Valade's OT winner sends Huskies to semifinal

Huskies will meet UNB in semis, StFX to take on Moncton

(Feb. 17, 2024) - The rookie-laden UPEI Panthers might be done for now, but on Saturday night, despite experiencing a tough season-ending loss, they sent a clear message to the nearly-1000 fans in attendance at the MacLauchlan Arena. 

It's the beginning of something special. 

The Panthers' season ended on Saturday night with a 2-1 overtime loss to the Saint Mary's Huskies in Game 2 of Atlantic University Sport (AUS) men's hockey quarterfinal action. SMU will now advance to play first place UNB in the semifinal round. StFX, who ended their best-of-three quarterfinal series against Acadia late Saturday night with a 3-2 win that ended in the fourth overtime period, will now take on the second-ranked Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleus.

A heartbreaker, but a valiant effort in an intense atmosphere that Panthers head coach Forbes MacPherson was proud of. 

"So proud of this team. One of my all-time favourite seasons. Such a great group right from day one. Our older players stepped up and led the way. There was so much growth with this team, so much buy-in. Just a fun group to coach. 

"We saw some guys that really transitioned quickly into the league. It gives you such a feeling of optimism and excitement, and I think this group has really reenergized the program," MacPherson said. 

Third-year forward and AUS second team all-star Kaleb Pearson, who recorded one assist and four shots, had similar words to say from a player's perspective. 

"If you were to look back at the start of the year, the criticism we had from people, it's crazy to see how far we came as a majority first-year team. I'm proud of every single player in the room. We're a brand-new team and I'm excited for next year. It's going to be a big year and I've got high hopes for it," Pearson said. 

He added that he and the team appreciated the support from fans all season. 

"For being as small of a school as we are, the support from the fans was unbelievable. We're no UNB or StFX, but getting the number of people we get to our games on a daily basis is unreal and the support they give us is second to none. We may not say it that much, but we really appreciate the support P.E.I. has for the university and our team," Pearson said. 

Fifth-year goaltender Jonah Capriotti was named UPEI's Player of the Game after denying 22 of 24 shots against him in what ended up being his final AUS game. A hard way to finish off a career, but Capriotti was proud of himself and the team. 

"From someone who never thought he was going to play a game, it literally morphed into my new home. It's going to be engraved in me that (P.E.I.) is my home now and it's going to be hell to leave, but regardless, I'm always going to be back and the boys will always be a part of me. 

"In the future, I hope they enjoy the process and each other. This team has so much potential, and given how many leaders they're going to have next year, all they're going to do is add to it. Can't wait to watch, and for me, I'll try my best to not miss it too much no matter where I end up," Capriotti said. 

Pearson, who played with Capriotti for three seasons, said it'll be rough to see him leave.  

"Cappy's been with me every step of the road so far. I get a little emotional thinking about it, but there's not many words to say about him. 

"Just a great guy, a great person. I can attribute a lot of my success and a lot of my personal experience through him. He's helped me tremendously, whether it's every day, at the rink, or school. I'm going to miss him, and I know he's going to do great things in hockey and in life," Pearson said. 

 Andrew Coxhead opened the scoring for SMU in the first period at 7:20. At 7:44 in the second period, rookie forward Elias Cohen scored his first goal of the playoffs on a power play to tie the game, with assists from veterans Kaleb Pearson and Kurtis Henry. Both teams failed to score in the third period as both goaltenders stood tall. Thirty seconds into overtime, Reid Valade redirected a shot by Connor Olson into the net, giving the Huskies the win and a berth in the semifinals. 

The final shots were 24-22 in favour of SMU. Jonah Capriotti denied 22 of 24 shots for UPEI and Jeremy Helvig denied 21 of 22 shots for SMU. The Panthers went 1-for-3 on the power play while the Huskies went 0-for-2. Capriotti was named UPEI's Player of the Game and Reid Valade was named SMU's Player of the Game. 

- Recap by Reegan MacAuley, UPEI Athletics