Hockey Tigers fall 4-3 to Huskies

The Dalhousie Tigers lost 4-3 to the St. Mary's Huskies at the Halifax Forum on Saturday night as the Tigers honoured their graduating players on senior night. Additionally, it was the annual battle for the Lobster Cup between the Huskies and the Tigers, as it was the final regular season meeting between the Halifax rivals.  

The game got off to a fairly slow start before Sam King (Hampton, NB) got a nice cross-ice opportunity for the Huskies before it was saved by Alex McDonald (Truro, NS). Moments later, Matt Green (Hammonds Plains, NS) got a breakaway, but the Huskies goalie Jeremy Helvig (Kingston, ON) stood tall, keeping it a 0-0 game just eight minutes in. Two minutes later, the Huskies challenged Dalhousie again, before Cedric Ralph (Peterborough, ON) found a way to bang the puck in for a 1-0 lead. St. Mary's would continue to push for offence getting several more chances on the net before Dennis Busby (Oro-Medonte, ON) found himself all alone in front, making it 2-0. It was then time for the Tigers to respond, as a diving Scott Gaetz (Mississauga, ON) was able to poke the puck in, cutting the lead to 2-1. The Huskies then headed to the powerplay for the first time, where a nice pass made its way to King who cashed in for a 3-1 lead, just before the end of the first. 

The second period began with lots of speed, with both teams flying around the ice looking for the next goal. The period remained scoreless, with minimal scoring opportunities until the Huskies got their second powerplay of the evening with around 10 minutes left to play in the frame. Just minutes later the Tigers pushed with several wrap-around chances, but the Huskies' penalty killers stood tall. The period would see several more chances from each side but would ultimately conclude with no score. 

The Huskies began the final period quickly, picking up their fourth goal from Charlie Dafonseca (Thornhill, ON) just two minutes in for a three-goal lead. Moments later, St. Mary's would get another powerplay, with a shortened 5-on-3 advantage to extend the lead even further. The Tigers killers would do a good job keeping the play to the outside, and the Huskies took a penalty of their own, sending Dalhousie to a shortened powerplay. The Tigers took advantage as Josh Wainman (Peterborough, ON) found the back of the net to make it 4-2. Then with under two minutes remaining, the Tigers would find a way to cut the lead to one with a goal from Kyle Yewchuk (Calgary, AB) to make it 4-3. With one last chance to tie it, the Tigers pulled their goaltender, but with no luck as the Huskies would go on to win the Lobster Cup for the first time in five years. 

Dafonseca took home the Subway Player of the Game award for the Huskies. 

The Dalhousie Tigers fall to 6-24 and conclude their 2022-23 AUS regular season. 

The St. Mary's Huskies improve to 20-10, also finishing their regular season, and will look forward to the AUS playoffs.