The Windsor Lancers season came to an abrupt end Friday night in St. Catharines following a 5-4 loss to the Brock Badgers in game two of the best of three first round series.
 
The Lancers scored first and had a two-goal lead in the third period but couldn't weather a Badger storm that scored three unanswered goals in a stunning comeback.
 
GAME STATS
Lancer goalie Jonathan Reinhart had a solid outing making 32 saves on 37 shots, while Brock's Mario Culina made 15 saves on 19 shots.
 
The Lancers had great special teams play all night, going 2/3 on the powerplay and killing each of their four penalties.
 
GAME FLOW
The blue and gold got out to a much better start than game one, scoring first when Sean Olson beat Culina on a juicy rebound; giving the Lancers their first lead of the series 9:50 into the first. The Lancers celebration was short-lived though, when less that three minutes later at 12:32 Cosimo Fontana beat Reinhart on a tough to follow shot, tying the game at 1-1. The Badgers went on to outshoot the Lancers 10-5 but it was still 1-1 after 20 minutes.
 
The second period was a whirlwind of action. Kody Gagnon, Windsor's leading assist man, finally got a goal of his own in the playoffs, beating Culina on a power play chance and putting his blue and gold up 2-1 just 1:19 into the period. The Badgers responded in kind, five minutes later, when Ayden MacDonald beat Reinhart. Needing a spark on the road, Sean Olson provided, netting his second goal of the game on a beautiful cross ice feed from John Wesley. Later, just after the halfway mark of the period, fifth year Brennen Feasey fired a puck that went off a Badger and into the net, doubling the Lancers lead. At the break, the Lancers held the lead 4-2.
 
Despite the Lancers starting the third period with a 5-on-3 powerplay, the Badgers killed it. Shortly after, Brock's Ayden MacDonald scored his second of the game, denting the Lancers lead to one. MacDonald's goal energized the Badgers, and they tilted the ice, putting a ton of pressure on the blue and gold. Minutes later, Brock's Matthew Price-Barnes scored, tying the game at 4. The ice stayed tilted and though the Lancers held out as long as they could, Jordan Maletta finally put one past Reinhart, making it 5-4 Badgers. Facing a season ending situation, the Lancers pulled Reinhart and threw literally everything they could on net, but Culina stood strong, ending the Lancers season with a 5-4 win.
 
The men's hockey team would like to thank all alumni, fans, family, and supporters for following along with them and their continued support of the program. We look forward to getting back on the ice next season! Stay tuned to www.goLancers.ca for all your off-season updates!