Panthers late goal beats Huskies 3-2 in Charlottetown

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI - UPEI forward Ben McFarlane scored the game-winning goal with 1:45 remaining, giving the Panthers a 3-2 win over the Saint Mary's Huskies in Atlantic University Sport men's hockey action on Saturday night at MacLauchlan Arena in Charlottetown, PEI.

Panthers forward Elias Cohen (Toronto, ON) picked up the puck in the Huskies zone and snapped a quick pass to linemate Robert Orr (Beaconsfield, QC) who directed it past Huskies netminder Marcus Vandenberg to give UPEI a 1-0 lead, 5:57 into the first period.

With just over five minutes left in the period, the Huskies had a powerplay opportunity and were threatening, but the Panthers regained the puck right as the penalty expired, sparking Cohen and forward Colby Huggan (Charlottetown, PE) on a two-on-one with Huggan keeping the puck and snapping a low shot into goal, giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead, 14:51 into the first.

The Panthers outshot the Huskies 14-6 in the first period, and took a 2-0 lead into first intermission.

But the Huskies top line couldn't be denied, as forward Ben Allison (Halifax, NS) stole the puck and played a pass over to Reid Valade (Caledon, ON) who fired a shot that ricocheted back to Allison, who made no mistake, cutting the Panthers lead to 2-1, 6:30 into the second. Allison's ninth goal of the campaign tied Valade for tops in the nation, while his 16th point on the season leads U SPORTS.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Ben Allison continues his scoring streak, cutting the Panthers lead to 2-1 in the second period!

��B. Allison (9)
��C. Da Fonseca pic.twitter.com/pkNQBnWF0N

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 26, 2025

Late in the period, Huskies defenceman Connor Olson (London, ON) tied it up off of a pass from Liam Van Loon (London, ON), equalizing the game at 2-2, 17:19 into the second.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

The London Connection ties it up! Connor Olson ties it 2-2 off a feed from Liam Van Loon!

��C. Olson (1)
��L. Van Loon pic.twitter.com/3SbmPsTF37

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 26, 2025

The Huskies outshot the Panthers 14-12 in the second period, and the score was deadlocked at 2-2 heading into the third period.

Both teams pushed for a winner, but netminders Vandenberg and Jakob Robillard (Rockland, ON) were sharp, denying all attempts. Until the 18:15 mark of the period, when Panthers forward Keiran Gallant (Covehead, PE) won a face-off in front of the Huskies goal and quickly played a pass over to Ben McFarlane (Ayr, ON), who directed it past Vandenberg to put the hosts on top 3-2.

McFarlane and Allison were named Player of the Game for their respective teams.

Jakob Robillard made 25 saves for the Panthers win, while Marcus Vandenberg stopped 30 shots in defeat.

The Panthers second straight win improves their record to 4-4-0-0 on the campaign. UPEI will hit the road next weekend, visiting the Dalhousie Tigers (0-6-1-1) on Friday, Oct. 31, and STFX X-Men (3-4-0-1) on Saturday, Nov. 1.

After starting with six straight wins, the Huskies dropped both games this weekend to move their record to 6-2-0-0 on the season. The Huskies will be back on home ice on Wednesday, Oct. 29, hosting the Acadia Axemen (5-2-1-0) at 7 p.m. at the Dauphinee Centre. GET TICKETS

Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Janessa Vanden Broek / UPEI Panthers Athletics