey playoffs next week
The Brock Badgers men’s hockey team is back in the playoffs after a one-year absence.
The Badgers (12-13-1) will open their post-season next week against a yet to be determined opponent.
As of now Brock is holding down the sixth seed in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West Division and wrap up its regular season with two home games, including tonight against Toronto and Saturday against Royal Military College. Puck drop for both games is 7:15 p.m. at Seymour-Hannah Centre in St. Catharines.
“Our goal is to play our best in these two games,” Badgers head coach Murray Nystrom said.
“We want to use this weekend to get kind of get everybody back in sync. We want to make sure we’re playing our best heading into next week.”
Nystrom admits his team is banged up heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
“There’s a number of bumps and bruises,” he said. “We just hope by the time we open (playoffs) everyone is healthy and back.”
Likely the most important cog in the Badgers success this campaign has been the play of goaltender Clint Windsor. The third year veteran, and former Ottawa 67, has battled injuries all season but despite that is 9-1 in 11 games with a league best .945 save percentage and sparkling 2.37 goals against average.
Sammy Banga and Adam Lloyd lead the team in goals with 11, while captain Andrew Radjenovic is tops in points with 25.
The Badgers could finish as high as fifth or as low as eighth depending on how the final weekend plays out.
“We’ve had the most success this season when we’re playing on the right side of the puck, and not chasing the game,” Nystrom said.
“We we do it we’re extremely tough to play against. It’s just a matter of consistently doing it, and the time for inconsistent play is behind us.”
Toronto and RMC both come into season-ending action in St. Catharines with 5-19-2 records.
Last season the Badgers finished last in the west with a 6-15-7 record after compiling a 10-15-2 record and qualifying for the playoffs as the eighth seed the year before.