The Waterloo men's hockey team opened up the playoffs with a tough 2-1 double overtime loss to the Brock Badgers on Thursday night at the Columbia Icefield Arena in Waterloo. 
 
Derek Brochu scored with only 1:25 remaining in the second overtime to give his Badgers a 1-0 lead in the best of three OUA west quarter-final series.

The two combatants continued where they left off from their established rival over the years battling each other to the bitter end.  In over 85 minutes of hockey Brock and Waterloo went back and forth all game long exchanging chance after chance as the two netminders stood tall throughout.

Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener/) was the number one star in the game facing 50 shots allowing only two goals while Kurt Jory made several key saves throughout the overtime periods to earn the win.  Overall Jory made 31 stops on the night.

Brock opened the scoring in the first period on the power play as leading scorer from the regular season, Thomas Stajan fired home a shot into the gapping net.  Defenseman Anthony Geldart took a shot from the point that hit a Warrior defenseman and bounced right onto the stick of Stajan who made no mistake.

The score would remain 1-0 midway into the second period before Tyler Moir (Calgary/) would even the game with a shorthanded marker.  Moir and Thomas Cardiff (London/) went down on a 2-1 with Cardiff firing a low shot giving Moir a wide open rebound shot for the goal. 

The game would remain locked at one's as emotions flared in the third period and Brock took it to the home side.  The Badgers outshot Waterloo 16-3 in the final period but Hartigan stood tall sending the game into overtime.

The first 10 minute overtime period would settle nothing and the game appeared to be heading for a third overtime before Brochu found the game winning goal late in double overtime. 

On a broken play Brochu jumped over the boards to pick up the loose puck and fired a seeing-eye shot along the ice past a screened Hartigan, on the low glove side.  Jordan Gignac and Ryan Allen were credited with the assists on the goal as the Brock Badgers took the all important game one.

Game two goes tomorrow night at the Seymour-Hannah Centre in St. Catharines with puck drop set for 7:15pm.