Panthers fall to Huskies 6-4 in intense playoff-esque match

By Reegan MacAulay 

Despite flying out of the gates with playoff-style intensity and taking advantage of the return of their head coach and two captains, the UPEI Panthers (7-14-0-1) had a crucial opportunity slip out of their hands against the Saint Mary's University Huskies (14-8-2-0) on Friday night at the MacLauchlan Arena, allowing six goals in the final two periods and ultimately losing 6-4.

The Panthers were up 2-0 five and a half minutes into the second period and playing their best hockey in a long time. Then, the confidence was dashed by three goals within 7:22 by SMU's Bradey Johnson, which caused a severe momentum shift. While UPEI managed to tie the game late in the period, an early Huskies goal in the third frame and two late empty-net goals sealed the deal for SMU's second win against UPEI this season.

Regardless of the result, head coach Forbes MacPherson said his team had good moments and shifts. He noted it was good to be back after claiming gold representing Canada at the 2025 FISU World University Winter Games in Torino, Italy alongside Kaleb Pearson and Kurtis Henry.

"(Italy) was an incredible experience, more than words can say," MacPherson said. "Pearson and Henry made that team because they're confident, capable players and they had a good game tonight with very little rest and turnover from just getting back. They made (Canada) for a reason and it was evident tonight.

"(SMU) is a big, physical team. They work hard and have some guys who can score. They're a well-built team and they play playoff hockey. We're not quite there yet. Where this team is right now, it's very inconsistent and it shows in our record. Until we get more consistent, we're just going to be the same old team."

Pearson, who scored two goals and one assist in his first game back in the lineup, said his goal was to bring the same mentality from Italy to his return to the Panthers.

"I've never been to Europe, so it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Pearson said. "To wear the maple leaf on your chest is a pretty cool honour. To have Kurt and Forbie with me was unreal, to have one of my best buddies on the team to be there and experience that with me was fun. 

"I think (this game) slipped away from us. Every time we play (SMU), we play them hard, so it's nice to have that environment and play those kind of games. To get two on the board was nice; hopefully, I can keep that rolling. Just need to bring that same effort and play a full 60 minutes tomorrow (against Acadia)."

Right off the hop, fans were treated to a potential AUS quarterfinal preview match featuring two familiar playoff rivals. The Panthers were the superior team in the first period, getting on the board at 5:29 as Robert Orr fed a behind-the-net pass to Ben McFarlane in the high slot, who fired a shot over Ben West's glove to make it a 1-0 game. 

UPEI took advantage of an early Huskies penalty early in the second period, as Pearson collected a feed from Henry in the left-wing faceoff circle and ripped a one-timer past West to extend his team's lead to 2-0. Unfortunately, 44 seconds later, Johnson got SMU on the board and would score two more goals by 12:35, giving the Huskies a 3-2 lead. Pearson fired home another power-play goal at 16:49 with a beautiful far-side bar-down shot from the left-wing faceoff circle.

With the game tied 3-3 after 40 minutes, it was SMU's turn to have a good start to a period, as Luke Vardy scored in just his sixth game of the season and his first since Dec. 4, 2024, giving the Huskies a 4-3 lead at 4:48 in period three. From there, each team went back and forth with chances, providing intense action for a big crowd. The Panthers caught a significant break late in the period as Ben Allison was ejected for a check-from-behind against Zach Biggar, giving UPEI a five-minute power-play with under four minutes remaining.

An empty-net goal by Derek Gentile at 18:57 looked to be the nail in the coffin for the Panthers until Elias Cohen redirected a Pearson feed in front of the Huskies' net just 10 seconds later. Another 18 seconds later, Gentile forced a turnover and scored another empty-netter, making the final score 6-4 SMU. Gentile is now the leading scorer in the conference with 16 goals and 37 points in 24 games.

UPEI went a perfect 3-for-3 on the power-play while SMU went 0-for-2. Joe Ranger, who made his 12th start of the season, denied 25 of 29 shots and dropped to a 3-10 record, while West stopped 33 of 37 shots and improved his record to 10-5. 

The Panthers dropped to 7-14-0-1, extending their losing streak to two games, and remain sixth in the conference, still seven points behind Acadia. The Huskies improved to 14-8-2-0, extending their winning streak to two games and hanging on to second in the conference; they are two points ahead of a two-way tie for third between Moncton and StFX.

UPEI won't have much time to recoup as they will set off to Wolfville, N.S. on Saturday, Jan. 25 to challenge the Acadia University Axemen (10-11-1-1). The Axemen are on a three-game losing streak but have yet to lose to the Panthers this season. They enter Saturday's game with 5-1, 4-2, and 4-2 victories after three games against UPEI, with one coming in Wolfville on Oct. 26, 2024.

Pearson said it will take perseverance to beat Acadia knowing the last three attempts have been unsuccessful. "It's always one of our farthest trips. Just got to have a good mindset and give it our all."

Photo Credit: Janessa Vanden Broek