Panthers suffer another heartbreaking result with 4-3 shootout loss to Axemen

By Reegan MacAulay

It's as if someone copied and pasted Friday night's series of events as the UPEI Panthers suffered yet another heartbreaking shootout loss, this time to the Acadia Axemen 4-3 in what was another feisty and competitive game on Saturday night at the MacLauchlan Arena.

Just like what happened on Friday when the Panthers lost 5-4 to Saint Mary's, it was another late rally by the opponent that caught the young Panthers off guard. Not ideal, but head coach Forbes MacPherson defended his inexperienced squad. 

"We just played 130 minutes of hockey against two very heavy teams and there were a lot of good signs. There's another team out there that's trying to win, (Saint Mary's and Acadia) played good both nights. 

"We didn't get the results we wanted. Last night's feeling was way different than tonight the way it ended. I feel like there's a small area of the game we've got to work on," MacPherson said.

The Panthers came out strong as veteran forward Kaleb Pearson made a saucer pass from the far blue line up to rookie forward Noah Sedore, who surged on a breakaway and scored his seventh goal of the season at 2:00. It was another fabulous play from the top forward line of Pearson, Sedore, and rookie Elias Cohen, which has become a common pattern since November. 

Seven minutes later, Liam Kidney tied the game for Acadia at 9:07. The Axemen took control of the game until a late penalty against Corson Hopwo, which led to another UPEI goal. A wide shot by Sedore bounced off the boards right to Cohen, who snapped home his seventh goal of the season at 17:36. After the game, coach MacPherson was more than happy to shout out to both players for their recent performances. 

"They're two guys with high ceilings and they're doing a lot of things well. We're happy with their progress and transition into this league," MacPherson said.

The Panthers weren't done yet as, half a minute later, rookie forward Keiran Gallant was sent on a breakaway and he scored his third goal of the season at 18:04 to extend UPEI's lead to 3-1.

The second period began relatively quiet as only one shot was registered after eight minutes from Acadia. Just past halfway, rookie defenseman Cameron Morton received an interference penalty, leading to an Axemen goal by Ethan Ernst at 10:53 to close the gap by one goal.

Although the Axemen had offensive control for most of the game, UPEI came out hungry and energetic in the third period, but they couldn't capitalize on multiple big chances, including two power plays. As a result, the Axemen found better luck and Bailey Peach tied the game at 18:51. A high-sticking penalty against veteran defenseman Kurtis Henry gave the Panthers a scare, but they managed to kill it off in overtime.

Despite numerous chances on both ends, neither team could get the job done, thus, a shootout. Ethan Ernst was the lone goal scorer for Acadia, sealing the deal and handing the Axemen their second win in a row. Ben McFarlane, Kaleb Pearson, and Elias Cohen were the shooters for UPEI, all failing to score.

The final shots were 30-24 in favour of Acadia. Jonah Capriotti stopped 27 of 30 shots in net for UPEI, while Thomas Couture stopped 21 of 24 shots in net for Acadia. UPEI went 1-for-5 on the power play and Acadia went 1-for-4. Kurtis Henry was named UPEI Player of the Game for his two-assist performance.

The Panthers return to action next weekend as they will head on a road trip to Nova Scotia. On Friday, Jan. 12, they will face the 5-13-2 Dalhousie Tigers. UPEI is 2-1-0 against Dalhousie this season, previously winning 5-3 on the road in November. On Saturday, Jan. 13, they will face the 10-9-1 StFX X-Men. UPEI has yet to beat StFX after three matches so far.

Both games are at 7 p.m. Catch the action at austv.ca and follow the men's hockey Instagram and X accounts for live updates. Stay tuned for future Inside Panthers Hockey episodes.

Photo Credit: Janessa Vanden Broek