UPEI buries No. 1 UNB with explosive second period

By Thomas Becker 

For 20 minutes, UPEI looked trapped in the same loop that had haunted them all season against UNB. Then the puck dropped in the second period and everything flipped. One surge, one spark, and suddenly the nation's No. 1 team was the one scrambling to keep up.

On Wednesday night at MacLauchlan Arena, the Panthers showed they can punch with the very best, unleashing a four-goal fury in the middle frame to topple the top-ranked Reds 5-3. The outburst snapped a long scoring drought against UNB and delivered UPEI's first win in the matchup since early 2023.

But before the outburst, the night looked familiar—and not in a good way. UNB came out flying and opened the scoring just 73 seconds into the game, forcing a turnover in the neutral zone that turned into a smooth give-and-go between Jax Dubois and Peter Reynolds. Reynolds cut to the net and shovelled a backhand over the pad of Jakob Robillard to give the Reds a quick 1-0 lead. 

Despite being outplayed for most of the period, UPEI and Robillard did well to keep the deficit at one, buying the Panthers the chance to reset in the second, and they made every bit of that opportunity count. 

"I think, first and foremost, we've got to give a lot of credit to Jakob Robillard," said head coach Forbes MacPherson. "We're getting the goaltending that any team needs to put wins in the bank. Roby deserves a good portion of the credit."

The floodgates opened at 9:20 when Yanic Crête redirected a high-slot shot from Marc Richard past UNB netminder Rémi Delafontaine to tie the game. A little more than two minutes later, UPEI seized the lead when Richard got his own tip on an Isaac Vos point shot to make it 2-1. 

The building erupted in cheers again at 14:15, when Crête—currently enjoying a breakout season—took the puck through the neutral zone, gained the left circle, and hammered a far-side rocket to extend the lead to 3-1. The third-year forward now has six goals on the season after scoring just one across his previous two AUS campaigns. 

"I put in the work this summer and I feel like I have more confidence with the puck this year," Crête said. "I'm creating a lot of offence and helping the team win."

UNB got one back at 19:08 on a goal from Stuart Rolofs, but UPEI responded instantly. With six seconds left in the period and bodies crashing around the crease, Ben McFarlane jammed home a loose puck to restore a two-goal cushion heading into intermission. 

MacPherson praised the team's emotional reset after a shaky first period.

"We had a chat between periods, and we took things to another level," he said. "We wiped that period off our plate and went right back at them. We loved our second tonight."

The Reds made their push in the third, capitalizing on a 5-on-3 when Cole Huckins buried a rebound at 8:25. But despite sustained pressure, UPEI's structure held firm, and Robillard continued to fight through screens and second chances.

"We knew they were going to push—they're a great team," Crête said. "We just had to play smart and keep giving everything we had."

With the UNB net empty late, defenceman Derek Pys sealed the victory with a 200-foot chip shot into the open cage.

For Crête, the win is more than two points. 

"This win gives us a lot of confidence," he said. "If we close out the rest of the games hard before Christmas, we'll be in a good spot when we come back. It's a big, big win." 

The Panthers travel to Moncton for a Saturday night tilt against the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus.

Photos by Pushpika Mendis