Now or never
Panthers need wins tonight to force Game 3 of AUS quarter-finals
There’s no need for motivational speeches tonight, it’s win or pack up the gear for the season for the UPEI Panthers hockey teams.
The Panthers host the Saint Mary’s Huskies in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) men’s action at 7 p.m. at MacLauchlan Area A while the women’s squad hosts the St. Thomas Tommies at 7:30 p.m. at MacLauchlan Arena B. Both are Game 2 of their best-of-three quarter-finals with both Panthers squads losing the opener on the road earlier this week.
“I think they’re looking forward to having the building as busy as it’s going to be,” UPEI women’s head coach Bruce Donaldson said Thursday.
Men
The men’s Panthers lost 6-2 Wednesday in Halifax after allowing three goals in the first eight minutes.
“There’s some things we’re doing well and we’re going to show them on video, but there’s one area of the game, that we have to do a better job,” UPEI head coach Forbes MacPherson said Thursday afternoon, declining to be specific. “We have to make smarter decisions in a certain area on the ice and until we do that, Saint Mary’s is going to continue to capitalize.”
He said it was an area discussed before they made the trip to Halifax but was still an issue during the opener.
The Panthers practised on Thursday after a video session.
“It will show them that the world isn’t crumbling in here,” MacPherson explained. “Our hockey season is on the line, but the staff believes in them and if we make a couple of corrections, we can get ourselves back into a series real quick.”
A Panthers win would force a deciding third game in Halifax on Sunday.
Rookie Matthew Mancina, who replaced Matt Mahalak after Saint Mary’s scored its third goal of the game on Wednesday, gets the start tonight. Captain Brent Andrews did not play on Wednesday and is still questionable for tonight’s game.
Women
The women’s Panthers are looking to start tonight the way they finished the opener.
“We need to take the energy we had in the third period and introduce it in the first period right from when the puck drops,” Donaldson said. “It looked like we had our bus legs in the first period and by the time (we) got going it was 3-0.”
After a scoreless first period Tuesday in Fredericton, N.B., the Tommies scored three times in the first half of the second period on the way to a 3-1 win.
Donaldson said UPEI had two goals called back during the game. One was inconclusive on if the puck crossed the goalline, while the other occurred off a Faith Steeves’ shot under the crossbar on a power play, but the goalie had knocked the net off while trying to make the save.
Donaldson said the team did a good job of killing all four of the Tommies power plays while they went 1-for-4 with the man advantage. He said they have to be ready to skate from the start of the game and can’t afford to take shifts off against a balance St. Thomas lineup.
“It’s just small adjustments. They’re all manageable,” he said. “We just have to be a little smarter, especially in the areas without the puck.”
Megan Sullivan starts in the Panthers crease. Goalie Camille Scherger sustained a concussion during Monday’s practice leaving the Panthers searching for a backup.
They received clearance from U Sports, AUS and the university for student Adeline Small to join the squad as Sullivan’s backup.
The Panthers were without fourth-year defenceman Madison Clarke for Game 1. She sustained a concussion in final game of the regular season Saturday against Dalhousie on a late hit. This could be her final season with the Panthers.
“We think she’ll be cleared for Sunday, so more motivation for us to make sure that we get to play another day,” Donaldson said.