Closing the gap
UPEI drops 3-1 decision to UNB Tuesday after blowout Friday in Fredericton, N.B.
The UNB Red scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of Tuesday’s game and it was enough to defeat the host UPEI Panthers 3-1 in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) men’s hockey action.
The Reds shellacked the Panthers 11-0 Friday in Fredericton, N.B., but the rematch was a much closer affair.
Mark Rassell scored 2:09 into the first period at MacLauchlan Arena and Kris Bennett doubled the lead at 10:12.
The Reds took the 2-0 lead into the first intermission and looked primed to add to it when Panthers rookie forward Darian Pilon was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for head contact on a hit on Tyler Boland at the Reds blue-line 11 minutes into the second period.
The Panthers killed the major penalty and had a chance to cut the deficit in half late in the period, but they could not beat Reds goalie Rylan Parenteau. Panthers winger Troy Lajeunesse
took a four-minute high sticking penalty with 1:16 left in the middle stanza, but the home side killed the penalty.
UPEI got one back on a power play four minutes into the third when Filip Rydstrom scored. Kyle Maksimovich had the lone assist.
Matthew Boucher restored the two-goal lead 5:26 later on a power play to round out the scoring. Tristan Pomerleau had two assists for the Reds while singles went to former Charlottetown Islander Alexandre Goulet, Samuel Dove-McFalls, Brady Gilmour and Rassell.
Parenteau stopped 24 shots for the win while Simon Hofley made 31 saves in the loss.
UNB was 1-for-4 on the power play while UPEI was 1-for-5.
The Reds, who have won six straight games and have already clinched a playoff spot, lead the AUS with an 18-4-0 record while UPEI (8-11-3) is fifth in the seven-team conference.
The Panthers have eight games remaining in the regular season. They head to Halifax Friday to play the last-place Dalhousie Tigers (5-15-2) before hosting the St. FX X-Men (811-3) Saturday. Puck drop for both games is set for 7 p.m.