Aigles Bleus comeback to beat Huskies 5-4 in overtime
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Moncton (13-7-2, 13-7-2) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
|
Saint Mary's (11-11-0, 11-11-0) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
HALIFAX, NS – Moncton forward Nathael Roy scored a pair of goals including the overtime winner, as the Aigles Bleus defeated the Saint Mary's Huskies 5-4 in Atlantic University Sport Men's Hockey action on Saturday night at the Dauphinee Centre in Halifax.
The Huskies looked motivated from the opening whistle, as they earned an early powerplay opportunity and were able to record the first seven shots of the game, including a great chance on a wraparound opportunity from forward Ben Allison (Halifax, NS), but Aigles Bleus goaltender Olivier Adam (Drummondville, QC) was sharp, turning away the Huskies early attempts.
But the Huskies wouldn't be held off the scoresheet for long, as midway through the first period, Huskies captain Andrew Coxhead (Bedford, NS) took a pass from Declan McDonnell (Buffalo, NY) at the Aigles Bleus blueline and streaked in on goal, roofing a high shot over Adam to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead with 9:46 remaining in the first.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 13, 2024
Captain Coxhead takes a pass from Declan McDonnell and gives the Huskies an early 1-0 lead! @SMUMensHockey
�� A. Coxhead (4)
�� D. McDonnell
�� D. Busby pic.twitter.com/CfM4TIH02F
Saint Mary's dominated the opening 20 minutes with a 19-5 shot advantage, but Adam's stellar play kept the visitors within a goal heading into intermission.
The Aigles Bleus came out energized in the second period and quickly equalized as forwards Jeremie Jacob (Dieppe, NB) and Edouard St-Laurent (Lévis, QC) broke out on a two-on-one, with St-Laurent using the backhand to redirect Jacob's pass past Huskies netminder Jeremy Helvig (Kingston, ON) to tie the game at 1-1, just 2:23 into the second.
Midway through the second period forward Nathael Roy (Lévis, QC) was sprung on a partial breakaway but brought down from behind earning a penalty shot. Helvig was able to turn away the Roy penalty shot to keep the game tied at 1-1.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 14, 2024
Jeremy Helvig stops a penalty shot to keep the game tied at 1-1 in the second period! @SMUMensHockey pic.twitter.com/vDbn5hSonP
Moments later the Huskies were on the penalty kill when forward Ben Boyd (Dartmouth, NS) received a pass from Ben Roger (Markham, ON) and made a great individual effort, cutting through Aigles Bleus defender and somehow chipping the puck over Adam to put the Huskies ahead 2-1 at the 11:19 mark of the second period.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 14, 2024
Ben Boyd with a great individual effort for the shorthanded goal to put the Huskies ahead 2-1!
�� B. Boyd (3)
�� B. Roger
�� C. Olson pic.twitter.com/vVyspQophr
Once again the visitors were able to respond with a goal from Olivier-Luc Hache (Savoie Landing, NB), tying the game at 2-2 at the 15:29 mark.
Just two minutes later, the Aigles Bleus were back on the powerplay and took their first lead of the night, with Roy redirecting a point shot from defenceman Denis Toner (Saint-Andre, NB) past Helvig to put Moncton ahead 3-2 at the 17:35 mark.
But that lead would stand for less than 30 seconds, as Huskies forward Ben Allison was able to bang home a rebound off a Ben Roger shot, tying the game once again at the 18:02 mark of the second period.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 14, 2024
Ben Allison cleans up the rebound off Ben Roger's point shot to tie the game at 3-3 after a wild second period!
�� B. Allison (9)
�� B. Roger pic.twitter.com/Ays3SPVaVM
The Aigles Bleus outshot the Huskies 13-12 in the second period, and the two teams headed into the second intermission deadlocked at 3-3 on the scoreboard.
Just over six minutes into the third period, the Huskies went on the powerplay and Andrew Coxhead was able to score in tight, with the captain's second goal of the night giving Saint Mary's a 4-3 advantage.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 14, 2024
Andrew Coxhead's second goal of the night, a powerplay marker, gives the Huskies a 4-3 lead in the third period!
�� A. Coxhead (5)
�� R. Valade
�� D. McDonnell pic.twitter.com/0aVTuWGCaE
But once again the Aigles Bleus were able to tie it up with just over three minutes remaining, as a scramble in front of the Huskies goal saw forward Remy Anglehart (Gascon, QC) tap it in to tie the game up at 4-4.
The Huskies had a few shots towards Adam in the final three minutes of regulation, but were not able to beat the Moncton netminder, and game headed into overtime.
Just a minute into the extra frame, the Aigles Bleus completed their late comeback, with Nathael Roy scoring his second of the night off a pass from Jeremy Lapointe (Drummondville, QC) for Moncton's second straight overtime win.
Aigles Bleus goaltender Olivier Adam was named Player of the Game, turning away 43 shots for the win, while Helvig saved 25 shots for the Huskies.
The Aigles Bleus win improves their record to 13-7-2-0 on the campaign. Moncton will be back in action on Wednesday night, as they host the UPEI Panthers (8-10-1-2) at 7 p.m.
The Huskies earn a single point with their record now standing at 11-10-1-0 for the season. The Huskies next test will come on the road as they visit the STFX X-Men (11-9-1-0) on Friday, Jan. 20, before hosting the Dalhousie Tigers (5-15-2-0) on Saturday at the Homburg Centre.
Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Eduardo Ibarra / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
