CFL changes rule mid-season, limits coaches challenges
The Brock Badgers are going downtown again.
For the second year in a row, the Steel Blade Classic men’s hockey game will be played at Meridian Centre in downtown St. Catharines.
And, also for the second time in as many years, visitors for the winner-take-all showdown will be the Guelph Gryphons, the Badgers’ familiar foes from the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West Division
Last year, when the exhibition game was played before 3,532 people, the Badgers edged the Gryphons in a 4-3 thriller.
The attendance set two records: the most for the Steel Blade Classic and the most ever for a university hockey game in Niagara.
The Steel Blade Classic, which will be held for the 19th time next month, has become among the highlights of Brock University’s Homecoming Weekend.
To enhance the fan experience off the ice before the 7 p.m. faceoff, a Homecoming Tailgate Party is again being held.
The get-together, which is free and open to the public, gets underway at 4 p.m. in the parking lot of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, across from Meridian Centre.
Music will be featured as will a barbecue, beer tent and an interactive game from Warrior Hockey.
“The Homecoming Tailgate Party and the Steel Blade game have quickly become one of the biggest events on the Brock University calendar,” Neil Lumsden, the university’s athletics director, said. “Last year’s event set the tone with a record crowd and a fantastic hockey game, and we’re expecting an even bigger event this year.”
New for this year’s Steel Blade Classic is the Family Zone, an end section in Meridian Centre catering to the needs of families with young children. In addition to child-friendly giveaways, Brock mascot Boomer the Badger will be visiting the section throughout the evening.
Tickets for the Steel Blade hockey game are now available online at www.steelbladeclassic.com. Prices are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.
A limited number of free student tickets will be available from the Walker Sports Complex Welcome Desk in September.
Murray Nystrom, who stepped down last month after 18 seasons as head coach of the Brock men’s hockey team, established the Steel Blade Classic in 1999 as a pre-season competition that pit the Badgers against other Canadian and, at times, U.S. universities.
Over the years it has both a tournament and a winner-take-all game depending on the season and exhibition schedule.
A near-capacity crowd at Thorold Arena watched the Badgers play the Niagara University Purple Eagles to a 5-5 draw in the inaugural event.
The trophy bearing the name of the annual champions is an 1803 non-commissioned officer’s sword used by sergeants of the Upper Canada Artillery Units and Royal Artillery during the War of 1812.
The piece of Canadian history was donated by the Werner family of Niagara.
No word yet on who will be named interim head coach to succeed Nystrom.
League play for the Badgers is scheduled to get underway Wednesday, Oct. 11, on the road against Guelph. Brock’s 2017-18 home opener at Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre is Saturday, Oct. 14, versus the York Lions.
Last season the Badgers finished fifth in their division with a 14-13-01 record and were swept by Guelph two games to none in the opening round of the OUA playoffs.
You can say this for new CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie: He is proving to be a man of his word and of swift and decisive action.
With fan displeasure mounting over the use of challenge flags by coaches this season, Ambrosie promised last weekend he would look at making changes to the league’s video review system.
He made good on that vow Wednesday, as the league announced it will immediately limit coaches to one challenge per game, down from two.
“Fans have been very clear with me that they want a change,” Ambrosie said. “We are delivering that change.”
It’s a significant in-season correction, which will force coaches to be much more selective in the way they use challenge flags and should eliminate any frivolous attempts to draw penalties. Coaches may want to hold onto their challenges for late-game situations.
The change was approved Tuesday night and will take effect when Week 7 games get underway Thursday night with Toronto hosting the Calgary Stampeders.
“We have a super game,” Ambrosie said. “Our elite athletes are treating us this year to incredible plays, close contests and even miracle comebacks. Scoring is up, penalties are down, and games are shorter. The last thing we want to have in place is an artificial impediment to our fans’ enjoyment of it all.
“Video review, unfortunately, has become just that. It was put in place to fix egregious and indisputable mistakes that could affect the outcome of a game. It’s not being used that way now. Too many challenges and reviews are interrupting the game. Coaches, understandably since they are under pressure to win, have been using it to try to gain an advantage.”
All scoring plays and turnovers will still be reviewed by the command centre, but limiting coaches challenges should improve the flow of the game while still allowing an opportunity to prevent the most glaring errors by officials.
“It wasn’t but a short time ago that we didn’t have any challenges,” Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said. “We’re still one better. We still have the opportunity to challenge a big play that can make a difference. The belief is this is going to make it a better fan experience and a better game. It would be good to have more flow in the game. It really would.”
Last year’s event set the tone with a record crowd and a fantastic hockey game, and we’re expecting an even bigger event this year.”