X-Men and Panthers set for AUS quarterfinal battle

The X-Men hockey team is set to begin their best 2 of 3 AUS quarterfinal series with the UPEI Panthers. The X-Men closed out the regular season with a 11-12-5 record, good enough for 27 points and fifth place, five points behind the fourth place Panthers (15-11-2). 

The Panthers hold home ice advantage for the quarterfinal series which is slated to begin Wednesday night in Charlottetown at 7:00 pm. Game 2 will be held Friday night at the StFX Charles V. Keating Centre at 7:00 pm. Game 3, if necessary, will be played Sunday night in PEI.

“We expect a very tough series with UPEI as they have been one of hottest teams in the AUS down the stretch and each time we have played this year they have been hard fought close games,” comments X-Men head coach Brad Peddle. 

“This series will be no different. We have to play our game and as in any short series, execution will be the key. Our guys are excited for the challenge as the AUS second season starts.”

In four regular season meetings against UPEI this year, the X-Men are 1-3, although two games were decided by a single goal. On November 7th in Antigonish, the Panthers earned a 3-2 overtime win, while this past weekend on Feb. 16 in PEI, the Panthers won 6-5 in a shootout. Other head-to-head match-ups featured a lopsided 5-1 X-Men win in PEI on Nov. 14th and a 4-2 PEI win in Antigonish on Feb. 6th.

The winner of the quarterfinal series will advance to the semi-finals where they will take on either the No. 1 seeded UNB Varsity Reds (27-1-0) and or the No. 2 Acadia Axemen (19-6-3). The other quarterfinal series pits the No. 3 Saint Mary’s Huskies (16-8-4) against the No. 6 Moncton Aigles Bleus (9-16-3).

Game 1 in Charlottetown will be webcast live on Panthers TV at: http://panthertv.ca/ while Game 2 at the StFX Keating Centre can be viewed live via www.ssncanada.ca. Friday’s game features a ‘Whiteout” promotion where all StFX fans are encouraged to wear white I support of the hometown X-Men. The first 600 fans in attendance at the game will receive a free white varsity X towel. X-Men hockey season pass holders are reminded that their seats will be held up until 1:00 pm on game day. 

Courtesy StFX Sports Information