(FREDERICTON, NB) The U SPORTS No. 1 ranked UNB REDS rallied from two goals down to beat the Moncton Aigles Bleus 4-3 in overtime in an Atlantic University Sport men's hockey thriller at UNB's Aitken Centre, Friday night.
Benjamin Corbeil (Granby, QC) scored UNB's winner 1:12 into extra time.
He was left alone in front, took a pass from the corner and fired a shot past Moncton's Olivier Adam (Drummondville, QC).
"It was a nice pass by McCormick and I saw the high blocker shot, so I just went there," said Corbeil, named Tim Horton's Player of the Game. "I had a few chances tonight, but I hadn't hit the net, so I was happy just to hit the net and see it go in."
After a scoreless first period the teams erupted for four goals in a little more than eight minutes to start the second.
Moncton opened the scoring, on the powerplay at the 1:25 mark on a goal by Thomas Pelletier (Quebec City, QC). His teammate Jeremie Jacob (Dieppe, NB) followed with Moncton's second goal just 57 seconds later.
Ten seconds after Jacob's goal, AUS scoring leader Austen Keating (Guelph, ON) put UNB on the board.
The Aigles Bleus added their third goal of the period at 8:16, Edouard St-Laurent tipping a point shot past REDS goalie Samuel Richard (Ste. Catherine, QC).
Kade Landry (Gowanstown, ON) pulled UNB within one with a powerplay goal just 1:45 into the third period and Keating's second of the game, with 3:32 left to play, tied the score 3-3, setting the table for Corbeil's OT winner.
"A win is win and we're happy about it, but we know we can do a lot better," said Corbeil. "In the third, we knew we could come back and that's what we did."
With the win, the REDS remain unbeaten. Owners of a 9-and-0 record, they continue to sit atop the AUS standings.
Moncton is now 6-3-1-0 (W-L-OTL-SOL). They remain second in the AUS.
"We're really disappointed," said Adam. "I think we had control of that game. We should've won that one, but they came back on the powerplay and found a way to win in overtime."
"We can build on that," he added. "They're an undefeated team and we could've won that, so we will have to find the positives in that."
The REDS hit the road for a Saturday contest, in Charlottetown, against the UPEI Panthers. Game time is 7:00pm.
The Aigles Bleus see their next action next Friday, when they visit STFX.
RECAP: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS: Fran Harris/for UNB Athletics