Hockey
      Panthers
      Pick
      Up
      Four
      Points
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Adam
      GAUTHIER
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      past
      weekend
      at
      the
     
     
      Civic
      Centre,
      the
      UPEI
      men’s
      hockey
     
     
      team
      played
      two
      hard
      fought
      games,
     
     
      and
      came
      out
      with
      victories
      against
     
     
      two
      of
      the
      top
      teams
      in
      AUS
      hockey.
     
    

    
     
      On
      Friday,
      in
      front
      of
      a
      sparse
     
     
      crowd,
      the
      Panthers
      played
      host
      to
      the
     
     
      league-leading
      Dalhousie
      Tigers.
      The
     
     
      Tigers
      re
      also
      the
      third
      ranked
      univer-
     
     
      sity
      hockey
      team
      in
      Canada.
      The
     
     
      Panthers
      got
      off
      to
      a
      quick
      start
      with
      a
     
     
      goal
      by
      Lorne
      Misita,
      with
      assists
     
     
      from
      Mike
      Kennedy
      and
      Cleon
      Smith,
     
     
      just
      twenty-five
      seconds
      into
      the
      first
     
     
      period.
      At
      the
      14:38
      mark,
      Brandon
     
     
      Coalter
      scored
      on
      Tiger
      goalie
      Mike
     
     
      Weatherbie,
      assisted
      by
      Brian
     
     
      Passmore
      and
      Adam
      Campbell,
      to
     
     
      give
      the
      Panthers
      a
      2-0
      lead
      going
     
     
      into
      the
      first
      intermission.
      UPEI
      was
     
     
      outshot
      by
      Dalhousie
      18-10
      in
      the
     
     
      first
      but
      were
      kept
      in
      the
      game
      thanks
     
     
      to
      the
      great
      goaltending
      of
      Jason
     
     
      Flick.
     
    

    
     
      Dalhousie
      was
      able
      to
      pene-
     
     
      trate
      Flick
      early
      in
      the
      second
      period
     
     
      with
      a
      goal
      by
      Chris
      Pittman,
      at
      the
     
     
      1:27
      mark.
      The
      second
      period
      was
     
     
      filled
      with
      good
      scoring
      opportunities
     
     
      and
      a
      number
      of
      penalties
      on
      both
     
     
      sides.
      Dalhousie
      again
      outshot
      UPEI
     
    
   
   
    
     
      for
      the
      period
      9-5.
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      third,
      the
      Panthers
     
     
      added
      to
      their
      lead
      with
      a
      short-hand-
     
     
      ed
      goal
      on
      a
      break-away
      by
     
     
      O’Leary’s
      Darcy
      Harris
      on
      a
      great
     
     
      pass
      by
      Charlottetown’s_
      Kris
     
     
      MacPhee
      at
      the
      11:05
      mark.
      Pittman
     
     
      again
      scored
      for
      Dalhousie
      on
      the
     
     
      power-play
      at
      11:20,
      but
      Harris’s
      goal
     
     
      turned
      out
      to
      be
      the
      winner.
      For
      the
     
     
      remaining
      ten
      minutes
      of
      hockey,
      the
     
     
      Tigers
      could
      not
      beat
      Flick.
      They
     
     
      threw
      another
      thirteen
      shots
      at
      him
      for
     
     
      a
      game
      high
      of
      forty,
      while
      the
     
     
      Panthers
      shot
      eleven
      at
      Weatherbie
      in
     
     
      the
      third
      for
      a
      total
      of
      twenty-six.
     
    

    
     
      Hostility
      became
      rampant
      at
     
     
      the
      end
      of
      the
      game
      as
      the
      players
     
     
      started
      shoving
      and
      grabbing
      each
     
     
      other,
      while
      Panthers
      head
      coach
     
     
      Doug
      Currie
      and
      Tigers
      coach
      Fabian
     
     
      Joseph
      got
      into
      a
      shouting
      match
      from
     
     
      their
      benches.
      Cooler
      heads
      eventual-
     
     
      ly
      prevailed,
      and
      the
      teams
      left
      the
      ice
     
     
      without
      shaking
      hands.
      For
      the
     
     
      Panthers
      it
      was
      a
      huge
      win
      and
      a
      con-
     
     
      fidence
      booster
      going
      into
      Saturday’s
     
     
      game
      against
      Acadia.
     
