Courtesy Alyssa Spridgeon, STFX Sports Information
Antigonish, NS- The StFX X-Men defeated the Dalhousie Tigers 5-2 in Wednesday night AUS action at the Charles V. Keating Centre. The victory brought their record to 3-0 to begin the regular season, while the Tigers fell to 1-2.
Dalhousie opened the scoring 11 minutes into the first period as Barret Kirwin (Barrie, ON) scored his first goal of the season. The Tigers capitalized on an unlucky deflection, as the puck rebounded just wide of the X-Men goal to a waiting Kirwin, who slotted it low past goaltender Joseph Raaymakers (Chatham, ON).
The X-Men fought back as the period pressed on, with Liam Hawel (Arnprior, ON) leading the way in scoring opportunities. Despite his best efforts, Tigers goaltender Reilly Pickard (Halifax, NS) did his part to shut down the X-Men.
As the first period drew to a close, the X-Men evened the score through a shot blasted into the top of the net by Patrick Kyte (Pembroke, ON).
With only 20 seconds remaining on the clock, Matthew Struthers (Milton, ON) intercepted a pass from Dalhousie forward Liam Peyton (Halifax, NS), then driving down the ice he fired a shot at the Tigers netminder. With three X-Men up ice against only one Tigers defenseman, Zack Trott (Mulmur, ON) looked to finish up the rebound, but it was Kyte who ultimately nailed the puck into the back of the net.
Although the X-Men led 19-8 in shots after the first period, the Tigers held their own, doing well to remain in motion and keep the X-Men on their toes until the final buzzer.
The second period began with even back-and-forth play as both teams worked to break the stalemate. Eight minutes in, Pickard came up big to block a shot from Dallas Farrell (Cardigan, PE), but the X-Men pressed on until their efforts were rewarded in the 10th minute.
Hawel played the puck across the ice to Kyte, who spotted Trott alone in the DAL defensive third. Receiving the pass on his backhand, Trott remained composed as he easily fired the puck high into the Tigers goal.
The remainder of the second period saw strong defensive efforts from both sides, as Raaymakers pulled off two excellent saves to maintain the X-Men lead.
Tigers forwards Derek Gentile (Sydney, NS) and Kirwin pressed hard throughout the period to get Dalhousie back on the board, particularly in the closing five minutes. Their best chances occurred at the 16-minute mark, with Gentile working around the back of the X-Men net to attempt a shot at the back post. Instead, Gentile earned a rebound that was followed up by Kirwin before the play ended.
In the final minute of play, senior forward Chandler Yakimowicz (Kingston, PA) seemed sure to score for the Tigers as he drove towards the X-Men net on a breakaway. Choosing to stay in his net, Raaymakers held his ground and pulled off a huge save to keep the X-Men 2-1 lead heading into the final period.
With both teams fighting for a win, the third period featured increased intensity. Despite going down a man in the fourth minute as Connor Bruggen-Cate (Langley, BC) picked up a penalty, the X-Men quickly scored a shorthanded goal to increase their lead. As Declan Smith (Antigonish, NS) won the faceoff, the Tigers appeared to pause as Matthew Philip (Ilderton, ON) raced down the ice to singlehandedly place the puck inside the back post with an unassisted marker.
Unwilling to let the X-Men get too comfortable, the Tigers responded only moments later to bring the game back to only a one-goal lead. Using the power play to their advantage, Aiden Jamieson (Lindsay, ON) laid the puck off to Gentile, whose shot from outside creeped past Raaymakers on the far side.
The game evolved into an even battle with both teams fighting to keep possession. Tigers defenseman Christian Huntley (Halifax, NS) contributed to the DAL offensive efforts, while X forward Josh Nelson (Lockport, IL) had a breakaway attempt that was saved by the pads of Pickard.
With just over two minutes remaining, the Dalhousie brass pulled Pickard in a final attempt to tie up the game. However, the decision backfired as the X-Men sealed their win with two empty-net goals.
Goal #4 for the X-Men was scored by Kyte, who sent the puck down the ice from the X-Men defensive zone for an unchallenged goal. Wrapping up the evening was a joint effort from Trott and Hawel, as Trott faked a Tigers defenseman before passing the puck to Hawel, who calmly directed it into the net.
First year forward Zack Trott earned first star Subway Player of the Game honours for his offensive efforts, earning a goal and two assists for the X-Men. Kyte was named second star and Hawel was the third star of the game.
The X-Men recorded a 39-29 shot advantage in the game, with Raaymakers earning 27 saves for his third consecutive win of the season. Pickard turned aside 34 pucks in the Tigers net.
The X-Men will look to continue their winning streak as they hit the road to play UPEI on Friday, Oct. 15 at 7pm. The Tigers will return home for a Saturday evening match against UPEI on Oct. 16 at 7pm.
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