Hockey: AUS Weekly Update

Thanks to their first and second place finishes in the AUS regular season, UNB and Acadia got the first round bye and the week off.

StFX and UPEI opened the playoffs Wednesday night in Charlottetown. X-Men captain Chris Hulit missed the last dozen games of the regular season while his team went 4-6-2, but he was back in the line up and set up the first goal of the game and got the winner in the third period as the X-Men won 3-2 in a mild upset between the 4th and 5th place teams. The series moved to Antigonish Friday night and it was another 3-2 win for StFX, except this time the X-Men had an early two goal lead only to see the Panthers score in the last minute of both the first and second periods to tie it up. The game went into the second overtime period before rookie Ryan Sparling scored the winner at 12:14. StFX will now play UNB starting Thursday and Friday night in Fredericton in their best-of-five semi-final. The X-Men of course are the only team to beat the Varsity Reds this season, but can they do it three more times?

Saint Mary's game on Wednesday against Moncton was postponed due to a snowstorm so the series started Friday night in Halifax. After the teams traded goals in the second period, this one also went into double overtime with SMU defenceman David MacDonald getting the winning goal in the 2-1 victory. On Saturday the teams were in Moncton, in a game that was by all reports very chippy with the referee letting a lot, or everything, go. Justin Muden scored twice in 22 seconds just over a minute into the game to pace the Huskies, and Mike Danton added a power play marker in the second. Moncton got two goals in the second period to draw within one, but sniper Cody Thorton sealed the win with an empty netter. SMU outshot UdeM 46-28 in the 4-2 win. Saint Mary's will now meet Acadia this week in their best-of-five semi-final that will put the offensive-minded Huskies against the defensive-minded Axemen.

UPDATE: The schedule is now out for the UNB-StFX series. As already stated, the series opens in Fredericton on Thursday and Friday, and switches to Antigonish Tuesday for game three, and game four if necessary on Wednesday night. If there is a game five, the series comes back to Fredericton on Saturday, March 6.

Acadia will host Saint Mary's Wednesday and Friday night in Wolfville to start their series. The games will then shift to Halifax on Monday, March 1st and Tuesday if necessary. If there is a game five it would be back in Wolfville on Friday, March 5.