The University of Windsor Lancers women's hockey team came up just short in a hard-fought 2–1 road loss to the Brock Badgers on Saturday evening in St. Catharines, Ont. The matchup was defined by heavy physical play, frequent special-teams action, and high-intensity battles from start to finish.
STATS
Windsor goaltender Ella Willoughby turned aside 21 of 23 shots, keeping the Lancers within reach throughout the contest. Offensively, Keana McKibbin scored the team's lone goal, set up by Bridget Cameron and Hannah Hatt. The Lancers fired 30 shots toward the Brock net, including a dominant 14-shot second period. Brock's Kennedy Lonson secured the victory with a 29-save performance.
GAME FLOW
Windsor opened the scoring early in the first period when Keana McKibbin finished a smooth passing play from Bridget Cameron and Hannah Hatt, giving the Lancers an encouraging start on the road. Brock responded quickly, however, as Ava Fisher jumped on a turnover and scored an unassisted breakaway goal to tie the game. The opening frame was marked by physical edge and frequent whistles, with both teams leaning into contact and pushing the pace in a tightly contested environment.
Brock grabbed their first lead early in the second period when Randyll Strongman redirected a feed from Wolsey and Strano. Windsor answered with their best sustained pressure of the night, piling up 14 shots in the frame and hemming Brock in for extended stretches. Despite the offensive surge—and multiple power-play opportunities triggered by the increasingly physical play—the Lancers couldn't solve Lonson for the tying goal.
The intensity carried straight into the third period, where both teams continued to battle hard along the boards and at the blue lines. Windsor generated chances but struggled to create clean looks, while Brock protected the middle of the ice effectively. A series of late penalties on both sides added to the physical tone of the game, but neither team managed to convert with the man advantage. Windsor pressed in the dying minutes, but Brock stayed composed defensively to secure the 2–1 final.
UP NEXT
The Lancers head into the winter break with a 5-7-1-2 (W-L-OTW-OTL) record, sitting fifth in the OUA West, and return to the ice on Friday, January 9 at home at the Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex. Puck drop against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available online at golancers.ca/tickets, and the game can be streamed via oua.tv.
