X-Men fall to Aigles Bleus in final regular season home game
A solid forecheck help les Moncton Aigles Bleues pick up their seventh win in a row with a 4-1 victory over the STFX X-Men
ANTIGONISH, NS - A solid forecheck help les Moncton Aigles Bleues pick up their seventh win in a row with a 4-1 victory over the STFX X-Men on Saturday night at the Charles V Keating Centre.
With the two points, Moncton clinched a first-round bye in the first round of the upcoming AUS playoffs. The loss marks the third in a row for the X-Men, who fell victim to costly turnovers.
The fast paced first period saw the teams exchange scoring chances, with Moncton holding an edge in shots. The Aigles Bleues struck first, with Olivier-Luc Hache notching his 10th goal of the season, one-timing a pass from Nathael Roy after a turnover in the STFX end.
The X-Men brought the heat early in the second period, and despite some big saves from Moncton goalie Nathan Darveau, the Blue and White found the tying marker with a backhand from Dallas Farrell at the 2:30 mark.
Moncton responded well to the pressure from STFX and Charles Edouard Drouin stuffed in a backhand from in close to pull the visitors ahead 2-1. STFX netminder Lucas Pfeil foiled a nifty scoring play from Moncton late in the period, which ended without another goal.
Moncton leading scorer Jeremy Michel only needed 47 seconds to open the scoring in the third, intercepting a pass in the STFX end and potting one five-hole while shorthanded. Pfeil pulled one off the goal-line four minutes later and the teams continued to battle, but a Jeremy Lapointe goal late in the period sealed the game.
Darveau had 33 saves on the night, while Pfeil made 28 stops in the loss. Hache was the Player of the game and first star on the night, while Farrell picked up second star honors, and Michel was named third star for his two-point night.
Prior to the game, X-Men coaches honored graduating student-athletes in their final regular season home game, including Sean Stewart, Clark Webster, Connor Roberts, Dallas Farrell, Zack Trott, Logan Chisholm, Jake Stewart, Ewan MacDonald, Lucas Pfeil and student therapist Kylie Barton.
The X-Men begin their final road trip of the season next Friday, February 14, when they head to Halifax for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Saint Mary's Huskies. Moncton also returns to action on Friday, February 14, when they visit the UPEI Panthers at 7 p.m.
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Recap courtesy Matt Draper, STFX Athletics
