(HALIFAX, NS) After falling behind 2-0 early in the first period, the UNB REDS scored nine unanswered goals on route to a 9-2 win over the Dalhousie Tigers on Saturday night, in Halifax.
Eight different UNB skaters scored in a balanced and relentless push by the U SPORTS No. 1 ranked REDS.
Ethan Martini (Trail, BC) and Derek Gentile (Sydney, NS) both scored before the game was eight minutes old as the home team built an early lead, but the REDS responded… and then some.
One minute after Gentile's goal, Justin Nolet (Mississauga, ON) scored on a shot from the middle of the slot to cut Dal's lead to a single goal.
Brady Gilmour (Grafton, ON) and Issac Nurse (Hamilton, ON) scored less than two minutes apart to put UNB ahead and Austen Keating (Guelph, ON) scored to make it a 4-2 game after one period.
Macauley Carson (Midhurst, ON) scored 2:09 into the second period and Cole MacKay (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) made it 5-2 before the second period was five minutes old, prompting a goalie change by the Tigers.
Nicholas Chenard (Tecumseh, ON) was pulled in favour of Alex MacDonald (Truro, NS).
Benjamin Corbeil (Granby, QC) and Kale McCallum (Rothesay, NB) also scored second period goals and UNB led 8-2 after 40 minutes.
MacKay's second of the game, on the powerplay, was the only goal of the third period as UNB skated away with the 9-2 victory, their 18th in a row.
Gilmour finished the night with his goal and two assists while Adam McCormick (Woodstock, NB) and Colton Kammerer (Brooklin, ON) each had a pair of assists.
Griffen Outhouse (Williams Lake, BC) made 14 saves on 16 shots while Chenard and MacDonald faced 49 UNB shots, 21 in the final period alone.
The two teams wrap up the first portion of the Atlantic University Sport season at opposite ends of the standings.
The REDS sit atop the standings at 18-0-0-0 (W-L-OTL-SOL) while the Tigers are last with a 4-11-3-0 record.
Up next for the REDS, an exhibition game against the OUA's Concordia Stingers. That takes place December 30th, at 2:00pm, at UNB's Aitken Centre.
The REDS resume their AUS season on January 5th, when they host the STFX X-Men. Game time is 7:00pm.
The Tigers return to action the same night when they visit Moncton.
STORY BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS BY: Trevor MacMillan/for Dal Athletics