X-Men score three power-play goals in a 5-3 win over Huskies

The StFX X-Men defeated the Saint Mary's University Huskies 5-3 on Wednesday Nov. 9 at the Halifax Forum in Halifax, NS. The X-Men entered the game ranked second in the U Sports Top Ten and improved their record to 8-3 on the season good for second in the AUS. The Huskies fell to 3-7-1 and sit in sixth place in the AUS.

Special teams were the difference in the game, as the X-Men went 3/3 with the man advantage, while the Huskies were 0/3.

Chase Marchand (Halifax, NS) continued his strong play in goal for the X-Men in his first season of AUS action making 30 saves to improve to 6-0 on the season.

Bryson Cianfrone (Stoney Creek, ON) (4), Max Iafrate (Livonia, MI) (2), Cole MacDonald (Wetaskiwin, AB) (2), Craig Duininck (St Cloud, MN) (2) and Mark Tremaine (Dartmouth,NS) (2) scored the X-Men's goals.

Taylor Burke (Halifax, NS) (5), Alex Cord (Toronto, ON) (2) and Ben Duffy (Lower Sackville, NS) (5) responded with goals for the Huskies.

Eric Brassard (St Hubert, QC) made 23 save on the night for the Huskies dropping his record to 2-3 in his first AUS campaign.

1^st

The Huskies got on the board first just 2:17 into the game. Stephen Johnson (Moncton, NB) worked back and forth below the goal line and fed the puck back to Kyle Pereira (Brampton, ON) on the right point, Pereira fired a low shot on goal, Burke received the shot standing on the goal line to the right of the net took a step out front and roofed a backhand upstairs to make the game 1-0 Huskies.

The X-Men Answered on the power-play at the 13:35 mark of the first. Michael Clarke (London, ON) sent a pass from the right point to Matt Needham (Penticton, BC) in the slot.  Needham fired quickly, Brassard made a nice pad save and the rebound went directly to Cianfrone to the right of the net just above the goal line and he buried it to make it 1-1.

2^nd

The X-Men went in front at the 14:27 mark of the second scoring on the power-play again. Clarke carried through the neutral zone across the Huskies blue line and dished off to Holden Cook (Oshawa, ON) on the right wing, Cook worked a shot on goal that Brassard saved with his right pad and Iafrate was there to bang home the rebound after jumping into the rush to make it 2-1.

With just under a minute to play in the frame the X-men added to their lead with another power-play goal. The X-Men sustained zone time with the man advantage, Nathan Pancel (Ottawa, ON) fed the puck from the right half-wall to Needham covering the right point.  Needham worked it quickly across the blue line to MacDonald who walked into the left circle, at the dot he made a nice toe-drag to wrist shot move and buried blocker side to make it 3-1.

3^rd

The X-Men made it 4-1 5:47 into the third. Marchand made a big save on an Anthony Repaci (Toronto, ON) shot off a Huskies rush.  Cook scooped up the rebound and raced up the left wing.  He stopped up just before going into the corner and put a centring feed right on the tape of Duininck on the doorstep.  Duininck redirected it home for the goal.

The Huskies responded at the 9:48 mark. They won a face off in the X-Men zone and kept the pressure up in the offensive zone. Twenty five seconds after the draw, Burke sent the puck to Johnson on the left wall who fed it back to Cord on the point. Cord walked the line and fired a wrist home to make it a 4-2 game.

Still down by two the Huskies pulled their goalie for the extra attacker with 2:30 remaining in the game. Tremaine forced a turnover and scored in the empty net at the 18:01 mark of the third.

The Huskies made it 5-3 with only one second left on the clock. Thomas Stavert (Kensington, PE) sent the puck back to the blue line in the middle of the ice.  Captain Kyle Pereira did a nice job to keep the line and fired a shot on goal.  Duffy was sitting in the slot to deflect it in just before time expired.

Final shots were 33-28 in favour of the Huskies.

Up Next:

The X-Men will host the undefeated University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds on Friday, November11 in Antigonish, NS.

The Huskies go on the road to face the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus on Friday, November 11 in Moncton, NB.

By Cam Honey-Webb, SMU Communications

Photo Nick Pearce