Pancel and Clarke Win AUS Championship
Antigonish, N.S. – The CIS #4 ranked StFX X-Men captured their first Subway AUS hockey crown in more than a decade with a 5-3 win over the UNB Varsity Reds, the top-ranked team in the country, Wednesday night at a sold-out Keating Centre.
Peterborough Petes alumni Michael Clarke and Nathan Pancel were part of the championship win, with Clarke netting the game-winning goal and each player scoring a goal and an assist in the championship game.
In 2004, StFX also earned the conference banner with a home-ice victory. That team included former Petes defenceman Mike Martone.
With the win, the X-Men swept the best-of-three conference final series in two straight games.
“I am so proud of this group – the resiliency that they showed again; time and time again,” X-Men head coach Brad Peddle said, after the game, amidst the on-ice celebration.
“What a night to show it – down 2-0 – and they fought back, and in the third period they just turned it up another notch. It is hard to put into words right now, but I am so proud of them, with what they have accomplished so far.”
More than 2000 fans watched the Varsity Reds jump to a 1-0 lead, at 5:06 of the first period, on a marker from Philippe Halley (Quebec City, QC), with Rob Mignardi (Richmond Hill, ON) and Francis Beauvillier (St. Hyacinthe, QC) notching the assists.
The opening tally came seconds after X-Men forward Brent Turnbull (Stellarton, NS) got in alone on Varsity Red goaltender Etienne Marcoux (Terrebonne, QC), who made a sparkling pad save on a hard wrist shot . . .
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