By the Numbers: Clean sheets, clutch hitting, and Carleton kicking
September 26, 2018

By the Numbers: Clean sheets, clutch hitting, and Carleton kicking

5,000 – It was another memorable event at the Meridian Centre, with the Steel Blade Classic setting new records in the process. On the ice, the Brock Badgers took home a 3-1 win over the Guelph Gryphons in the preseason tilt, but off the ice, people packed the arena to catch the action, resulting in a sold-out, record-breaking number of 5,000 fans.

81 – Queen’s Gaels receiver Benjamin Arhen has turned into yet another offensive weapon for quarterback Nate Hobbs, hauling in his second 100-yard receiving game this season. The second-year player totaled 128 yards on just three receptions Saturday to lead the Gaels over Guelph. The big blow came in the third quarter, when Arhen showcased his speed on an 81-yard catch. The play marked the longest reception this season by a Gael, surpassing his 61-yard mark against the Varsity Blues. The play ultimately brought the Gaels into the Gryphons’ red zone to set up a touchdown run for Jake Puskas.

73 – Claire Dunning is a household name in Canadian golf circles. She is a former individual OUA champion during her time as a Toronto Varsity Blue and after transferring to Guelph, she wasted little time making an impact with the Gryphons. She had a masterful finish in firing a 73 to take first place in the Brock Invitational at Sawmill Golf Club, a stretch that included birdies on three of the last four holes.

20:29 – Many of the province’s top runners took to the course at the Bill Salter Western Invitational this past weekend, and it was one of the hometown competitors that truly shone on the women’s side. Western’s Kristina Popadich needed a time of just 20:29 to complete the 6K event, which not only gave her the first overall score on the day, but also helped her capture the meet and course record.

13 – With a pair of massive matches looming, the Laurentian Voyageurs women’s soccer team needed some big performances, which is exactly what they got from Caitlin McNamara. The Voyageurs’ keeper posted back-to-back shutouts over the weekend, turning away all 13 shots she faced. The first clean sheet came via a five-save win against the Toronto Varsity Blues, while the encore featured eight saves in what ended as a scoreless draw with Ryerson, all helping the Voyageurs get back into the playoff race.

12 – More than one netminder shone bright on the weekend, as McNamara’s counterpart at Brock was able to collect a clean sheet of her own against one of the country’s best. Marilena Spagnolo made 12 saves against a rested Western Mustangs squad – ranked fifth in the country – to help the Badgers hold on for a 0-0 draw. Spagnolo’s second shutout of the season buoyed the Badgers, who were on the second leg of a back-to-back and were outshot 17-2.

5 – The Carleton Ravens have been on an upward trend all season long on the gridiron, now sitting fifth in the national ranks, and one of their key contributors kept rolling in the team’s latest victory. Michael Domagala has been a force on special teams this season thanks to his 50-yard game-tying field goal against Western, a game-winner in double-overtime against Queen’s, and most recently, his 18-point performance against Toronto. To amount such a lofty total, the Ravens kicker connected on a perfect 5-for-5 field goals on the day, with his long coming from 44-yards out.

2 – In big matchups, you need players to step up, and regardless of the sport, the Battle of Waterloo is always a big game. So when the Warriors and Golden Hawks took to the baseball field for a double-header this weekend, it was Keifer Quick who provided the fireworks for the latter to lead his Hawks over Waterloo in both contests. Quick notched not one, but two home runs on the day, to go along with 4 RBIs, 4 runs, 1 2B, and 1 SB.