(FREDERICTON, N.B.) - Before a packed Aitken University Centre, filled with elementary school students on UNB's North Side Elementary School Night, the CIS No. 4-ranked UNB Varsity Reds men's hockey team put on a show for the young faithful, defeating the visiting Dalhousie Tigers 6-3 Friday night.
After a slow start, and a subsequent Matt Filler penalty for head contact, Dalhousie capitalized and opened the scoring midway through the first period. The Tigers' Rob McEwan fired a point shot on net which goaltender Travis Fullerton stopped. François Gauthier batted the rebound out of mid-air which Fullerton again stopped, but Shea Kewin was on the doorstep to bury his fourth goal of the year.
However UNB answered with three goals on three shots, to take a quick 3-1 lead.
First, Ben Shutron started a V-Reds rush in their own zone and headmanned the puck to Daine Todd, who one touch passed it to Chris Culligan in the neutral zone. Culligan then fed an open Bryce Swan and he wired a slap shot through the five hole of Dalhousie netminder Russ Brownell, who was making his first start of the year for the Tigers.
Thirty-seven seconds later Geordie Wudrick gave UNB the lead with a highlight-reel goal, drawing Brownell out of position, and toe-dragging the puck back around the post for his second of the season.
Two minutes later, Todd started a give-and-go with defence partner Adrian Robertson, and fired a backdoor one-timer past Brownell for his first goal as a Varsity Reds defenseman, having played his first three years as a forward.
UNB added to the lead early in the second period as Cam Braes corralled a Culligan saucer pass, and beat Brownell five hole.
Dalhousie answered later in the period as Daniel Bartek deflected a Jacob Johnson point shot, halving the lead to 4-2.
UNB added two more in the third with Thomas Nesbitt tucking the puck past Brownell on a wrap-around for his team-leading sixth goal of the year, just 57 seconds in.
Two minutes later Tyler Carroll picked up his fifth of the year, tapping in a cross-crease pass from Culligan, who earned his third assist on the night, and his team-leading 10th assist of the year.
Dalhousie added another late in the third period as Andrew Wiggington scored shorthanded, beating Fullerton top-shelf for his first of the year.
UNB outshot Dalhousie 37-20, and head coach Gardiner MacDougall said his team rebounded well after allowing the early goal.
"Bouncing back was a key part," said MacDougall. "There's a certain skill element, but we want to add the blue collar to the skill level."
Eleven different V-Reds picked up points in the win, while Culligan, Robertson, Todd, and Nick MacNeil earned multi-point nights.
Attendance at the game was 3,367.
Source: UNB Sports Information
Photo courtesy of Brian Smith