REDS beat Tigers 5-0

RECAP BY: Evan Richtsfeld/UNB Athletics

(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB REDS defeated the Dalhousie Tigers 5-0 on Saturday afternoon in front of a packed Aitken Centre crowd, on Elementary School Day. 

The REDS were able to ride a stellar powerplay, going 3 for 5, cruising to their 11th straight victory. 

From the get-go, UNB would push the pace on the Tigers, outshooting Dalhousie 20-2 in the first period. 

Simon Pinard (Drummondville, QC) would get the scoring going for the REDS.

Pinard converted a feed from UNB captain Jason Willms (Kitchener, ON).

Willms, who did his part to fight off two Tigers players, was able to find Pinard open in front of the net where he would fire a slapshot past Tigers' goalie Connor Hicks (Kanata, ON) to make it 1-0 UNB. 

"It feels good to get the win," said Pinard. "We wanted to finish with a perfect weekend and that is what we did. It was a great team effort all game long and the results were there at the end." 

The Tigers had a chance to tie the game with just 5:23 left in the period when forward Kyle Yewchuk (Calgary, AB) was able to drive to the net but would ring the puck off the post. 

With just seconds left, and UNB on the powerplay, Michael Petizian (Mississauga, ON) was able to take control of a bouncing puck in the slot, off a shot from Brady Gilmour (Grafton, ON), and put it past Hicks giving the REDS the 2-0 lead.

Making his season debut for the REDS, second-year goaltender Griffen Outhouse (Williams Lake, BC) didn't have to make many saves on route to the shutout win, but was strong when called upon. That was the case in the second period when the Tigers found themselves on an odd-man rush, but Outhouse was able to sprawl to make the save and keep it a 2-0 game. 

Later in the period, with UNB on another powerplay, Cole MacKay (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) tapped home a pass from Cody Morgan (Gilford, ON) to put UNB up 3-0. 

A minute later Pinard would take advantage of a 2-on-1 and snapped a blazing wrist shot, short side, past Hicks to put the REDS up 4-0. 

"I just wanted to read the D-man and see if he was leaving me space to shoot or force me to pass," said Pinard. "I was able to see the shooting lane and put it in the back of the net." 

Just three minutes into the third, MacKay scored his second of the game and UNB's third powerplay goal. He took a pass from Ben Corbeil (Granby, QC), moved in front and put the puck top corner past Hicks making it 5-0. 

The REDS had an opportunity to add another, but Hicks made a phenomenal cross-crease save to rob MacKay of a hat-trick.

Saturday's win marks the 12th of the season for the REDS.

UNB hits the road next weekend. They'll visit the Acadia Axemen on Friday. Game time is 7:00pm.

The Tigers, now 1-12-0-0 on the season, return home to face STFX on Wednesday.