Panthers earn first win behind dominant first period
The UPEI Panthers (1-2-0) rode a strong first period to the finish line, as they defeated the St. FX X-Men 5-2 for their first win of the season.
By Justin Arenburg
The UPEI Panthers (1-2-0) rode a strong first period to the finish line, as they defeated the St. FX X-Men 5-2 for their first win of the season.
Troy Lajeunesse, Darian Pilon and Jaden Peca each scored in the decisive frame and put their opponent in a hole they could never climb out of.
Lajeunesse got the scoring started early when he notched his third goal of the season at the 4:21 mark on a beautiful tip from a Matt Brassard point shot.
TJ Shea, who led all scorers with two goals, said it was important for the team to get off to a strong start.
"It's always great to get one early, especially for a home team. It sets the tone for the rest of the game and allows us to play our game."
A little over a minute later, Pilon scored his first after cleaning up his brother's shot. On the faceoff win, the puck cycled to Drake Pilon, who fired a shot off Joseph Raaymakers before Darian buried the rebound.
The lead grew to 3-0 on one of the easiest goals of Peca's career. Raaymakers made the initial save on a Kurtis Henry shot from the point, but again left a long rebound and an open cage for Peca to deposit the goal.
After the break, St. FX's Matthew Philip took a pass in front of the net and from tight quarters snuck the puck by goaltender Jonah Capriotti to make the score 3-1 3:04 into the second period.
TJ Shea restored UPEI's three-goal advantage late in the frame when the veteran forward skated in from the neutral zone, got around a defender and waited out Raaymakers for the nifty backhand.
The X-Men (2-1-0) found a bit of life midway through the third period when Liam Hawel capitalized on a Panther turnover. After his teammate took the puck from Peca, he left it for Hawel, who wired a shot from the slot that beat Capriotti glove side to make it 4-2.
The Panthers' defence held firm the rest of the way before Shea put away the empty net goal to seal the 5-2 win.
"It feels great. The boys were rolling tonight," Shea said. "We played a solid 60 minutes there and got the job done when we needed to. It's a big start to our weekend."
The Panthers travel to Halifax for a Saturday night tilt against the Dalhousie Tigers, while the X-Men make a trip to Fredericton next Friday to take on the UNB Reds.
Photo Credit: Mike Needham
