X-Men skate to 3-2 win over Moncton

(ANTIGONISH, N.S.) - The X-Men triumphed 3-2 over the CIS No. 7-ranked Moncton Aigles Bleus Friday evening in their home opener at the StFX Keating Centre.

Jarrad Struthers' goal 5:47 into the third period held as the game decider as forward Rob Slaney scored the other two StFX markers.

Drew Owsley picked up the win in the StFX net, making 25 saves.

Slaney scored his first goal three and a half minutes into the first period, redirecting a Michael Kirkpatrick pass off a faceoff and beating Aigles Bleus netminder Adrien Lemay.

The lead didn't hold long as Pier-Antoine Dion fired a snap shot on a Moncton rush up ice 27 seconds later. Eric Faille and Danny Chiasson assisted.

Slaney scored his second goal of the game and the period while on the power play at 13:12. Veteran defenceman Spencer McAvoy passed the puck from behind the net to Slaney, waiting in the slot, who made no mistake. Kirpatrick was also in on an assist, his second point of the evening.

The teams played a scoreless second period.

Struthers' third period goal came off a Cole Grbavac pass as he picked the top corner and beat Lemay glove side. Steven Kuhn also had a helper.

The Aigles Bleus kept up the fight throughout the remainder of the third period, and with Lemay pulled from the net and an extra attacker, Eric Faille scored with eight seconds left on the clock, slipping the puck under Owsley on a Aigles Bleus rush that crashed the net.

Slaney earned Subway Player of the Game honors for his two-goal performance.

Shots were 27-25 in favor of the Aigles Bleus.

The X-Men will hit the Keating Centre ice again on Saturday night as they host the CIS No. 2-ranked UNB Varsity Reds (3-0). The V-Reds beat the Huskies 4-2 in Halifax tonight.

Source: StFX Sport Information