Antigonish, NS - On a goal by freshman forward Eric Locke (Toronto, ON), the StFX X-Men skated to a 2-1 shootout victory over the visiting Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleus in AUS hockey action Saturday night.
More than 700 fans at the Keating Centre watched the X-Men improve to 3-5, while Moncton, the CIS #8 ranked team, dropped to 5-2-1.
"I got the chance and I am glad it worked out," Locke said after the game. "The goalie was jumping out so I faked the backhand and went to the forehand and I was able to score."
Locke was the only player to score in the shootout. His teammates Ted Stephens (Whitehorse, YT) and Michael Kirkpatrick (North Sydney, NS) could not beat Adrien Lemay (Moncton, NB).
For Moncton, Danny Chiasson (Lameque, NB), Jean-Francois Plante (Sherbrooke, QC) and Alex Saulnier (Cap Pele, NB) could not solve Morgan Clark (Dallas, TX).
The X-Men had the lone goal of the first period.
Freshman Trey Lewis (Aldouane, NB) joined the rush and completed a three-way passing play to give StFX a 1-0 advantage.
"I jumped up into the play and it worked out well," Lewis, a former Halifax Moosehead player, said during the first intermission.
Lewis credited Locke and Stephens for setting him up. "They worked hard to create the chance for me," he added.
As for his shot, which beat Moncton goaltender Lemay top shelf over his right shoulder, Lewis said he "buried his head and shot it." It was the first CIS goal for the arts student. "It felt pretty great, especially in this game, which is a big one for us," Lewis said.
After a scoreless second period, Moncton tied the game at 9:54 of the third period, with Plante scoring on a rebound from the goal mouth.
Alex and Allain Saulnier notched the assists.
"We wanted to play a full 60 minutes [tonight]; we have been talking about that a lot as a team," Locke said.
"We had a letdown in the third period when they tied the game, but overall I think we did that."
X-Men assistant captain Nathan Chiarlitti (Maple, ON) and Blake Gal (Lethbridge, AB) earned first and second star nods, respectively. Plante, the Moncton goal scorer, was named the third star.
The X-Men outshot Moncton 33-22.
Moncton will be back on the ice Friday, Nov. 7, when they host the UNB Varsity Reds. The X-Men return to action on the same night when they host the Dalhousie Tigers. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Keating Centre.
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