Tigers fall to Huskies 8-2
Barrett Kirwin and Zak Smith scored for the Tigers in the loss on Friday.
HALIFAX, N.S. — The Saint Mary's Huskies rolled to an 8-2 victory over the Dalhousie Tigers in Atlantic University Sport action on Friday night at the Halifax Forum.
The Huskies dominated from the start, outshooting Dalhousie 47-23 and capitalizing on their power play opportunities. Derek Gentile (Sydney, NS) led the charge for Saint Mary's, scoring twice and adding an assist in the win. His first goal, at 7:09 of the first period, gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead, with Cedric Ralph (Peterborough, ON) and Jaxon Bellamy (Hampton, NB) earning the helpers.
Dalhousie tied things up early in the second, as Barret Kirwin (Barrie, ON) scored on the power play just 1:09 into the period, assisted by Alec Belanger (Quebec, QC) and Brody Fournier (Perth, ON). However, the Huskies answered back with three unanswered goals. Matthew MacDonald (Halifax, NS) put Saint Mary's back on top at 2:03, and Bradey Johnson (Lindsey, ON) extended the lead to 3-1 at 6:22.
Dalhousie found the net again on a power play at 6:07 of the third, as Zak Smith (Austin, MB) made it 5-2, but Saint Mary's responded with three more goals in the final 5:30. Gentile scored his second of the night on the power play at 13:31, followed by goals from Declan McDonnell (Buffalo, NY) and Reid Valade (Caledon, ON) to seal the dominant 8-2 win.
The Huskies' power play was especially lethal, going 3-for-6, while Dalhousie was 2-for-6. Saint Mary's also capitalized on their physicality, as the Tigers racked up 22 penalty minutes, including a major penalty and game misconduct against Liam Peyton (Halifax, NS) in the third period.
Ben West (Barrie, ON) earned the win in goal for the Huskies, making 21 saves. Dalhousie's Nicholas Chenard (Tecumseh, ON) took the loss after stopping 39 shots.
Gentile was named the player of the game for his two-goal performance in the win.
Saint Mary's will look to continue their strong play on Saturday when they host the STFX X-Men. Dalhousie will also return to the ice on Saturday when they host the Acadia Axemen at the Forum. Both game are set for 7pm.