Huskies defeat Panthers 5-4 in shootout after third period comeback
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Mary's (10-9-1, 10-9-1) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
|
UPEI (7-10-2, 7-10-2) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI - Saint Mary's forward Declan McDonnell scored a pair of goals including the game-tying goal, as the Huskies erased a 4-1 third period deficit and came back to defeat the UPEI Panthers 5-4 in a shootout on Friday night in Charlottetown, PEI.
Both teams were quick to get feisty off the opening face-off, with many big hits and altercations. Veteran defenseman and captain Kurtis Henry received a roughing penalty after a tussle with Huskies forwards Ben Boyd (Dartmouth, NS) and Andrew Coxhead (Bedford, NS); the latter also received a penalty.
The Huskies had full control for most of the first period, leading in shots 7-2 by the halfway mark, but rookie goaltender Joe Ranger stood tall in net. Late in the period, veteran forward Kaleb Pearson was sent to the penalty box for interference.
Although the Panthers killed the penalty early in the second period, their luck stayed poor as the Huskies took advantage of a poor UPEI line change. Huskies forward Declan McConnell (Buffalo, NY) scored at 2:50 to give Saint Mary's a 1-0 lead.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 6, 2024
Ben Roger with the take-away and finds Declan McDonnell for the snipe! Huskies lead 1-0 in the second period!
�� D. McDonnell (8)
�� B. Roger
�� J. Bellamy pic.twitter.com/n28CwWvrzL
The game took an abrupt turn as two Saint Mary's penalties led to a three-goal explosion by UPEI. A tic-tac-toe play on an offensive rush led to rookie forwards Noah Sedore and Elias Cohen connecting for Sedore's sixth goal of the season at 9:54.
Over three minutes later, veteran forward Kaleb Pearson fired a one-timer past goaltender Jeremy Helvig (Kingston, ON) for his 14th goal of the season. Another minute later, Kurtis Henry snapped a shot far-side top corner to extend UPEI's lead to two goals.
The momentum continued into the third period as Pearson scored a bar-down goal 14 seconds into the period. The 4-1 lead was cut short at 5:27 after a Bradey Johnson (Lindsay, ON) goal, but other than that, everything seemed to be going well for the Panthers. Unfortunately, three UPEI penalties between 14:05 and 17:09 were not what the team nor fans wanted.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 6, 2024
Bradey Johnson scores a beautiful backhand goal to the cut the Panthers lead to 4-2.
�� B. Johnson (3)
�� L. Van Loon
�� N. Dunkley pic.twitter.com/0Nba9gDkTM
Justin MacPherson (East Gwillimbury, ON) inched the score closer at 14:30 and Declan McConnell scored his second goal of the game to tie things up at 18:24.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 6, 2024
Declan McDonnell scores on the 5-on-3 powerplay for the Huskies third unanswered goal of the period, tying the game at 4-4 and forcing OT!
�� D. McDonnell (9)
�� A. Coxhead
�� R. Valade pic.twitter.com/0Lq0Z2Jphx
The overtime period was a goaltender duel with Ranger and Helvig not letting either team catch a break. In the ensuing shootout, Charlie Dafonseca (Thornhill, ON) and Nathan Dunkley (Campbellford, ON) sealed the deal for Saint Mary's, extending the team's winning streak to five and once again denying UPEI a win for the fourth time this season. Ben McFarlane was the lone scorer for UPEI.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 6, 2024
WHAT A COMEBACK!
Huskies score three unanswered third period goals, and Nathan Dunkley and Matt Welsh provide the shootout heroics as the Huskies steal one on the road 5-4! @SMUMensHockey pic.twitter.com/KseFXC1Pc2
The final shots were 44-40 in favour of UPEI, with Jeremy Helvig turning away 40 shots for the Huskies win, while Panthers goaltender Joe Ranger stopped 36 shots in defeat.
Declan McDonnell and Kaleb Pearson were named Players of the Game, each scoring twice for their respective teams.
The Huskies win improves their record to 11-9-0-0 on the campaign. The Huskies will be back in action for a pair of home games next weekend, hosting U SPORTS #1 ranked UNB REDS (19-0-0-0) on Friday, and the Moncton Aigles Bleus (10-7-2-0) on Saturday, with both games set to drop the puck at 7 p.m. GET TICKETS
The Panthers earn a single point, with their record falling to 7-10-1-1 on the season. The Panthers will be back on home ice on Saturday, as they host the Acadia Axemen (5-11-0-3) at MacLauchlan Arena at 7 p.m.
Recap by Reegan MacAulay / UPEI Panthers Athletics
Photos by Janessa Vanden Broek / UPEI Panthers Athletics
