THOROLD, ONT -- Brandon Frattaroli connected on a power-play for the game-winner at 11:56 of the third period as the seventh-ranked McGill men's hockey team rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 3-2 victory over the Brock Badgers in a Saturday matinee at Canada Games Park Arena, located about 17 kilometres from Niagara Falls.
 
It was McGill's ninth consecutive victory over Brock dating back to the last Badgers victory on Nov. 20, 2010. The result upped McGill's head-to-head record against the Badgers to 31-4-2 lifetime since the series began in 1988.

The Redbirds who are based in the nine-team OUA East Division, improved to 7-5-0 in league play, including an unblemished 5-0-0 mark against OUA West teams.
 
The Badgers were playing after a day's rest, while McGill was returning to the ice about 14 hours after Friday night's 4-3 overtime victory at Waterloo. Special teams play proved to be a decisive factor as the Redbirds went 1-for-3 on the power-play and erased all four shorthanded situations.

Brock, which had a 23-22 edge in shots, led 2-0 after the first period on goals by Zack Stringer and Braden Lewis. McGill's Charles-Antoine Dumont ignited the comeback with just 34 seconds remaining in the second period, when he struck for his fourth goal of the season.
 
"Dumont had another gear tonight, he's got a lot of jump and we saw that tonight, especially on the PK," said McGill head coach David Urquhart. "When there's a loose puck battle, that's when you really see it."

After the intermission, it took only 25 seconds for the Redbirds to respond again when William Rouleau found the back of the net. Just over 11 minutes later, Rouleau combined with Maxime Pellerin to set up Frattaroli for the go-ahead goal. It was the 13th career game-winning tally in 116 games overall for the industrial relations senior from Pierrefonds, Que., since joining the Redbirds in 2021.
 
"We started off real slow, we were flat," admitted Urquhart, who improved to 2-0 lifetime coaching in his hometown of Thorold. "Then we picked it up in the second and had a really good third period and that power-play goal was huge. We showed a lot of character to come back in both games this weekend. Those are some of the building blocks that you gain confidence from as a team. Over the season, you need to check-off boxes like these games to prepare for the difficult challenges ahead. That's all part of our group getting to know each other too and to see the guys stepping up at the right time."

Senior goaltender Alexis Shank made 21 saves for the victory between the pipes for McGill, while Badgers rookie Samuel Vyletelka had 19 saves and took the loss.
 
Brock (6-5-2) returns to play on Nov. 22 when they host top-seeded Concordia (12-0-2), while McGill (7-5-0) will host second-place Ontario Tech (9-1-2) in a key matchup on Nov. 23 at the Place Bell community arena.

REDBIRDS RAP: Sophomore forward Stephane Huard had one assist in the contest to stretch his point-scoring streak to six consecutive games (after being kept off the scoresheet in the season opener)...Shortly after the game's conclusion, U SPORTS, the national governing body for Canadian university sports, announced that Sheryl and David Kerr, both McGill graduates,  were named as co-recipients of the Mitchell Family Alumni of the Year Award. The award, launched in 2021, is presented annually to former male and female varsity athletes who have shown outstanding post-graduation leadership in their communities and continued contributions to their universities. Sheryl and David have donated over $5 million to their alma mater since graduating, including gifts to their respective faculties as well as to McGill Athletics & Recreation. The married couple met while playing varsity hockey at McGill in the 1960s and remain involved in numerous philanthropical initiatives together as a team.

SCORING SUMMARY

OUA SCOREBOARD, STATS & STANDINGS

 
SOURCE
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-983-7012 (Tel.)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca