X-Men outlast Huskies for first win of AUS season

HALIFAX, NS – STFX forward Jacob Maillet scored a pair of powerplay goals, helping lead the X-Men to a 6-5 win over the Saint Mary's Huskies on Thursday night at the Dauphinee Centre.

A wild first period saw six total goals scored; the X-Men struck first just over a minute into action, with forward Connor Roberts (Owen Sound, ON) taking a pass from linemate Zack Trott (Mulmur, ON) and firing a wrist shot high over Justin Sumarah's blocker to put the X-Men ahead 1-0.

Just 15 seconds later, the X-Men doubled their lead, as forward Ethan Burroughs (Georgetown, ON) pounced on the rebound of a point shot from defenceman Clark Webster (Kensington, PEI) to double the visitors lead, just 1:20 into regulation.

But the Huskies responded just 24 seconds later, as forward Declan McDonnell (Buffalo, NY) attempted to wrap around the net, drawing defenders before dishing to defenceman Connor Olson (London, ON who fired it into goal to cut the lead to 2-1.

Over 14 minutes passed without a goal before the offensive explosion resumed. A blast from the point from forward Connor Trenholm (Cole Harbour, NS) was stopped by X-Men goaltender Lucas Pfeil (Owen Sound, ON), but Ben Boyd (Dartmouth, NS) was able to dig it out and play it back to defenceman Will Thompson (Fredericton, NB) who snapped a shot past Pfeil to tie it at 2-2, 15:51 into the first period.

Saint Mary's would take the lead just 18 seconds later, as a harmless looking shot from the point by Connor Olson was deflected twice, first by forward Ben Boyd (Dartmouth, NS) and then by Connor Trenholm, scoring his third goal of the season to put the Huskies ahead 3-2.

The X-Men equalized with a powerplay goal several minutes later, as Ethan Burroughs and forward Jacob Maillet (Dundas, ON) broke out on a two-on-one, with Maillet taking a pass and firing it past Justin Sumarah to tie it up at 3-3.

The X-Men outshot the Huskies 13-12 through 20 minutes, and the teams went into first intermission tied 3-3.

STFX retook the lead just three minutes into the second period, as forwards Cole Stewart (Moncton, NB) and Zack Trott broke out on a two-on-one, with Trott drawing Sumarah out of position before dishing to Stewart who finished it off to give the visitors a 4-3 lead.

Saint Mary's tied it up several minutes later, with defenceman Dennis Busby (Oro-Medonte, ON) scoring a powerplay marker, his third of the season, to tie it at 4-4, 5:28 into the second period.

The X-Men took the lead again with just 22 seconds remaining in the period, as defenceman Charlie Callaghan (Toronto, ON) played a perfect pass to spring Jacob Maillet on the powerplay, where he scored his second powerplay goal of the night, giving STFX a 5-4 advantage.

The Huskies outshot the X-Men 12-9 (24-22) throughout the second period, but the X-Men took a 5-4 lead on the scoreboard into intermission.

Just over two minutes into the third period, the X-Men took the lead. Despite being shorthanded, forward Jacob Stewart (Antigonish, NS) was able to steal the puck behind the Huskies net, and dish it to forward Logan Chisholm (Antigonish, NS) who fired a high shot over Sumarah's shoulder to extend the lead to 6-4.

The Huskies would cut it back to a one-goal game midway through the third period – defenceman Josh Wainman (Peterborough, ON) fired a shot from the point that took a bounce onto the stick of Derek Gentile (Sydney, NS) who quickly snuck it past Pfeil to cut the lead to 6-5.

That's as close as the Huskies would get – with the goalie pulled, Saint Mary's had several quality opportunities but Pfeil and his defencemen were able to prevent the equalizer, and the X-Men hung on for a 6-5 win.

X-Men forward Jacob Maillet was named Player of the Game with two goals, while Zack Trott (three assists) and Ethan Burroughs (one goal, one assist) also had multipoint nights.

X-Men goaltender Lucas Pfeil turned away 28 shots in the win, while Huskies netminder Justin Sumarah stopped 22 in defeat.

The X-Men win improves their record to 1-2-0 on the campaign. They'll be back on home ice on Friday, hosting the Acadia Axemen (1-1-0) at 7 p.m. at the Charles V. Keating Centre in Antigonish, NS.

The Huskies loss drops their record to 2-1-0 on the season. They'll travel up Robie Street on Friday night to take on their crosstown rivals Dalhousie Tigers (0-2-0) at 7 p.m. at the Halifax Forum.

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Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics