Panthers sweep Huskies, punch ticket to semifinals
The drought is over.
By Noah Murray
The drought is over.
The UPEI Panthers clinched their first playoff series win since the 2018-19 season on Friday Night. Fans in attendance witnessed an intense, nerve-wracking match-up that saw the home team sweep the Saint Mary's Huskies with a 3-2 victory.
From the opening shift, UPEI dictated the play.
Just under five minutes into the first period, Brett Bressette opened the scoring after captain Ben McFarlane feathered a no-look feed into his wheelhouse. Bressette made no mistake, wiring home the one-timer to ignite the crowd and give the Panthers a lead they would never surrender.
Neither team scored again until the early stages of the second period. Once again it was Bressette who found the back of the net after he entered the offensive zone and sniped one by goaltender Marcus Vandenberg at 3:46, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
After battling through a frustrating regular season, the sophomore winger has found his stride at exactly the right time
"I battled all year, pucks weren't really going in for me, but I stuck with it," Bressette said. "I'm just happy to help the team out."
But at 8:29, Saint Mary's rookie Davis Cooper pulled the Huskies within one, trimming the lead to 2–1. UPEI answered late in the frame, as fellow rookie Donovan Arsenault restored the two-goal cushion with 17 seconds remaining, lifting a backhand top shelf to send the Panthers into the intermission in control.
Saint Mary's made one final push in the third when Dylan Andrews cut the deficit to 3–2 with just over six minutes remaining, setting up a tense finish. But the Panthers stayed composed down the stretch, leaning on goaltender Jakob Robillard, who stood tall under mounting pressure and finished the night with 40 saves to secure the victory.
After the game, Panthers head coach Forbes MacPherson praised the veteran netminder.
"It starts with Robillard, he's had an unbelievable series and an unbelievable season," MacPherson said.
But the praise didn't stop there. The bench boss pointed to the resilience and unity that have defined his group all year.
"This group really earned this. They're a tight group, and every time adversity showed up in these two games, they responded the right way."
The Panthers will now await the result of Game 3 in the Acadia–St. FX series to determine their semifinal opponent. If Acadia advances, UPEI will face the top-seeded UNB Reds. If St. FX wins, the Panthers will take on the second-seeded Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus in a best-of-five semifinal series.
Photos by Janessa Vanden Broek
