X-Men down Panthers in 5-4 shootout

ANTIGONISH, NS—The STFX X Men made it three wins in a row thanks to a home ice shootout victory over the UPEI Panthers, who are ranked sixth in the country and sit second in the AUS.  

X-Men forward Matthew Struthers (Milton, ON) was the lone goal scorer in the shootout, with X backup goalie and Subway player of the game Lucas Pfeil (Owen Sound, ON) stopping all three Panther attempts.    

Both teams came out strong early but neither team was able to get on the board until just over halfway through the first period, with Panther forward TJ Shea (Tignish, PE) stripping an X defender and going in alone before burying one low.   

With about 26 seconds left in the period, Kyle Maksimovich (Hamilton, ON) scored his eighth of the year for UPEI, tucking one in off a wrap-around, with assists from Troy Lajeunesse (Dokis, ON) and Matt Brassard (Barrie, ON), who was the third star of the game.   

STFX led in shots, 15-10, and scoring chances but went back to the dressing room down after 20 minutes for the third time in as many games.    

Early in the second, UPEI iced the puck a couple of times but STFX wasn't able to capitalize on the chances until about 4:30 into the period, with X defender and game second star Patrick Kyte (Pembroke, ON) firing in a one-timer while UPEI was on a delayed penalty. Liam Hawel (Arnprior, ON) and Struthers assisted as teddy bears rained down on the ice with the annual STFX 'teddy bear toss' promotion in support of the local Knights of Columbus toy drive. 

UPEI regained their two-goal lead while shorthanded, with Drake Pilon (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) scoring a highlight reel marker after breaking in one-on-one. Pfeil replaced Joseph Raaymakers (Chatham, ON) in the X Men net shortly after the goal.  

STFX's Zack Trott (Mulmur, ON) made the game 3-2, about midway through the period, potting one off the rush, while Hawel and Adam Holwell (St. John's, NL) assisted.  

StFX put pressure on the Panthers for the next few minutes, and after a successful penalty kill, they were able to draw even. After passing the puck around the UPEI zone, Struthers knocked one in from up close, depositing the rebound off a Matthew Phillip (Ilderton, ON) shot.  and  

Shots at the end of the period were 23-20 in favour of X as the teams remained deadlocked at 3-3.   

The X Men had a couple of solid chances in the first 10 seconds of the third, but an early penalty put them down a skater before the first minute was up. UPEI was able to make the most of the powerplay, with Lajeunesse scoring after a cross crease pass, with Maksimovich and Brassard picking up the helpers.   

STFX had their own powerplay just over a minute later, and Connor Roberts roofed one in to knot the game at 4-4, with Josh Nelson (Lockport, IL) and Hawel assisting.   

It was edge of your seat action for the remainder of the third, with plenty of chances and big hits, but the game was deadlocked after 60 minutes and the teams went to overtime, with X leading in shots 33-26.    

Both squads traded scoring chances in the five-minute extra frame, including a breakaway stop by Panthers goalie Jonah Capriotti (Charlottetown, PE) off Kyte, but the three-on-three action didn't solve anything, setting the table for a shootout.   

Struthers scored first on STFX's second shot, while Pfeil was perfect in the net and picked upt Subway player of the game honours for his efforts on the night as she finished with 14 stops in relief.  

Capriotti had 30 saves on the night in the losing effort for UPEI. 

The Panthers are home to the Dalhousie Tigers on Saturday night while the X Men next hit the ice on Wednesday at the Antigonish Arena against the Acadia Axemen.

RECAP BY: Matt Draper, St. FX Sports Information / PHOTOS BY: Bryan Kennedy