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Huggan dazzles, McFarlane delivers as Panthers outlast Acadia in OT

Every time the Acadia Axemen thought they buried them, the UPEI Panthers came clawing back. UPEI erased three separate deficits before captain Ben McFarlane finished the job in overtime, securing a wild 5-4 win Friday night at MacLauchlan Arena.

Huggan dazzles, McFarlane delivers as Panthers outlast Acadia in OT
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October 24, 2025

By Thomas Becker

Every time the Acadia Axemen thought they buried them, the UPEI Panthers came clawing back. UPEI erased three separate deficits before captain Ben McFarlane finished the job in overtime, securing a wild 5-4 win Friday night at MacLauchlan Arena.

Rookie forward Colby Huggan was electric, scoring twice—including a highlight-reel Michigan goal that sent the crowd into chaos—while Robert Orr added a goal and an assist. Simon Hughes also scored in what was one of the most entertaining games of the young season. 

UPEI (3-4) couldn't have scripted a better start. Just 1:03 in, Orr carried the puck through the neutral zone, cut toward the slot, and snapped a wrist shot glove side to make it 1-0. It was the exact start the Panthers were looking for—pace, pressure, and finish.

But Acadia (4-2-1) answered. At the 10-minute mark of the first, Brendan Mairs drove toward the net with defender Cole Larkin draped on him and still managed to slide a backhand pass across to Roenick Jodoin, who lifted a backhand over Jakob Robillard's outstretched pad to tie it 1-1. The Axemen struck again at 16:40, when a point shot from Conor Shortall was deflected in front by Keagan Slaney, who had a two-goal night, giving Acadia a 2-1 lead after twenty. 

The Panthers regrouped and evened things in the second period. At 10:04, UPEI won an offensive-zone draw cleanly to Hughes, and he wasted no time, ripping a wrist shot through traffic and past Thomas Couture, who was otherwise busy and sharp with 39 saves, to make it 2-2.

But just 23 seconds later, a costly turnover burned them. Zach Biggar's attempted clear didn't get out, and Brady Burns jumped on it along the wall and fed Kian Bell in the slot for a one-timer that restored Acadia's lead.

The back-and-forth continued. At 12:10, Elias Cohen attacked down the left wing and threaded a perfect cross-ice feed to Huggan, who buried the wrist shot to level the game again at 3-3. That play set the tone for Huggan's breakout night. 

Acadia wouldn't go away. At 4:48 of the third, Liam Kidney's shot from the right circle was stopped, but Slaney crashed the net and stuffed home the rebound to put the Axemen up 4-3.

That set the stage for Huggan's magic.

At 9:14, the first-year forward scooped the puck behind the net, curled it lacrosse-style on his blade, and tucked it short-side over Couture for a stunning Michigan goal that sent the crowd into a frenzy and tied the game 4-4.

From there, both teams pushed but couldn't end it in regulation, setting the stage for McFarlane's heroics. 

With UPEI on a power play in the extra frame, Cohen slid a puck into the low slot, where McFarlane got inside position and redirected it past Couture for the winner, sealing two massive points and capping a gritty, emotional win.

The Panthers will try to close out a perfect weekend when they host the Saint Mary's Huskies on Saturday at 7 p.m. at MacLauchlan Arena.

Photos by Janessa Vanden Broek

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