Michael Kirkpatrick scored two goals, including the game winner, as the StFX X-Men (9-6-1) skated to a 4-2 win over the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus (8-6) in AUS men's hockey action Sunday afternoon at the Keating Centre in Antigonish.
With the win, the X-Men solidified their hold on third place in the conference with 19 points.
"We had a slow start, but we got our feet moving and got to some pucks," X-Men captain Josh Day said after the win.
Les Aigles Bleus opened the scoring at 9:36 of the first period on a Alex Quesnel tally, with assists from Eric Faille and Keven Charland.
At 11:23 of the opening period, Ted Stephens tied it when he completed a three-way passing play from line-mates Brandon Hynes and Jason Bast.
Moncton regained the lead at 18:19, with Alain Saulnier scoring on the power play. Alex Saulnier and Alex Emond drew assists to make it 2-1 after the first period.
Sparked by two breakaway saves by Drew Owsley, the X-Men took at 3-2 lead after two periods.
After Owsley stoned Allain Saulnier and Danny Chiasson in the first 2:01 of the period, the X-Men gained momentum.
At 12:40, veteran X-Men forward Murdock MacLellan made it 2-2 with an unassisted goal. After blocking a point shot in his own zone, he raced in alone before stuffing a forehand home after putting a deke on Moncton goaltender Adrien Lemay.
The X-Men took their first lead of the afternoon at 15:05 when Kirkpatrick notched his first goal of the game on a 5-on-3 power play. He beat Lemay top shelf from the side of the net. Hynes and Bast assisted on the go-ahead marker.
"We didn't have a great first period. We got back to the basics and started to have success," Kirkpatrick said in the second intermission, describing MacLellan's goal as "huge."
"It lifted our bench," Kirkpatrick added.
At 1:05 of the third period, Kirkpatrick scored an insurance goal on assists from Rob Slaney and Day. From there, the X-Men protected the lead, including completing a key 5-on-3 penalty kill.
During the third period, Owsley made some key saves, while the X-Men forwards and defencemen made several shot blocks as the Aigles Bleus attempted to rally.
Owsley made 32 saves for the win, while Lemay blocked 18 shots in the loss.
Kirkpatrick was named first star and Subway player of the game, while MacLellan and Lacroix were named second and third star, respectively.
"It is exactly what we wanted to do. It is a great start," Day said, when asked about the two weekend wins to begin the second half of the season, including a 7-2 victory over the UNB Varsity Reds Saturday night.
The X-Men return to action Friday, Jan. 10, when the travel to Halifax to face the Dalhousie Tigers (1-14-1).
StFX returns to home ice Saturday, Jan. 11, when they host the league-leading Acadia Axemen (13-1-2) at the Keating Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.
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