Huskies beat Tigers 7-3

Halifax, NS- The Huskies stormed to a 7-3 win over their cross-town rivals, the Dalhousie Tigers, in an action-packed game Saturday night at the Dauphinee Centre in Halifax. 

Saturday night's win secured the Huskies' victory in the annual Clearwater Lobster Trap Challenge. Combined with the Huskies women's hockey 3-2 loss on Wednesday night, the Huskies outscored the Tigers 9-6 over the week to secure the trophy.   

Early in the first period, the Huskies had two back-to-back opportunities when Cedric Ralph (Peterborough, ON) one-timed it from just outside the crease, but Tigers goaltender Alexander MacDonald (Truro, NS) made the save. Seconds later, Huskies Ben Roger (Brighton, ON) fired a shot from the circle, but it hit the post. 

Minutes later, building on their pressure, Huskies Charlie Da Fonseca (Thornhill, ON) had a partial break and tried to put it through the five-hole of Tigers netminder Macdonald, but he got the pads down in time. 

The Tigers, looking for their opportunity, when forward Colin MacDougall (Carlisle, ON) fired from in close, but Huskies goalie Ben West (Barrie, ON) was there to make the save.  

With eight minutes played in the first period, Huskies Bradey Johnson (Lindsay, ON) rifled a shot from the hash marks near the boards, finding the back of the net to put the Huskies up 1-0.  

The Tigers made a fast counter opportunity with forward Brody Fournier's (Perth, ON) opportunity, but his shot hit the post.  

Over halfway into the first period, Huskies Ben Allison (Halifax, NS) received a pass from teammate Ralph, reaching around Tigers netminder MacDonald, put it in the back of the net, extending the Huskies lead to 2-0.  

Moments after their second goal, the Huskies headed onto the penalty kill. The Tigers poured on the pressure, and Tigers Alec Belanger's (Quebec, PQ) tip into the back of the Huskies net would bring the Tigers within one.  

With under two minutes to go in the first, on a powerplay, Huskies Dennis Busby (Oro-Medonte, ON) entered the zone and snapped a quick release shot that found the back of the net, putting the Huskies up 3-1. 

The Huskies outshot the Tigers 17-8 in the first period. As the teams headed into the intermission, the Huskies led 3-1.  

As the second period progressed, the teams traded opportunities however, both goalies stood firm. With six minutes left, the Huskies headed onto the penalty kill. The Huskies Ben Boyd (Dartmouth, NS) had a short-handed opportunity however Tigers netminder MacDonald made the save.  

Seconds before the Huskies successfully killed off their penalty, Tigers Belanger fired a shot from down low that squeaked through the pad of Huskies goalie West, but West was able to recover the puck before it crossed the line.  

As the clock moved to under halfway through the period, the intensity of both teams picked up. The teams traded chances as each looked to relieve the pressure of being pinned in their defensive zone.  

With six minutes left to go in the period, on a two-on-one, Huskies Busby's cross zone passed to Allison, who fired it into the top corner, lengthening the Huskies' lead to 4-1.   

As the period wound down, the Tigers had an offensive surge, with Evan MacKinnon (Beaverbank, NS) and Ethan Martini (Trail, BC) having scoring chances. However, Huskies goaltender West stayed firm.  

In the last seconds, Huskies Reid Valade (Caledon, ON) forced a turnover and wired a shot high, but Tigers netminder MacDonald easily made the glove save.  

The Huskies outshot the Tigers 27-23 in the second period. As the teams headed into intermission, Huskies were leading 4-1.  

Less than two minutes played in the third, Tigers Jack Harper (Guelph, ON) fired a shot from the blueline through traffic over the shoulder of Huskies netminder West, making the score 4-2 with his first goal of the season.  

Moments later, the Huskies headed onto a five-minute powerplay. The Huskies wasted no time capitalizing on their opportunity when Ralph tipped a low shot into the net, making the score 5-2. Seconds later, Huskies Nathan Dunkley added to the Huskies tally, making it 6-2.  

With additional penalties taken, the Huskies had two minutes of a five-on-three powerplay. The Huskies once again capitalized after Tigers MacDonald made an initial save, ending up out of position, Huskies Jaxon Bellamy put the puck in the wide-open net for his first of the season, making the score 7-2.  

At under halfway to go in the third, the Tigers had a chance on back-to-back shots from Steven Krulicki (Wellesley, ON) and Matthew Hill (Hamilton, ON), but Huskies netminder West made both saves.  

In the final minutes of play, in one last offensive push, Tigers Mackinnon's shot found the back of the net, sealing the game's score at 7-3.  

Huskies goaltender Ben Welsh made 31 saves for the win, while Tigers netminder Alexander MacDonald valiantly turned away 37 shots in defeat. 

The Huskies' win improves their record to 5-5 on the season. They'll be back on the ice Friday, Nov. 8, when they host the UNB Reds (8-1) at 7 p.m. at the Dauphinee Centre.  

The Tigers loss drops their record to 1-9 on the campaign. They'll host the STFX X-Men (4-5) on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. at the Halifax Forum.