(Halifax, NS) - The StFX X-Men (21-1-4) scored quickly in overtime to edge the Saint Mary's Huskies (16-8-2) by a 3-2 score in a tight Friday night game at the Halifax Forum.
It was a night for X-Men native to the HRM area to shine as Mark Tremaine (Dartmouth, NS) tallied the overtime winner just 18 seconds into the extra period and Adam Stevens (Bedford, NS) added a pair of goals in regulation for the X-Men.
Chase Marchand (Halifax, NS) picked up the win and Subway Player of the Game honors playing in his hometown. He finished with 38 saves.
Anthony Repaci (Toronto, ON) and Adam Bateman (Caledon, ON) found the net for the Huskies.
Eric Brassard (St. Hubert, QC) made 21 saves for SMU.
The game started with a bang on the scoreboard, with all four regulation goals notched in the opening frame.
Repaci got Saint Mary's on the board 4:26 into first period. Stephen Johnson (Moncton, NB) forced a turnover at the X-Men blue-line, the puck squirted to Bronson Beaton (Springhill, NS) in the high slot. Beaton slipped it to Repaci cutting across the goalmouth and Repaci made a move to his backhand and slid it under the pad.
Stevens made it 1-1 with a power-play marker at 11:47. Stevens won an O-zone faceoff back to Cole MacDonald (Wetaskiwin, AB), who sent it down low to Matt Needham (Pentiction, BC). Needham spotted Stevens all alone in front and he sent it home for StFX.
Bateman put the Huskies back on top at 16:39. Taylor Burke (Halifax, NS) got on the puck down low, worked in behind the goal and fed a crashing Bateman who chipped it over Marchand for the goal. The marker was a shorthanded one for the Huskies.
Stevens evened things up again when he potted his second goal at 18:33, also on the power play and unassisted. He blocked a point shot and scooped up the loose puck in the neutral zone. Racing up the right-wing, he ripped a wrister high glove from the right dot.
The Huskies outshot the X-Men 26-13 the rest of the way but could not beat Marchand again.
Tremaine's game winner came on the first shot of OT just 18-seconds into three-on-three action. Holden Cook (Oshawa, ON) won the opening draw back to MacDonald. He dropped back in behind the StFX net and sent it to Tremaine on the left wing. Tremaine worked through the middle into the Huskies zone and laid it off for Cook. Cook worked towards the slot and put it on Tremaine's tape below the left circle and Tremaine snapped it high short-side.
Overall Saint Mary's won the shot battle 40-24 but ultimately lost the war.
Up next, both teams will be back in action on Friday, Feruary 2nd. The Huskies will host the UNB Varsity Reds at the Halifax Forum, while the X-Men will be at home in Antigonish to play the Dalhousie Tigers.
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Courtesy Cam Honey-Webb, SMU Sports Information