NB Telegraph-Journal | College Sports
As published on page D4 on October 25, 2004
UNIVERSITY HOCKEY
Tommies treading
water in early going
St. Thomas and five other teams sit with three points
BY KEVIN BARRETT
Telegraph-Journal
FREDERICTON - Three points in three games.
It could be better for the St. Thomas Tommies so far this year. It could be
worse.
And that analogy sums up a 5-5 tie against the Acadia Axemen Saturday in
Atlantic Universities Hockey Conference action at the Lady Beaverbrook Rink.
Trailing 4-2 late, the Tommies rallied for three goals in 2:06 only to see
Acadia's Andrew Bergen knot it again with 4.5 seconds remaining, sending each
team home with a point.
"We look at (the glass) as half full," said Justin Roy, the
ex-Campbellton Tiger who scored twice, including one with 2:35 remaining in the
game for the Tommies.
"We had to battle back really hard and showed a lot of character in the
third period to come back. We got the two goals to tie it, then the go-ahead
goal but they are a good team, speedy down low and they were speedy when they
got that empty netter."
That empty netter was Bergen's effort from the left side of the net past Andrew
Sim with Acadia goaltender Lanny Ramage on the bench for an extra attacker.
It leaves St. Thomas at 1-1-1 for three points and tied for third, or depending
on how you look at it, tied for last, with five others after the second week of
play.
St. Francis Xavier leads the standings with six points, the University of New
Brunswick is second with four and the other six are even with three points.
Considering the Tommies lost 6-3 to Saint Mary's Friday and trailed by two late
against Acadia, the end result was key as they prepare to meet those same teams
in Nova Scotia this weekend.
"No one on this team will ever quit," said Roy. "That is the way
we have to be every time, we have to battle hard."
Roy opened the scoring 1:53 into the game but consecutive power-play efforts by
Robbie Sutherland and Brad Horgan gave the Axemen a 2-1 edge at 12:02 and 13:40
before Brad Woods tied it 81 seconds later.
Then, there was no scoring until Sutherland rapped in a rebound at 6:18 of the
third.
Horgan found Sim's five-hole five minutes later and suddenly a tight game was
in Acadia's favour.
Yet, Tommies rookie Justin McCutheon cut in from the right and found the top of
the net at 16:42 and Roy followed 43 seconds after that finishing a cross-ice
pass.
Chris Cook inched St. Thomas ahead when he kicked a rebound to his stick and
then found the net at 18:48.
But Bergen finished a wild Acadia flurry late in regulation at 19:55. Sim
finished with 33 saves.
"We know we can win, we showed we can battle with anyone," said
Tommies centre Matt Seymour. "This upcoming weekend is a point of the
first half season. As long as we can keep working hard like this, it will be
tough to beat us at home."
Huskies 6 Tommies 3
Saint Mary's scored three times in the final 5:25 to pull away from the
Tommies Friday. McCutcheon, Cook and Darryl Knight scored for the St. Thomas
while Aaron Molnar made 41 saves in goal.
Reds 3 Tigers 1
Reg Bourcier stopped 43 shots and the Reds scored once in each period to
move to 2-1 on the year. Dustin Friesen, Jesse Ferguson and Craig Mahon
connected for the Reds while Scott Wright replied for the Tigers.
X-Men 3 Reds 1
UNB outshot the X-Men 44-17 but Mike Mole stopped 43 shots in a rematch of
last year's national final Friday in Antigonish. Troy Stonier netted the lone
goal for the Reds.
Huskies 2 Blue Eagles 2
Mathieu Betournay's goal with 9:05 remaining lifted the Blue Eagles into
the tie with the Huskies. Jean Francois Laplante netted the other goal - also
in the third as Moncton rallied from a 2-0 second-period deficit.
Axemen 5 Blue Eagles 4
Robbie Sutherland's second goal with 14 seconds remaining in regulation was
the winner. Karl Fournier netted a pair for the Blue Eagles while singles went
to Scott Toner and Tomas Baluch. Jonathan Pelletier made 29 saves for U de M.
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