Articles from:September 2025

• Badgers’ fans light up downtown St. Catharines at Steel Blade Classic

  Friday, September 19, 2025 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE – SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 – R0105

  Downtown St. Catharines pulsed with school spirit Friday night as 3,700 fans packed the Meridian Centre for the 26th annual Steel Blade Classic.

  The signature Homecoming event once again proved to be about far more than hockey, with students, alumni, staff, faculty and community members coming together in a sea of red and white to celebrate Brock pride and mark the start of a new men’s hockey season.

  “The Steel Blade Classic is a true showcase of what it means to be part of the Brock community,” said Melissa Krist, Executive Director, Brock Sports and Recreation. “You can feel the energy the moment you walk into the Meridian Centre. It’s about tradition, pride and being part of something bigger than yourself.”

  From the lineups outside of the arena to the roar of the crowd inside, the evening highlighted the sense of belonging and camaraderie that has made Steel Blade a Niagara staple since its launch in 1999.

  It also marked a special moment for the program, as the Steel Blade Classic helped launch the 60th season of Brock men’s hockey, a milestone that enhances the legacy and tradition behind the program.

  “The Steel Blade Classic is unlike any other game we play,” said Brock men’s hockey head coach TJ Manastersky. “It’s about so much more than what happens on the ice. It’s about sharing this moment with our students, our treasured alumni and the entire Brock community.

  “The energy in the building pushes our team to rise to the occasion, and it’s a memory our student-athletes will carry with them long after the final buzzer.”

  Brock lost a spirited game by a score of 5-1.

  After Guelph’s Nolan Degurse opened the scoring, Brock fourth-year Sport Management student Holden Rogers tied the game late in the first period to the delight of the red-and-white crowd.

  From there, the Gryphons pulled away with goals from Giordano Biondi, Griffin Wilson, a second from Degurse and a late empty-netter from Kaeden Johnston.

  Despite the final score, the game once again served as a celebration of Brock pride, uniting students, alumni, faculty, staff and community.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

   *Maryanne St. Denis, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Brock University, [email protected] or 905-246-0256

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  Categories: Media releases

• Bushels of fun at Brock’s Homecoming Grape Stomp

  Friday, September 19, 2025 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE – SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 – R0104

  For hundreds of Badgers, the juice was worth the squeeze.

  With their white shirts covered in purple splatter and their hair filled with fruit, nearly 300 students and alumni officially checked the University’s messiest tradition off their Badger bucket list on Friday, Sept. 19.

  Brock’s annual Homecoming Grape Stomp saw participants make quick work of two metric tonnes of Concord grapes — donated by Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery in Jordan — by creating a giant slip and slide in the University’s Jubilee Court. One of Brock’s most popular fall events, Grape Stomp has also been hailed as one of the best university traditions in Canada by University Affairs magazine.

  Stompers were welcomed to the event by President Lesley Rigg, who reflected on Brock’s deep Niagara roots and the University’s connection to the grape and wine industry through its Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute.

  While the friendly food fight was the afternoon highlight, the event also featured live music by alumni band Avenue Inn and a free barbecue sponsored by Aramark.

  Grape Stomp is part of a stacked lineup of events taking place during Brock’s Homecoming weekend, which also includes the Steel Blade Classic hockey game at the Meridian Centre on Friday evening.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  *Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University [email protected] or 289-241-5483 

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  Categories: Media releases