X-Men grind out 5-4 shootout win over Axemen
Back-and-forth thriller goes to OT and shootout in Wolfville as X-Men emerge victorious
WOLFVILLE, NS - In a back-and-forth thriller that needed overtime and a shootout to be decided, the STFX X-Men edged the Acadia Axemen 5-4 on Saturday night at Andrew H. McCain Arena.
STFX goalie Patrick Leaver was steady when it mattered most, stopping all shots he faced in overtime and turning aside both Acadia shooters in the shootout to secure the road victory.
Forward Ryan McGuire scored in regulation and added the shootout winner, earning second star honours, while rookie defender Aaron Brown also scored in the shootout.
Acadia struck early in the first period on the power play, with Brayden Schmitt blasting home a point shot at 3:06 to give the Axemen a 1-0 lead. STFX responded midway through the frame when Aaron Brown wired a shot from the point that beat Axemen goaltender Thomas Couture.
The X-Men took their first lead at 17:39 when Ryan McGuire finished off a setup from Connor Roberts, sending STFX to the intermission up 2-1.
The lone goal of the middle frame came at 18:46, with Schmitt burying his second of the night off a backdoor feed from Justin DeZoete, tying the game 2-2.
The wild third period started off just 53 seconds in when Canning restored the STFX lead, scrambling to convert a pass from behind the net from Logan O'Neil.
The momentum shifted back to Acadia when Corson Hopwo tied it at 9:52, and Kian Bell scored unassisted at 15:46 to put the Axemen ahead 4-3.
With time running out, the X-Men forced overtime in dramatic fashion. Logan O'Neil jumped on a loose puck while the X-Men were up a skater after pulling Leaver from the net, scoring with just nine seconds left in regulation, silencing the Wolfville crowd and sending the game to extra time.
The teams traded chances in overtime but neither side could find the winner. Leaver came up with a clutch save for X late in the overtime period to keep his squad in it.
In the shootout, McGuire scored first for STFX, and McGuire sealed it in the second round as Leaver came up big, stopping both Acadia shooters.
The X-Men will be back in action on Wednesday, November 12th when they travel to Halifax to face the Dalhousie Tigers.
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