X-Men edge Huskies 3-1 in Antigonish

ANTIGONISH, NS - The STFX X-Men hockey team dropped the Saint Mary's Huskies 3-1 in a hard-fought matchup up Saturday night at the Charles V Keating Centre. The win pulled STFX into a three-way tie for second place in the Atlantic University Sport standings, alongside the Huskies and Moncton Aigles Bleus. 

The teams tested each other in the first half of the opening period, with the Huskies getting the lion's share of the scoring chances early. However, it was STFX getting on the board first with 56 seconds left in the period, as rookie forward Antionio Pugliese (Hamilton, ON) one-timed a pass from Ben Mercer (Halifax, NS) and into the back of the net for his first marker with the Blue and White. Raegan Wiles (Calgary, AB) had the other assist. 

The close play continued in the second period, with the teams exchanging unpleasantries more than once. Neither team was able to get on the board in the middle 20, which ended with the teams tied in shots with 21 apiece through 40 minutes.

SMU forward Nathan Dunkley (Campbellford, ON) tied the game 11 seconds into the third, one-timing a cross-rink pass from Cedric Ralph (Peterborough, ON), after Declan McDonnell (Buffalo, NY) started the play.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Nathan Dunkley ties it up 1-1 seconds into the third period!

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— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 12, 2025

The X-Men replied three minutes later, with Mercer roofing one glove side after breaking in two-on-one with Alex Christopoulos (Richmond Hill, ON) while shorthanded.

Cole Stewart (Moncton, NB) made it a two-goal game three minutes after that, stuffing one in from the doorstep after X-Men captain Logan Chisholm (Antigonish, NS) fed him the puck from behind the net. Mark Wooley (St. Thomas, ON) had the second assist. 

The visitors pulled the goalie late but couldn't get back on the board. STFX netminder Patrick Leaver (Perth, ON) had 34 saves on the night for the win, while Saint Mary's goalie Ben West (Barrie, ON) made 26 stops. 

Mercer received player of the game honors for his two-point effort, while Leaver was named second star and Dunkley was third.  

The X-Men win improved their record to 11-7-1-1 on the season. STFX next hit the ice on Wednesday, January 15, when they head to Halifax for a matchup with the Dalhousie Tigers (3-17-0-0).

The Huskies loss drops their record to 11-7-2-0 on the campaign. Saint Mary's will return home for their next contest on January 17, as they host the Moncton Aigles Bleus (11-7-2-0) at 7 p.m. at the Dauphinee Centre. GET TICKETS

Recap courtesy: Matt Draper / STFX Athletics
Photos by: Bryan Kennedy / STFX Athletics