Sumarah shines in season opener as Huskies defeat Panthers 5-1

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI - Saint Mary's goaltender Justin Sumarah turned away 34 shots, and forward Connor Trenholm scored a pair of goals, as the Huskies defeated the UPEI Panthers 5-1 to open the 2024-25 AUS Men's Hockey season on Wednesday night at the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown.

The UPEI Panthers' 2024-25 season home opener ended in disappointment Wednesday night as the Saint Mary's Huskies surged to a convincing 5-1 victory, powered by stellar goaltending and an offensive outburst led by rookie Connor Trenholm.

The veteran presence of Huskies goaltender Justin Sumarah was instrumental, as he turned aside 34 shots, keeping the Panthers at bay during key moments, particularly in the second period when the home team had Saint Mary's on their heels.

The game began with both teams shaking off the offseason rust. Neither squad found much rhythm in the opening period as they worked to regain their competitive edge. The first breakthrough came at 12:08 of the first period when Saint Mary's capitalized on a Panthers' miscue. UPEI's Ben McFarlane attempted a cross-ice pass to Derek Pys, but the puck deflected off Pys' skate, creating a turnover. Huskies defenceman Dennis Busby seized the opportunity, chipping the puck off the boards to Derek Gentile, who broke in alone and slipped the puck past goaltender Jakob Robillard for a 1-0 lead.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Derek Gentile scores a breakaway goal, his first as a Husky, to put his us ahead 1-0 in the first period!

�� D. Gentile (1)
�� D. Busby pic.twitter.com/jU4XfVuN4n

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 3, 2024

The Panthers responded with a surge of energy to start the second period, dominating the play for the first 16 minutes, as they outshot their opponent 19-3. They were rewarded when a holding penalty against the Huskies at 6:57 gave them a power play. The Panthers' special teams unit cycled the puck efficiently before it found its way to McFarlane, who took a stride and fired a lethal wrist shot that beat Sumarah to tie the game at 1-1.

However, Saint Mary's soon regained their footing and made the most of their limited chances.

The Huskies struck again with just under four minutes remaining in the second. Ben Allison carried the puck toward the net, forcing Robillard out of position. Allison then calmly passed it back to Busby, who fired a wrist shot into the open net, restoring the lead at 16:34.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

What a pass by Ben Allison! He somehow finds Dennis Busby who puts it into the Panthers goal to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead late in the second period.

�� D. Busby (1)
�� B. Allison
�� B. Boyd pic.twitter.com/5eWqcEDS2G

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 3, 2024

Just over a minute later, the Huskies extended their lead to 3-1. Cedric Ralph chipped the puck ahead to Trenholm, who snuck behind the defence and beat Robillard on the glove side, sending them into the second intermission with a two-goal lead.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Connor Trenholm scores his first @AUS_SUA regular season goal, extending the Huskies lead to 3-1!

�� C. Trenholm (1)
�� R. Valade
�� C. Ralph pic.twitter.com/XZtp1TEDpJ

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 3, 2024

UPEI had a chance to close the gap but failed to convert on a late double-minor power play, allowing Saint Mary's to put the game out of reach. Trenholm added his second of the night with an empty-net goal with 68 seconds to spare. Matthew MacDonald scored 20 seconds later on a rebound off an Allison shot in front of the net, sealing the Huskies' 5-1 win.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Matthew MacDonald scores his first @AUS_SUA regular season goal, icing the Huskies 5-1 win!

�� M. MacDonald (1)
�� B. Allison pic.twitter.com/Cxvpg7aLh0

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 3, 2024