UNB edges SMU 3-2

(FREDERICTON, NB) The U SPORTS No. 7 Saint Mary's Huskies pushed the No. 1 UNB Varsity Reds, but the Varsity Reds held firm.

The V-Reds hung on for a 3-2 win over the Huskies, on Friday.

Trey Lewis(Aldouane, NB), Kris Bennett(Brampton, ON), and Tyler Boland(St. John's, NL) scored goals for the Varsity Reds while Alex Dubeau(Mascouche, QC) made 20 saves on 22 shots, earning Subway Player of the Game honours.

Steven Shipley(Ilderton, ON) and Dylan DiPerna(Nobleton, ON) scored for the Huskies.

Cole Cheveldave(Calgary, AB) faced 31 shots, stopping 28.

After falling behind 2-0 in the first, on goals by Lewis and Bennett, the Huskies looked like a different team in the second and third periods.

After Shipley pulled the visitors to within one, Dubeau made the save of the game, grabbing a shot from close range by Anthony Repaci(Toronto, ON).

"I had good positioning with my glove," said Dubeau. "I heard it, right in the pocket, that's the saves I dream of."

"There's luck there, but I was alert to and anticipated moving. It was 50-50, there's luck and there's positioning," he said.

"I was just standing there, I didn't know what to say," said Repaci. "You look back at it, I couldn't have done anything better. I got all of it, I tried to get it up. Credit to him, it was a great save."

Boland's goal, on the power-play, came midway through the third, and proved to be the winner.

"The way we reacted after giving up that goal, and moving into the third, I thought it was good," said Boland.

Unhappy with the outcome, the Huskies were satisfied with two of the three periods they played.

"I think what counts is the forty minutes that we put together after a bad first," said Huskies forward Hunter Garlent(Thorold, ON). "I think it's something to build off. We believe we controlled the game after that, and a couple of bounces either way and it would've been a huge two points for us."

"I think the key was having a one goal lead going into the third," said Varsity Reds head coach Gardiner MacDougall."I think we were pretty confident in the third, we got a big power-play goal and then some key penalty kills."

The Huskies head to Charlottetown for a Saturday date with the UPEI Panthers.

The Varsity Reds welcome the No. 6 ranked Acadia Axemen to the Aitken Centre on Saturday.

Game time is 7:00pm.

RECAP AND PHOTOS BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics