(CHARLOTTETOWN, PE) The 2022-23 season has been nothing short of impressive for the UPEI Panthers, but they have yet to pass one test: beating the UNB REDS.
The Panthers went into Saturday's highly anticipated matchup between the top two teams in Atlantic University Sport having lost the first two games. That extended to three losses, after the REDS escaped Charlottetown with a 3-2 win.
Simon Pinard (Drummondville, QC) paced the REDS with a goal and an assist, while Cody Morgan (Gilford, ON) and Jason Willms (Kitchener, ON) also found the back of the net.
The win clinched an AUS playoff spot for the REDS, now 15-2-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL).
The Panthers know they can compete with anyone at full strength, so the message throughout the season has been to stay out of the penalty box and play a disciplined brand of hockey.
Midway through the opening period, UPEI failed to do so and the country's top-ranked team took full advantage.
With a two-man advantage, Morgan put away the rebound off a Pinard slap-shot from the high slot at 10:58.
On the same power play, Panthers goaltender Jonah Capriotti (Mount Hope, ON) made a kick save on Cole MacKay's (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) shot from the left circle, but surrendered a long rebound to Pinard, who got a quick shot off to put his team ahead 2-0.
"We knew they were going to come out hard, but those two early goals helped us gain momentum," said Pinard, named Subway Player of the Game.
That momentum shifted UPEI's way at 17:05 when Ian Smallwood (Quispamsis, NB) cycled the puck to Kurtis Henry (Garden River First Nation), who fired a slap shot by Samuel Richard (Ste. Catherine, QC) from the right circle to cut the deficit in half. Richard had another solid game between the pipes, turning aside 34 shots.
The Panthers would get to the rookie netminder again on a powerplay, 1:50 into the second period. Kyle Maksimovich (Hamilton, ON) buried the rebound off a Troy Lajeunesse (Dokis, ON) wrist shot from the slot to even the score at two.
"We didn't really want to change what we were doing," Pinard said. "We just needed to keep grinding and keep playing the right way, and we knew the result would come."
Like they had done all night, the REDS' special teams delivered another goal, this time of the shorthanded variety. At 12:37, Isaac Nurse (Hamilton, ON) gathered the puck from the neutral zone and skated by a defender before sending a pass to Willms, who beat Capriotti five-hole for the winning goal.
The Panthers, now 12-5-0-1, are back on the ice January 4th (2023) when they host Moncton, while the REDS take on the Aigles Bleus on January 6th.
RECAP BY: Thomas Becker/UPEI Athletics
PHOTOS BY: Grant Harrison/for UPEI Athletics