Fournier leads Tigers to win over Moncton
Brody Fournier scored two goals in the Tigers 3-1 win over the the Aigles Bleus on Saturday night.
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — The Dalhousie Tigers snapped their nine-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus on Saturday night at the Halifax Forum in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) men's hockey action.
Dalhousie capitalized on a strong defensive performance and timely scoring to earn just their second victory of the season. Goaltender Nicholas Chenard (Tecumseh, ON) was stellar in net, stopping 56 of 57 shots faced, including a flurry of 22 shots in the second period alone. His efforts were key in staving off Moncton's offensive pressure throughout the game.
The Tigers struck first with a goal from Brody Fournier (Perth, ON) at 16:10 of the opening period. Fournier, assisted by Barret Kirwin (Barrie, ON) and Evan MacKinnon (Beaverbank, NS), finished a well-executed play to give Dalhousie a 1-0 lead. Moncton outshot the Tigers 15-11 in the period but struggled to break through Chenard.
Dalhousie extended their lead early in the second period on the power play. At 5:20, Colin MacDougall (Carlisle, ON) buried a shot off an assist from Kirwin to make it 2-0. The Tigers' power play unit was effective, finishing 1-for-2 with the man advantage, while Moncton went 0-for-3 on their own power play opportunities.
Moncton finally broke through late in the second period. Michael Horth scored at 14:36, with help from Edouard St-Laurent and David Doucet, to bring the Aigles Bleus within one. Despite peppering Chenard with 23 shots in the period, Moncton's offensive push was not enough to tie the game.
Dalhousie sealed the win with an empty-net goal from Fournier at 1:22 of the third period, assisted by MacKinnon and Kirwin. Moncton continued to press, but Chenard stood tall, stopping all 19 shots faced in the final frame.
The Aigles Bleus finished with 57 shots on goal but were stifled by Chenard's relentless performance, earning him player of the game honours. Moncton goalie Nathan Darveau made 27 saves on 30 shots in the loss.
The Tigers will look to build on the win as they head into the final four games of the fall semester, while Moncton will look to rebound as they continue their road trip next weekend in Fredericton.