Dafonseca scores late go-ahead goal as Huskies defeat Aigles Bleus 5-4 to improve to 3-0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Moncton (2-3-0, 2-3-0) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
|
Saint Mary's (4-0-0, 4-0-0) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
HALIFAX, NS – Saint Mary's first year forward Charlie Dafonseca scored with 1:39 remaining in the third period to help the Huskies remain undefeated on the season with a 5-4 victory over the U SPORTS #9 ranked Moncton Aigles Bleus on Sunday night at the Dauphinee Centre in Halifax.
After outscoring their opposition 11-2 through their first two games of the season, the Huskies offence was looking to pick up where they left off. Through the first five minutes of the game Saint Mary's fired eight shots on goal, but Aigles Bleus all-star goaltender Etienne Montpetit (Valleyfield, QC) was outstanding and kept the Huskies off the scoreboard.
With just under seven minutes remaining in the period, Huskies forward Bradey Johnson (Lindsay, ON) got on a partial breakaway, but was pulled down from behind by Moncton defenceman Yann-Felix Lapointe (Granby, QC). The referee awarded a penalty shot and Johnson made no mistake, patiently skating in on Montpetit and dangling until the goaltender committed, and then sniping it into the upper half of the goal to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ����
— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 16, 2022
Bradey Johnson scores his fourth goal of the season on a penalty shot to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
Watch live: https://t.co/ogzD2OOu74 pic.twitter.com/g4aTV1Btqn
Less than a minute later, Huskies captain Keith Getson (Bridgewater, NS) was sent to the box for two minutes for tripping. On the ensuing powerplay, Moncton had several shots on goal denied by Huskies goaltender Jeremy Helvig (Kingston, ON), until Lapointe's point shot was deflected by forward Maxime Boudreau (Cap-Pele, NB), past Helvig to tie the game at 1-1 with 3:55 remaining in the first period.
With just over a minute remaining in the first period, it was the Huskies turn on the powerplay as Moncton forward Edouard St-Laurent (Levis, QC) was sent to the box for high sticking. Just 14 seconds into the Huskies powerplay, Johnson continued his torrid start from the season, taking a pass from defenceman Justin MacPherson (East Gwillimbury, ON) and wiring a one-timer past Montpetit for his second goal of the game and fifth of the season.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ����
— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 16, 2022
Bradey Johnson continues his torrid start to the season scoring his second of the game and fifth of the season on the powerplay to give @SMUMensHockey a 2-1 lead.
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��J. MacPherson
��N. Dunkley pic.twitter.com/KsovDSVLA5
The Huskies would take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission, outshooting the Aigles Bleus 17-7 but Montpetit was outstanding in nets with 15 saves.
Whatever Aigles Bleus coach Derek Cormier said in the locker room after the first intermission registered, as it took less than a minute into the second period for the visitors to not only tie it up, but take the lead.
Forward Jeremy Michel (Levis, QC) equalized the game with a powerplay goal just 33 seconds into the period. Just 10 seconds later, forward Remy Anglehart (Gascon, QC) broke into the Huskies zone off the face-off, and beat Helvig for his first goal of the season, giving Moncton a 3-2 lead just 43 seconds into the second period.
The Huskies equalized 13:51 into the second period when MacPherson's shot was stopped by Montpetit, but forward Andrew Coxhead (Bedford, NS) directed the rebound into the net to tie the game at 3-3.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ����
— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 16, 2022
Andrew Coxhead puts home the rebound of Justin MacPherson's shot to tie the game at 3-3 in the second period.
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��J. MacPherson
��N. Dunkley pic.twitter.com/4yW1zcqsKd
Less than a minute later Huskies forward Charlie Dafonseca (Thornhill, ON) nearly gave the home team the lead, but his shot rang off the goalpost.
Huskies outshot the Aigles Bleus 13-6 in the period, and took a 30-13 shots lead into the third period.
The wild back and forth continued into the third period, as less than a minute into the frame, a MacPherson point shot was saved by Montpetit, but several Huskies had whacks at the rebound and the puck trickled into the goal, with forward Sam King (Hampton, NB) getting credit for his first goal of the season.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ����
— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 16, 2022
It's officially a barnburner at the Dauphinee Centre as @SMUMensHockey score on a scramble less than a minute into the third period to take a 4-3 lead.
��S. King (1)
��C. Ralph
��K. Getson pic.twitter.com/bWh3nu9yC4
About four minutes later, the Aigles Bleus would get a chance at a penalty shot, as Michel was sprung on a breakaway. Huskies defenceman Walter Flower III (Lunenburg, NS) appeared to slightly trip up Michel, and the referee called for a penalty shot. Michel beat Helvig on the low left side to tie the game at 4-4 with 14:57 remaining in the game.
With just under two minutes remaining, both teams had tightened up and it looked like the game could be headed to overtime, but a pair of Huskies first years didn't let that happen. Dafonseca and linemate Ben Boyd (Dartmouth, NS) entered the Aigles Bleus zone and connected on a pass, with Dafonseca one-timing a high backhand shot past Montpetit to put the home team up for good.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ����
— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 17, 2022
First year forward Charlie Dafonseca scores the game-winning goal with 1:39 to put @SMUMensHockey up 5-4!
��C. Dafonseca
��B. Boyd pic.twitter.com/fFCcu5vfo8
Jeremy Helvig stopped 12 shots for his first career AUS win, while Montpetit stopped 35 shots for the Aigles Bleus, as Saint Mary's outshot Moncton 40-16 on the night.
Huskies forward Bradey Johnson was named Subway Player of the Game with two goals and five shots on the night. Through the Huskies first three games, Johnson leads the team with five goals and eight points, both ranking second in the AUS. Johnson's linemates have also been off to a hot start as Nathan Dunkley's two assists gave him six points (1 goal, 5 assists) on the campaign and Andrew Coxhead's goal giving him four points (3 goals, 1 assist) on the season.
The Huskies win improved their record to 3-0 on the season. They'll return to home ice on Wednesday, Oct. 19 as they host the Acadia Axemen at the Dauphinee Centre, with puck-drop scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Aigles Bleus loss dropped their record to 2-2 on the campaign. They'll return home to Moncton to host the Dalhousie Tigers on Friday night, with puck-drop scheduled for 7 p.m.
Recap by Allan April / SMU Huskies Athletics
