Reds dismantle Panthers 11-1

FREDERICTON, NB—The UNB REDS picked up their ninth win of the Atlantic University Sport men's hockey season in commanding fashion, beating the UPEI Panthers 11-1 on Saturday night at UNB's Aitken Centre.

It's the REDS' second 11-1 victory in their last three games. 

UNB came roaring out of the gate, as forwards Michael Petizian (Mississauga, ON) and Benjamin Corbeil (Granby, QC) both scored in the first five minutes of the game. 

After going down 3-0 on a breakaway goal by Peter Reynolds (Fredericton, NB), the Panthers put in goalie Jakob Robillard (Rockland, ON) to take the place of starter Joe Ranger (Carp, PE). 

The UPEI swap didn't cool down the red-hot REDS though. 

Jax Dubois (Ottawa, ON) scored an unassisted short-handed goal almost immediately, and Kale McCallum (Rothesay, NB) made it 5-0 UNB before the end of the first. 

In the second period, Sean McGurn (Ottawa, ON) fed Reynolds for a back door beauty. 

Emmett Sproule (Collingwood, ON) scored on the power play and second-year defenceman Nicolas Savoie (Dieppe, NB) scored the first goal of his Atlantic University Sport career. 

By the end of the second, UNB was up 9-0, thanks to McCallum's second of the game, a one-timer on a 5-on-3 advantage. 

The Panthers' lone goal in the contest came from Kurtis Henry (Niagara Falls, ON), 2:08 into the third period. 

Sproule scored his second of the game soon after, his 20th point of the season, the most in the AUS. His linemates, Corbeil and Reynolds, are second and third on the points list, respectively. 

Sproule was named the Tim Horton's Player of the Game. 

McGurn scored UNB's 11th goal as the team pushed their record to 9-0-1-0 (W-L-OTL-SOL), four points clear of the nearest AUS rival. 

Samuel Richard made 14 saves on 15 shots in the UNB net. 

In the Panthers' net, Ranger gave up three goals on just six shots before being pulled. Robillard didn't fare much better, surrendering eight goals on 37 shots. 

UNB outshot UPEI 43-15. 

The Panthers, now 3-7-0-0, return home to play Dalhousie on Friday at 7:00pm. 

UNB is in Halifax next weekend for a Friday night tilt at Saint Mary's, the first of five consecutive road games for the REDS.

RECAP BY: Peter Jewett, UNB Athletics / PHOTOS BY: James West, for UNB Athletics