Badgers curl their way to nationals
The banner season continues for the Brock Badgers athletic department.
The Badgers women’s and men’s wrestling programs were crowned USports national champions at Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie last month.
The men’s hockey team won the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West title which qualified them for the nationals in New Brunswick last week, while the Brock men’s basketball team also made it to nationals in Halifax earlier this month after a stellar regular season.
Now it’s the Badgers curling team’s time to shine on the national stage.
Fresh off a gold- and bronzemedal-winning performance at the OUA championships in Sault Ste. Marie, both Brock curling teams flew out to Alberta Thursday for the USports finals which begin Saturday morning at the Leduc Recreation Centre.
The men’s team, which won Brock’s first gold medal in curling since 2007 edged Ryerson University with a thrilling 6-5 victory in the Ontario finals, feature three seniors and head coach Murray Etherington said the key for the men’s team is to stay focused.
“They’re confident in their ability,” Etherington said. “They have to play to their strengths, and worry about what they can control.”
The Brock men are led by senior skip Eric Bradey, while the vice is OUA tournament all-star Jamie Waters. The second is Nick Lemieux and the lead is Ben Hughes of Niagara Falls.
Doug Thompson will serve as alternate while another Niagara Falls native in Spencer Maves, who skips the junior varsity team at Brock, will make the trip out west to assist the coaching staff and do some advance scouting.
The Badgers women’s team, which won bronze at the Ontario finals with a 6-5 win over Lakehead University, is a younger team that will feature three returnees for the 2018-19 curling season and Etherington feels the key for them is to play less conservative.
“They have to play to their strengths, and the one thing is to recognize opportunities when they come up,” said Etherington. “Our girls play a little bit on the defensive side of balance.
“They’re definitely more con-
servative than our guys.”
The skip of the Badgers women’s team is Terri Weeks, the vice or third is Jessica Humphries, the second is Marcia Richardson and the lead is Joanna Francolini. The alternate is Jeannette Burnside.
One difference for both teams is the fact they’ll playing in a hockey arena setting rather than a curling club where fans are sitting behind glass.
“That’s definitely going to be an adjustment,” Etherington said. “They’ll have to get used to the fans, and the noise. The acoustics will also be different.”
Curling stones from the Brier, the Canadian men’s curling championships, and the Olympic trials will also be used in Alberta.
“Those rocks that you’ve seen on TV have more curl, and they’re more lively” said Etherington.
The Brock women open against Mount Allison University Saturday morning, while the Badgers men take on the University of New Brunswick.
After practising Friday, both teams will play five games with a hopeful appearance in the finals that are set for next Wednesday.