Valade, Vandenberg lead undefeated Huskies to 4-3 win over #1 ranked REDS
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
UNB (2-2-0-0) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
|
Saint Mary's (4-0-0-0) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
HALIFAX, NS – Saint Mary's forward Reid Valade scored two goals and added an assist, and goaltender Marcus Vandenberg turned away 26 shots, leading the Huskies to a 4-3 win over the U SPORTS #1 ranked UNB REDS in Atlantic University Sport men's hockey action on Saturday night at the Dauphinee Centre in Halifax.
The Huskies opened the scoring just over a minute into regulation, as forward Liam Van Loon (London, ON) fired a shot from an awkward angle that lifted over the shoulder of REDS goaltender Liam Sztuska (Mississauga, ON), to put the Huskies ahead 1-0, 1:29 into the first period.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 11, 2025
Liam Van Loon opens the scoring early on a shot from a tough angle that somehow finds the back of the net! Huskies lead 1-0 at 1:29 of the first.
��L. Van Loon (1)
��M. MacDonald
��J. Holmes pic.twitter.com/Phf3EAaWU4
Midway through the first period, the Huskies added to their lead, as forward Charlie Da Fonseca (Thornhill, ON) skated down the left wing, deking out a defender and played a centring pass to Reid Valade (Caledon, ON) who directed it into goal for his fifth of the campaign, giving the Huskies a 2-0 lead, 10:36 into the first period.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 11, 2025
Reid Valade continues his hot start! A great pass from Charlie Da Fonseca sets up Valade's league leading 5th goal of the season! Huskies lead 2-0, 10:36 into the first period.
��R. Valade (5)
��C. Da Fonseca
��B. Allison pic.twitter.com/UAiSWbEciO
Valade's hot start to the season continued under two minutes later, as Ben Allison (Halifax, NS) picked up a loose puck and sent a pass to a charging Valade, who broke out on a partial breakaway and made no mistake, deking Sztuska before scoring his league-leading sixth goal of the season, extending the lead to 3-0, 12:10 into the first period.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 11, 2025
Another one for Reid Valade!! The Valade - Allison - Da Fonseca line is on fire to open the season, and the Huskies lead 3-0, 12:10 into the first period!
��R. Valade (6)
��B. Allison pic.twitter.com/brv9PAcBOy
The Huskies outshot the REDS 14-7 through the opening 20 minutes, taking a 3-0 lead into first intermission.
Just over six minutes into the second period, the REDS cut into the lead with a powerplay marker from forward Michael Petizian (Mississauga, ON), bringing the score to 3-1, 6:30 into the second period.
UNB added another late in the period, as defenceman Colton Kammerer (Brooklin, ON) fired a harmless looking shot from the right boards that took a funny bounce and beat Huskies netminder Marcus Vandenberg (Dorchester, ON), cutting the Huskies lead to 3-2, 15:02 into the second period.
The REDS outshot the Huskies 11-1 in the second period, but the Huskies hung on to a 3-2 lead into second intermission.
Five minutes into the third period, the Huskies received a four-minute powerplay, and peppered the REDS with chances, but goaltender Remi Delafontaine (Sherbrooke, QC) made several great saves.
Eventually the Huskies pressure broke through, as Reid Valade fed a pass in front to defenceman Ryan Hopkins (Lunenburg, NS) who fired a high shot for his first regular season goal as a Husky, extending the lead to 4-2, 9:13 into the third period.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 12, 2025
Reid Valade finds Ryan Hopkins in front, who opens his Huskies account with a powerplay marker! Huskies take a 4-2 lead, 9:13 into the third period.
��R. Hopkins (1)
��C. Da Fonseca
��R. Valade pic.twitter.com/Oh4Ze44CFm
Once again, the REDS answered, as forward Gage Heyes (Pontypool, ON) turned and fired a shot that beat a screened Vandenberg high, bringing the REDS back within a goal, 4-3, 10:26 into the third period.
The REDS continued to push for an equalizer, but Marcus Vandenberg made a flurry of late saves, and the Huskies were able to hold on for a 4-3 victory.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 12, 2025
Marcus Vandenberg makes a flurry of late saves and the Huskies hold on for a 4-3 win, improving to 4-0 on the season! pic.twitter.com/uawIddzeTc
The REDS outshot the Huskies 27-24 on the night, with Marcus Vandenberg stopping 26 shots for the win, while Remi Delefontaine stopped 11/12 shots faced in relief for Liam Sztuska, who stopped 9/12 shots faced.
Huskies forward Reid Valade was named Player of the Game with two goals and an assist, while his linemates Charlie Da Fonseca (two assists), and Ben Allison (two assists) also recorded multi-point nights for Saint Mary's. Through four games played, Valade leads the AUS in scoring with nine points (six goals, three assists), Allison is tied for second with seven points (two goals, five assists), and Da Fonseca is tied for fourth with six points (one goal, five assists).
The Huskies improve to a league-leading 4-0-0 to begin the campaign, and hit the road next weekend, taking the STFX X-Men (2-1-0) on Wednesday night in Antigonish, and the Dalhousie Tigers (0-3-1) on Saturday night at the Halifax Forum, with both games scheduled to drop the puck at 7 p.m.
The REDS loss drops their record to 2-2-0 on the season. UNB will next take to action Wednesday night as they visit the Moncton Aigles Bleus (2-1-0) at 7 p.m.
Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Eduardo Ibarra / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
