REDS rebound to earn bronze with dominant win over Windsor

(HALIFAX, N.S.) The UNB REDS won the bronze medal at the U SPORTS Men's Hockey Championship, Sunday morning in Halifax, beating the University of Windsor Lancers 5-1.

After Saturday's disappointing result in the national semi-final, the REDS were ready for a difficult 9:00am opening faceoff.

Stuart Rolofs opened the scoring just 42 seconds into the game, sliding a puck past Windsor goalie Max Donoso on UNB's second shot on goal.

Rolofs made it 2-0 at 5:43.

The REDS didn't allow a Lancers shot on goal until after the five-minute mark of the first period.

Jax Dubois, who assisted on both of Rolofs' goals, made it 3-0 UNB at the 17:46 mark and UNB took that three-goal lead to the first intermission.

Windsor's Logan Linklater scored a powerplay goal just 31 seconds into the second period and the REDS were held without a shot on goal for much of the first half of the second frame.

With 2:44 to play in the period, Thomas Larouche put a shot on net. Donoso made the save, but Braeden MacPhee was able to punch the rebound in to restore UNB's three-goal advantage.

MacPhee added an empty net goal at 18:10 of the third to make the final 5-1.

Larouche finished the morning with a pair of assists and REDS' goalie Remi Delafontaine made 13 saves on 14 Windsor shots.

Donoso gave up four goals on the 21 shots he faced in the Lancers' net.

After the game, UNB's Cody Morgan was named to the national championship tournament all-star team.

The bronze medal is the fourth in program history and first since 2018. UNB teams also finished the national championship tournament in third place in 2012 and 1964.

RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB REDS
PHOTO BY: Trevor MacMillan/for Saint Mary's Athletics