Panthers enter final stretch before playoffs seeking home ice advantage

By Reegan MacAulay

The UPEI Panthers men's hockey team (12-12-1-3) is in an interesting but stressful situation, as the young squad is fighting for home ice advantage in the playoffs, which are right around the corner, and the team could have a shot at stealing third place in the standings.

Did anyone see that coming? 

Currently sitting fifth in the standings, one point behind the Saint Mary's Huskies (14-13-1-0) and the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men (14-13-1-0) with two games remaining in the regular season, the Panthers will have two big challenges ahead of them this upcoming weekend (Feb. 9-10) to wrap up a season that has silenced the pre-season doubters. 

On Friday, Feb. 9, the second place Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleus (15-11-3-0) come to the MacLauchlan Arena in Charlottetown for one last match against UPEI, hoping to finally beat the Panthers after four past attempts. The last time the two teams played each other was in Moncton, when the Aigles Bleus were up 4-2 heading into the third period, but the Panthers came back and won 5-4 in overtime. 

On Saturday, Feb. 10, the Panthers will head to Fredericton, N.B. to play the undefeated University of New Brunswick Reds (29-0-0-0) one last time and attempt an upset for the ages, while the Reds look to make history with a perfect 30-win regular season. UPEI has yet to beat UNB after four past attempts, with past scores being 1-0, 8-0, 6-1, and 7-1. 

Heading into the weekend, UPEI has had a hot start to the month of February with a two-game winning streak, and the team recently increased its away game record to 9-5 thanks to wins against SMU and the Acadia University Axemen (8-15-2-3). On Friday, Feb. 2, the Panthers rallied from a 3-1 deficit (with top scorer Kaleb Pearson and forward Chase Lammi leaving mid-game due to injuries) to win 4-3, defeating SMU for the first time after four past attempts. On Tuesday, Feb. 6, the team traveled back to Nova Scotia after a long snowstorm and mounted another comeback, this time against Acadia with a three-goal third period to win 4-3. 

Between those two games, top-line rookie forwards Elias Cohen and Noah Sedore stepped up in the absence of Pearson and recorded a combined four goals and seven points. Sedore's two goals against Acadia were the game-winners, scored just over two minutes apart in the third period, and he has four goals in the last three games. Both Cohen and Sedore are closing in on Pearson for the most points on the team, both two points behind. Rookie forward Ben McFarlane had his best performance yet against Acadia with one goal and three assists, erasing a three-game point drought.  

Rookie forwards Landon Clow and Patrick LeBlanc came in clutch against SMU, as Clow tied the game in the second period with a beautiful 2-on-1 tip-in goal, and LeBlanc scored a shorthanded breakaway goal in the third period to give UPEI the lead. Veteran goaltender Jonah Capriotti returned to prime form with wins against SMU and Acadia (first win since Jan. 13), recording an overall 60 saves on 65 shots, making a highlight-reel cartwheel glove save against SMU, and giving his team a chance to fight back after a rough start. Capriotti has played the team's last four games, recording an overall 2.06 goals against average and .925 save percentage, and he was recently named a UPEI Panther Athlete of the Week. 

As for who UPEI faces this weekend, one team is on a roller coaster, and another remains perfect. 

It's been a tough stretch for Moncton recently as they lost 7-0 to UNB on home ice this past Tuesday (Feb. 6) and lost 3-1 to StFX in Antigonish, N.S. the next day. Against UNB, the Aigles Bleus went 0-for-4 on the power play, allowed three power-play goals, and registered only 14 shots. Against StFX, Moncton went 0-for-2 and fired 26 shots at goaltender Joseph Raaymakers, but only one made it into the net. 

In the team's last seven games, it has only won two. For a team that is locked in second place and has a first-round bye, the Aigles Bleus will certainly need a break, but they will also need to grab momentum heading into the playoffs. Watch out for Jeremy Lapointe, former NHL draft pick Jeremy Michel, and Jacob Dion, who are the team's only players with 28 or more points, and all carry substantial plus/minus ratings. In goal, depending on who starts, rookie Olivier Adam hopes to rebound after allowing five goals on eight shots within 27:45 against UNB, which led to him being pulled for fellow rookie Felix-Anthony Ethier. Ethier denied 25 of 28 shots against StFX on Wednesday. 

UNB, on the other hand, is self-explanatory. A perfect record, four players in the top-5 in league scoring, veteran defenseman Adam McCormick winning AUS Male Athlete of the Week (while on a 10-game point streak with 20 points), and goaltenders Griffen Outhouse and Samuel Richard remaining unstoppable.  

However, the team has experienced some close calls in recent games, including being down 3-2 to StFX with five minutes remaining in a game on Feb. 2 but coming back to win in the final minute. Veteran forward Austen Keating recently had a point streak conclude at six games, but during that stretch, he recorded six goals and 13 points, moving him to the top spot in league scoring. Sophomore defenseman Kale MacCallum joins McCormick with his own giant point streak at 17 games, which includes 27 points so far. 

Friday and Saturday's game times are at 7 p.m. Buy single game tickets for Friday's game at panthertickets.ca. Catch Saturday's action at austv.ca and follow the men's hockey Instagram and X accounts for live updates.