Huskies drop X-Men 4-1 pick up season’s first win

(Halifax, NS)  In their homecoming game, the Saint Mary's University Huskies rolled to a 4-1 win over the STFX X-Men on Friday October 14 at the Halifax Forum. The win improves the Huskies record to 1-2 and leaves the X-Men sitting at 2-1 on the season.

It was a matchup of last year's 2^nd  (X-Men) and 3^rd (Huskies) place teams in the CIS and did not disappoint with a fast paced up-tempo game.

Playing in his first career AUS game Eric Brassard (St. Hubert QC) was stellar in goal for the Huskies. He stopped 32 of the 33 shots he faced for a .970 save percentage and his first win.

The Huskies had four different players find the back of the net, as Calder Brooks (Emerald Park SK), Ben Duffy (Lower Sackville NS), Anthony Repaci (Toronto ON) and Taylor Burke (Halifax NS) all contributed offensively.

1^st

The game was fast paced from the opening puck drop, with both teams playing with a lot of energy.

Just 1:24 in The X-Men went on the power-play and were able to apply good pressure with the man advantage but the Huskies came away with the kill.

The X-Men controlled the majority of the play in the period but were unable to beat Brassard who made several spectacular saves.

First getting the shoulder up on a shot from Adam Stevens (Bedford, NS) from the bottom of the attacking right wing circle keeping the puck from going top shelf. Just moments later Eric Locke (Toronto, ON) and Kristoff Kontos (Penetanguishene, ON) came in on a two-on-one Kontos streaked in on the left wing and took a slick feed from Locke but Brassard went post-to-post to make a stellar pad save and then recovered to stop Holden Cook (Oshawa, ON) on the rebound.

Anthony Difruscia (Thorold, ON) pounced on a puck off a face-off in the attacking left wing circle and beat Brassard short-side with a quick wrist-shot but the puck rang off the post and stayed out.

The last great chance in the period came when Locke worked a give-and-go with Cook up the right wing and made a strong move to the net, again Brassard was there, this time flashing the leather to keep the score 0-0.

The Huskies were able to fire some rubber on Brandon Hope (Canton, MI) in the frame but the X-Men goalie was solid in his own right.

Shots in the period were 13-7 in favour of the X-Men.

2^nd

When the two teams switched sides for the second the play continued to be tilted to the south side of the Forum as the Huskies took control early in the frame.

The Huskies capitalized on some great zone pressure early in the period. Alex Cord (Toronto, ON) cycled the puck down low to Repaci who worked behind the net and sent a backhand feed right on the tape of Brooks in the high slot who one-timed the puck off the post past Hope's glove for a 1-0 Huskies lead.

The home side continued to swarm as Hunter Garlent (Thorold, ON) ripped a shot off the post from the attacking right wing dot. A minute later Bronson Beaton (Springhill, NS) got a good shot off alone in the low slot but Hope made a better save.

6:12 into the frame Cord took a holding penalty to send the X-Men on the power-play. They were able to work a great chance early in the man advantage when Brent Turnbull (Stellarton, NS) took a centering feed in front but Brassard made big pad save.

From there the Huskies took over short-handed. Brooks and Michael Curtis (Georgetow,n ON) worked in on a two-on-one, Brooks sent a great feed to Curtis who dangled to his backhand but could not beat Hope.

Seconds later Duffy took the puck from Curtis in the Huskies zone and raced up the right wing and fired a shot low blocker for a 2-0 Huskies lead.

There was end to end action for the next several minutes highlighted for the Huskies by Bradley Latour (Barrie, ON) working in on the right wing three-on-one showing great patience waiting to send a feed across to Garlent whose shot forced Hope to make a brilliant save going post-to-post.

On a Huskies power-play late in the period Duffy showed off some filthy mitts dangling through right face off circle beating two X-Men defenders and had Hope sliding out of the net the other way but ripped his shot off the post.

Shots after forty minutes were 23-17 in favour of the X-Men

3^rd

The first ten minutes of the third saw each team exchange some chances but was fairly uneventful.

With the X-Men short-handed Nathan Pancel (Ottawa, ON) fired a shot while working down the left wing Brassard made a pad save but the rebound left a loose puck top of crease with an open net but Kyle Pereira (Brampton, ON) swooped in to swipe it away for the Huskies.

Just as the X-Men penalty-kill ended they found themselves on the power-play. On the rush Jagger Dirk (Penticton BC) worked it over for Cook on the right wing who took a shot from the top of the circle that was tipped in front by Locke under Brassard's blocker making it 2-1.

The deficit was not cut for very long though, as the Huskies got another power-play opportunity shortly later. Duffy slid the puck back to Austyn Hardie (Montreal, QC) on the left point whose shot was tipped in front by Repaci past hope to build the Huskies lead to 3-1.

Burke sealed the game on an empty netter in the final minute.

Up Next:

The X-Men continue their weekend road-trip traveling to face the Acadia Axemen on Saturday, October15.

The Huskies will play a "road" game at the Halifax Forum against their Halifax rivals the Dalhousie Tigers on Saturday, October 15.

Source Cam Honey-Webb, SMU Communications

Photo Mona Ghiz