(FREDERICTON, N.B.) – The CIS No. 2-ranked UNB Varsity Reds shutout the No. 4-ranked Saint Mary's Huskies by a score of 2-0 in the third and final game of their best two-of-three Subway AUS men's hockey championship series to capture their third consecutive AUS championship banner and 13th in school history.
Subway player of the game Dion Campbell scored the game-winner, his second of the series, with 18 seconds remaining in the opening period.
Saint Mary's came out slow in the opening frame, being outshot 15-3, but switched gears in the second with a 7-1 shot run to open the period.
The Huskies had three great chances at the end of the second and leading into the third, with UNB taking back-to-back-to-back penalties, giving the Huskies six minutes worth of power-plays in eight minutes over two periods.
UNB's shot blockers stood out on the penalty kill, with Taylor MacDougall, Ben Shutron, and Josh Kidd all stepping in front of shots.
Antoine Houde-Caron provided the insurance marker, his first of the playoffs, with 5:05 to play in the third.
The V-Reds held on, thanks to some solid play from goalie Dan LaCosta, who picked up his second shutout of the series and was named the most valuable player of the championship.
The Huskies pulled goalie Anthony Peters for an extra attacker in the final 1:18 of the contest, but could not solve LaCosta. Peters stopped 34-of-36 shots in the loss.
LaCosta, in his fifth year of eligibility, turned aside all 25 shots on goal in the win. He finished the AUS post-season with a 5-2 record, including a 1.76 GAA and a 0.927 save percentage.
LaCosta said this shutout to win the AUS championship is more meaningful to him than his NHL shutout against the Colorado Avalanche.
"To be honest, this is more gratifying just because of the teammates that I've had over the last two years," said LaCosta. "I've never played on a team like this where everyone's so close and it's what hockey's all about. It's a tight room, everybody cares about each other and that's why we're playing hard."
Huskies head coach Trevor Steinberg said while his team came out slow in the first, he was pleased with how they battled back in the third.
"After the first I thought our guys did exactly what they've always done," said Steinberg. "The mutts came back and started biting at their ankles and we almost made it happen. It hurts to have two goals like that scored and at the end where we have a few dings here, and a few scrambles there, but you can't wish for a miracle. If we're going to have a miracle happen, I'd rather have it happen in Saskatoon."
The V-Reds captured their fifth AUS championship under head coach Gardiner MacDougall.
"This series was really intense because it was three games quick," said MacDougall. "You have two teams that play very well and we're here for a reason. The key in this series was that the team that had the lead didn't give it up."
UNB's Cam Braes picked up his first point of the series with an assist on Campbell's goal and finished tied for the lead in post-season scoring with nine points in seven games.
UNB went 0-for-3 on the power-play, while the Huskies were 0-for-5.
Dion Campbell was named Subway the player of the game. Goalie Dan LaCosta was named the most valuable player of the championship after recording two shutouts and a 0.941 in the three games.
UNB has now moved into a tie for second with the Huskies with 13 AUS titles. The StFX X-Men have a league-leading 24 Atlantic conference banners.
Source: UNB Sports Information
Photo courtesy of Brian Smith