UNB Defeats UdeM 7-4

MONCTON While the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds men's hockey team had their three-game shutout streak halted, they did score three power play goals in a decisive 7-4 road win over the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus. It was the fourth win in a row for UNB and eighth loss in a row for UdeM.

There were four goals scored in the first period, with three of them scored on the power play and two of those by UNB. New Varsity Reds defenceman Marc-Antoine Desnoyer (St-Jerome, QC) was out on the left point of the first power play, which soon became a five-on-three man advantage, and he picked up his first CIS assist when he passed the puck to captain Kyle Bailey (Ponoka, AB) behind the Moncton goal line, who in turn fired a quick shot that was deflected by the stick or skate of Chris Culligan (Howie Center, NS) camped at the side of the net, and past goaltender Andre-Michel Guay (Moncton, NB) at 4:06. Five minutes later UdeM got that goal back on their first power play, as newcomer Alexandre Quesnel (Dorval, QC) fired a wrister from the slot that beat Travis Fullerton (Riverview, NB). Seconds later Guay robbed UNB defenceman Luke Gallant (Bedford, NS) from getting a go ahead goal. However less than five minutes later the V-Reds were back on the power play, and this time Hunter Tremblay (Timmins, ON) pounced on the rebound from Culligan's shot to put UNB once again in the lead. With 61 seconds to go in the period, V-Reds d-man Spencer Corcoran (Summerside, PEI) fired a low point shot that Nick MacNeil (Creignish, NS) adroitly tipped past Guay, and UNB was up 4-1 after 20 minutes, outshooting Moncton 15-7 in the process.

The second period was similar to the first. While Moncton had a couple of good shifts to start, UNB soon settled back in control. The V-Reds put on a clinic on the power play at 6:47 as crisp tic-tac-toe passes from Bretton Stamler (Edmonton, AB) to Taylor Procyshen (Emerald Park, SK) to Jordan Clendenning (Fredericton, NB) gave Guay no chance to make a save. At 9:34 Ian Mathieu-Girard (St-Gédéon de Beauce, QC) snapped a bouncy puck past Fullerton to put some life into the Moncton attack, but UNB responded yet again at 11:17 when Corcoran jumped into the rush as a trailer and put a deft Dion Campbell (Melville, SK) pass into the top corner of the Aigles Bleus net. Shots were 14-7 for UNB in the middle period.

Moncton's best period was the third, but it was a classic case of too little, too late. UNB's Josh Hepditch (Fredericton, NB), who was back in the line-up and playing forward and defence at different times in the game, was sprung on a breakaway by Gallant and he deked out Guay for a goal at 8:06. Mathieu-Girard responded with an opportunistic goal at 9:34 for his second goal, only to be answered by Tremblay's second at 12:58. The last goal of the game came at 16:48 as UdeM's Charles Bergeron (St-Joseph de Coleraine, QC) was way in behind the UNB defence and turned a long Mathieu-Girard pass into a successful breakaway. Moncton outshot UNB 14-8 in the period, but the V-Reds had the 37-28 shot margin in the game.

UNB now has a record of 14-4-0 and holds onto first place in the AUS standings, just one point ahead of the Saint Mary's Huskies who defeated the Dalhousie Tigers 5-0. The Varsity Reds will be back home Saturday night when they host the UPEI Panthers.