X-Men defeat Huskies 4-3 in shootout
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Mary's (7-6-1, 7-6-1) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
|
StFX (6-7-1, 6-7-1) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
ANTIGONISH, NS - STFX forward Lucas Canning scored the shootout winner, as the X-Men came from behind to defeat the Saint Mary's Huskies 4-3 in a shootout in Atlantic University Sport men's hockey action on Friday night at the Charles V Keating Centre.
Ryan MacGuire and Aaron Brown also scored in the shootout for the X-Men, who moved ahead of the Huskies in the AUS standings with the win. Reid Valade tallied once for SMU in the shootout.
Canning earned Gabriel Pizza Player of the Game honors for his highlight-filled night, while STFX netminder Patrick Leaver and Saint Mary's goalie Ben West were the second and third stars respectively, with Leaver making 28 stops in the win and West turning aside 51 as the X-Men fired 54 shots his way.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 22, 2025
Ben West was outstanding with 51 saves, but the Huskies lose to the X-Men in a shootout 4-3. pic.twitter.com/WvjxNW7HTW
The Huskies put the X-Men on their heels early in the first period, with Connor Olson finding the back of the net with a shot through traffic off a pass from Davis Cooper and Will Chisholm.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 22, 2025
Connor Olson fires a wrister to give the Huskies an early 1-0 lead at STFX!
��C. Olson (2)
��D. Cooper
��W. Chisholm pic.twitter.com/UzuY53Woas
Matt Cato tied things up for the Blue and White early in the second period, snapping in a shot from down low after a pass from Logan O'Neil.
Huskies forward Ben Boyd made it 2-1 three minutes later with an unassisted powerplay marker.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 22, 2025
Ben Boyd takes advantage of the X-Men turnover and gives the Huskies a 2-1 lead midway through the second.
��B. Boyd (1) pic.twitter.com/asWMzPl738
The fast and physical play continued as both teams had no problem finishing their checks. Antonio Pugliese smacked one off the post three minutes before the buzzer, but the Huskies still carried the lead into second intermission.
The third period opened with the teams playing 4-on-4, which quickly turned into a powerplay for STFX, and Canning took advantage with a one-timer after a great passing play from Charlie Callahan and McGuire.
Ryan Hopkins scored with six minutes to go, stuffing home a chance from in tight after some extended pressure from the Huskies to regain the lead.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 22, 2025
Ryan Hopkins scores to give the Huskies the 3-2 lead!
��R. Hopkins (2)
��M. MacDonald
��L. Arnsby pic.twitter.com/iHtXtV31t1
STFX pulled Leaver for the extra attacker, and it was Canning again who came up big with a low point shot after a feed from Raegan Wiles to send things to overtime.
Huskies forward Ben Allison hit the post on a breakaway early in the extra period, with Canning hitting another at the opposite end a minute later as the thrills kept coming, but it was still a draw after OT, setting up the shootout finish.
The X-Men win improves their record to 7-7-0-1 on the season. STFX will be back on home ice on Saturday, Nov. 22, as they host the Acadia Axemen (9-2-1-2) at 7 p.m. at the Keating Centre.
The Huskies loss drops their record to 7-6-0-1 on the season. Saint Mary's will be back in action on Saturday, Nov. 22, hosting the Dalhousie Tigers (0-11-1-1) at 7 p.m. at the Dauphinee Centre, for the annual Huskies Red Tape doubleheader, an anti-bullying and racism awareness campaign. GET TICKETS
Recap by: Matt Draper / STFX Athletics
Photos by: Bryan Kennedy / STFX Athletics