    

    
     
      I
      arrived
      at
      the
      game
      late
      on
     
     
      Saturday
      night
      and
      saw
      that
      the
     
     
      Panthers
      already
      had
      a
      2-0
      lead
      over
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Could
      you
      please
      not
      point
      at
      me?
      How
      rude.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Friday’s
      game-winning
      goal
      by
      Darcy
      Harris.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      Axemen,
      with
      just
      over
      seven
     
     
      minutes
      left
      in
      the
      first.
     
    

    
     
      The
      crowd
      was
      larger
      than
      the
     
     
      night
      before,
      with
      a
      number
      of
      UPEI
     
     
      students,
      Alumni
      and
      faculty
      in
      the
     
     
      crowd.
      There
      was
      still
      more
      blue
      seats
     
     
      than
      bodies.
      A
      former
      Alumni
      sitting
      a
     
     
      few
      seats
      down
      told
      me
      that,
      “The
     
     
      Panthers
      are
      still
      drawing
      more
      than
     
     
      the
      Abbies.”
     
    

    
     
      At
      the
      15:54°
      mark,
      Acadia’s
     
     
      Todd
      Row
      scored
      a
      short-handed
      goal
     
     
      to
      put
      the
      Axemen
      down
      by
      one
      going
     
     
      into
      the
      first
      intermission.
      Shots
      in
      the
     
     
      period
      were
      in
      favour
      of
      the
      Axemen
     
     
      11-5.
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      second,
      the
      Panthers
     
     
      struck
      at
      the
      4:20
      mark
      with
      a
      goal
      by
     
     
      Mike
      Kennedy,
      with
      assists
      coming
     
     
      from
      Brandon
      Coalter
      and
      Brian
     
     
      Passmore.
      Acadia
      responded
      a
      few
     
     
      minutes
      later
      at
      the
      6:14
      mark
      with
      a
     
     
      goal
      by
      Robin
      Sochan
      to
      beat
      Jason
     
     
      Flick.
      Shots
      in
      the
      second
      favoured
     
     
      the
      Panthers
      11-8.
     
    

    
     
      The
      third
      was
      a
      very
      sloppy
     
     
      period
      for
      the
      Panthers,
      with
      bad
     
     
      passing
      and
      too
      many
      penalties
      and
     
     
      icing
      calls.
      The
      Panthers
      were
      on
      their
     
     
      heels
      for
      most
      of
      the
      period
      with
      the
     
     
      Axemen
      weaving
      their
      way
      through
     
     
      the
      Panther
      lineup.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Axemen
      scored
      early
      in
     
     
      the
      third
      on
      a
      power-play
      goal
      by
     
     
      Scott
      Roles
      to
      tie
      the
      game
      at
      three.
     
     
      The
      Axemen
      pelted
      twelve
      shots
      at
     
     
      Jason
      flick
      in
      the
      third
      while
      the
     
     
      Panthers
      were
      only
      able
      to
      get
      two
      on
     
     
      Acadia
      netminder
      Mark
      Cairns.
     
     
      Fortunately
      for
      the
      Panthers
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      two
      shots
      went
      in
      the
      net.
     
    

    
     
      After
      a
      great
      glove
      save
      by
     
     
      Flick
      with
      2:40
      left
      to
      save
      the
      game
     
     
      for
      the
      Panthers,
      Kris
      MacPhee
      took
     
     
      the
      puck
      from
      Darcy
      Harris
      and
     
     
      Trevor
      Tokarezyk,
      and
      wired
      it
      past
     
     
      Cairns
      to
      give
      the
      Panthers
      a
      4-3
      lead
     
     
      with
      2:25
      left
      in
      the
      game.
      The
     
     
      Axemen
      ended
      up
      getting
      a
      costly
     
     
      penalty
      at
      the
      18:00
      mark,
      sealing
      the
     
     
      game
      for
      the
      Panthers.
      The
      Axemen
     
     
      outshot
      the
      Panthers
      31-18
      for
      the
     
     
      game.
      For
      the
      second
      night
      in
      a
      row,
     
     
      Flick
      came
      up
      big
      for
      the
      Panthers
     
     
      when
      they
      needed
      him.
     
    

    
     
      With
      the
      four
      points
      on
      the
     
     
      weekend
      the
      Panthers
      moved
      into
      a
     
     
      tie
      for
      third
      place
      with
      nine
      points
      on
     
     
      the
      season.
      Overall
      it
      was
      a
      very
      good
     
     
      weekend
      of
      hockey
      for
      the
      Panthers
     
     
      with
      two
      close
      and
      exciting
      games,
     
     
      which
      should
      encourage
      more
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      and
      faculty
      to
      get
      out
      and
      sup-
     
     
      port
      their
      university
      athletes.
     
    
   
   
    
     
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