\u201cThis will become one of the marquee events of Brock\u2019s Homecoming Weekend,\u201d said Brian Hutchings, Acting President. \u201cWe want the Niagara community to come downtown and enjoy the festivities with us.\u201d![\"Brock](\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Steel-Blade-Logo-300x225.jpeg\"){kind=logo}
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The tailgate party will feature music, a barbecue, games for kids, a beer tent and more.<\/p>\n
The Steel Blade Classic hockey game follows at 7 p.m. and builds on a pair of Brock Badgers men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball doubleheaders that were held at the Meridian Centre last season.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom a venue perspective, because of the energy that is created by the fans at the Meridian Centre, this is a great way to take Brock sport to the next level, which is what we\u2019re going to do,\u201d said Brock University Director of Athletics and Recreation Neil Lumsden.<\/p>\n
Brock officially announced the Homecoming Tailgate Party and Steel Blade hockey game Tuesday at Kully\u2019s Original Sports Bar, where Lumsden also challenged Guelph Athletic Director and Brock alumnus Scott McRoberts to a friendly wager over the result.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Gryphons are very much looking forward to playing in such a prestigious event and continuing a renewed rivalry with the Badgers,\u201d McRoberts said. \u201cPlaying at the Meridian Centre will be an amazing opportunity for our student-athletes and coaches.\u00a0I think the Steel Blade Classic will continue to be a tradition for years to come and we know the Badgers will host a top-notch event.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year marks the 18th edition of the Steel Blade Classic, and it has become one of the hottest tickets of the year for Brock students and Niagara hockey fans. Last year\u2019s game at the Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre, where the Badgers typically play their home games, was packed with boisterous fans. The Homecoming game has been sold out the past five years.<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly, this event has outgrown our current facility and the new setting provides a world-class, comfortable venue for more community-wide participation and celebration of Homecoming,\u201d said men\u2019s hockey head coach Murray Nystrom.<\/p>\n
While this year\u2019s Steel Blade will be a one-game tilt, the Steel Blade Classic has been a tournament in the past and, in 2015, the Badgers edged the Gryphons 5-4 in the championship game. Brock has been crowned Steel Blade champions the past five years and nine times in the tournament\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the original objectives for Steel Blade was to offer an annual hockey event that links the history of our region with our\u00a0community and the University. We continue to accomplish that and, over time, our players, fans, students and alumni have shared those connections,\u201d said Nystrom. \u201cThat has created a certain level of expectation when it comes to on-ice performance, but that\u2019s a good thing. Our players and staff relish that challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lumsden said OHL fans will enjoy the calibre of university hockey.<\/p>\n
\u201cCIS hockey is a bit of a hidden gem because when you look at the pedigree of these hockey players and where they\u2019ve come, it translates into a very high level of hockey,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Worth noting is that the championship trophy that carries the name of the annual Steel Blade winner is a sword donated by the Werner family. It was the sword carried by Sergeants of the Upper Canada Artillery Units and Royal Artillery during the War of 1812 and is a priceless piece of Canadian history.<\/p>\n
The tailgate party is free and public tickets for the hockey game are available at www.steelbladeclassic.com<\/a>. A limited number of free student tickets will be available from the Walker Complex Welcome Desk in September.<\/p>\n \u2022 Homecoming Tailgate Party<\/p>\n Friday, Sept. 16, 4 p.m. at the\u00a0Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts Parking Lot<\/p>\n \u2022 Brock Badgers vs. Guelph Gryphons Steel Blade Classic Hockey Game<\/p>\n Friday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m. at the\u00a0Meridian Centre<\/p>\n\n\t <\/u>About the event<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n