Aigles Bleus top Huskies 4-3 in OT

The Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus beat the Saint Mary's University Huskies 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday Oct. 26 at the Halifax Forum in AUS hockey action.  It was the second time in as many games for the Huskies that they fell to the Aigles Bleus. The win gives the Aigles Bleus a 3-4 record on the season and drops the Huskies to 2-4-1.

Alexi Thibaudeau (Gatineau, QC) made 33 saves for the Aigles Bleus to pick up his first win of the season in the first start of his AUS career.

Jean-François Plante (Sherbrook,e QC) (7,8) scored twice and Steve Lebel (Lemoyne, QC) (2) and Mitchell Robillard (Laval-Ouest, QC) (1) each added a goal for the Aigles Bleus. Robillard's goal was the overtime winner.

Ben Duffy (Lower Sackville, NS) (3,4) had two goals and Conor McGlynn (Oakville, ON) (1) added the other for the Huskies.

Eric Brassard finished with 22 saves in the loss.

1^st

The game had a slow start it was 4:00 in before the first real scoring chance came in favour of the Aigles Bleus.

Thomas Stavert (Kensington, PE) narrowly missed his first career AUS goal when his wrist shot from the slot clanged off the crossbar and out.

The Aigles Bleus opened the scoring at the 12:02 mark of the period. There was a faceoff in the attacking right circle in the Huskies zone, the Huskies won the draw but Alex Saulnier (Cap-Pelé, NB) forced a quick turnover in the corner and put a centring feed onto the tape of Plante all alone on doorstep, Plante instantly sent it upstairs under the bar for a 1-0 lead.

The Aigles Bleus kept the pressure up on the next shift with a flurry of shots that forced Brassard to make several saves.

The Huskies had a nice chance late in the period when Stephen Johnson (Moncton NB) forced a turnover in the Aigles Bleus zone and fed Hunter Garlent (Thorold, ON) in the slot, Garlent turned and shot but Thibaudeau made the save.

The Aigles Bleus went on the power-play at the 17:15 mark of the first. Saulnier sent a pass back to Pierre Durepos (Shediac, NB) on the left point he fired a shot from the top of the left circle, Lebel made a perfect deflection in front redirecting the puck top corner just before the penalty expired for a 2-0 lead.

Shots after one were 12-6 Aigles Bleus.

2^nd

The Huskies almost got on the board just over a minute into the second. Steven Shipley (Ilderton, ON) got the puck all alone to the left of the net about 7 feet up from the goal-line, he made a few moves and took the puck to the goal-line before appearing to bank it in, the puck rolled over the line but the net was knocked off just before disallowing the goal.

Later in the period Duffy fired a shot from left dot through traffic and Thibaudeau snapped the leather to make a tough save.

Saulnier got a chance up ice on a blue line break but his shot went wide.

Alex Cord (Toronto, ON) flipped a high pass from the Huskies zone over the Aigles Bleus D trying to hit Duffy streaking up ice, but the pass was just long and ended up as icing.

Johnson, Taylor Burke (Halifax, NS) and Shipley put together a great fore-check in last minute swarming all over in the Aigles Bleus zone but came away with nothing to show on the scoreboard.

Shots after 40 were 20-18 Aigles Bleus

3^rd

The Huskies started the third on the power-play with a fresh sheet of ice. Their best chance came when Duffy sent a pass from the left dot to Bradley Latour (Barrie, ON) who was crashing on the right post but they just missed connecting.

7:54 in the Huskies got themselves on the board. Garlent sent a pass back to Kyle Pereira on the point in the middle of the ice, he fired a low shot, Duffy tipped it in the slot and it handcuffed Thibaudeau and ended up sliding in just before the net was knocked off. The officials had a discussion with the goal judge and decided it was a good goal making the game 2-1.

Under a minute later Pereira moved the puck to Anthony Repaci (Toronto On) the right wall in the neutral zone, he fired a cross ice pass to a streaking McGlynn, McGlynn raced in up the left wing and ripped a quick wrist shot from the top of the circle that beat Thibaudeau high glove side to tie the game at 2-2.

The Huskies took their first lead at the 16:59 mark of the third. Duffy and Garlent worked in on a two-on-one, Duffy's feed to Garlent was just behind him but the Huskies kept pressure up, the puck found its way back to Duffy who took a backhand shot from the slot, the rebound went to Garlent to the left of the net who took a crack at the puck before Duffy cleaned it up for a 3-2 score. Assists on the play went to Latour and Garlent.

The Huskies lead lasted less than a minute, as Saulnier worked the puck into the Huskies zone on the rush on the right wing he sent a cross ice feed to Plante at the top of the left circle, Plante fired a rocket high short side that sent Brassard's water bottle flying and tied the game at 3-3.

Shots were 36-25 Huskies after regulation as they outshot the Aigles Bleus 18-5 in the third.

OT

The three-on-three overtime delivered end to end action with great chances at both ends.

2:30 in Robillard forced a turnover at the Huskies blue-line and raced in on a breakaway he ripped a wrist shot off the post glove side to give the Aigles Bleus the game 4-3.

Up next:

The Aigles Bleus host the Acadia Axemen in Moncton NB on Saturday Oct. 29. 

The Huskies will go on the road to play the Axemen on Friday Oct. 28 in Wolfville NS.

By Cam Honey-Webb

Photo Mike Fines