Panthers rally late, clip Tigers 4-3 in Alumni Day thriller
The UPEI Panthers delivered a storybook finish on Alumni Day Friday night, erupting for two third-period goals to defeat the Dalhousie Tigers 4-3 at MacLauchlan Arena.
By Thomas Becker
The UPEI Panthers delivered a storybook finish on Alumni Day Friday night, erupting for two third-period goals to defeat the Dalhousie Tigers 4-3 at MacLauchlan Arena.
Trying to avoid a repeat of their last meeting in 2025—Dalhousie's lone win of the season—the Panthers came out sharp and set the tone early. UPEI opened the scoring on the power play at 2:55 when Ben McFarlane swatted a bouncing puck out of mid-air after a point shot from Elias Cohen popped straight up. Cohen, who was a constant presence all night, would finish with three assists.
McFarlane swats home the rebound! pic.twitter.com/7zmS69bLjB
— UPEI Men's Hockey (@UPEIMHockey) January 23, 2026
Moments later, goaltender Joe Ranger made one of his biggest saves of the night, sprawling to his right to deny Seth Dragan, who tried to flip a backhand over the pad from in tight. However, Dalhousie answered on the man advantage at 9:29, as Brody Fournier snapped a low shot through traffic from the high slot to even the game.
What a save from Joe Ranger! pic.twitter.com/1RcCrGQfA0
— UPEI Men's Hockey (@UPEIMHockey) January 23, 2026
The Panthers reclaimed the lead late in the opening frame. With just 29 seconds remaining, rookie forward Donovan Arsenault wasted no time after a faceoff win, ripping a wrist shot past Carter Richardson to send UPEI into the first intermission up 2-1. Richardson did everything he could on a night when he recorded 43 saves.
Arsenault off the faceoff draw! pic.twitter.com/PLiThQvd7S
— UPEI Men's Hockey (@UPEIMHockey) January 23, 2026
Dalhousie tilted the ice in the second period and was rewarded at 12:22. A failed clearing attempt proved costly, as Madden MacDougall collected the puck and slid it to Jack Harper, who stepped around a defender and wired a wrist shot into the top-right corner to even the score. Just over three minutes later, the Tigers pulled ahead when Carter Murchison stayed with a loose puck in a net-front scramble, poking home his own rebound after Ranger made the initial save.
With Alumni Day celebrations hanging in the balance, the Panthers responded with urgency in the third. Just 1:25 in, Cohen casually flipped a pass back into the slot, where Brett Bressette redirected it onto the stick of Robert Orr. The Panthers' leading scorer made no mistake, roofing a wrist shot to tie the game 3-3 and ignite the crowd.
Orr roof's it! pic.twitter.com/L09PEoGOEw
— UPEI Men's Hockey (@UPEIMHockey) January 24, 2026
UPEI kept pushing and found the winner at 14:04. Colby Huggan's point shot produced a juicy rebound, and Bressette pounced, burying the go-ahead goal to cap off the comeback.
Bressette with the winner! pic.twitter.com/wC0JwzhcWP
— UPEI Men's Hockey (@UPEIMHockey) January 24, 2026
Ranger shut the door down the stretch, and the Panthers skated off with a 4-3 win, setting their sights on a perfect weekend when they host the St. FX X-Men Saturday night.
Photos by Janessa Vanden Broek
