Panthers chase all night, crush Huskies with late surge

The UPEI Panthers spent two periods chasing the game, but when the third period hit, they blew the doors off.

Panthers chase all night, crush Huskies with late surge
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November 14, 2025

By Thomas Becker

The UPEI Panthers spent two periods chasing the game, but when the third period hit, they blew the doors off.

Three goals in just over four minutes turned a tense deficit into a 5-3 comeback win Friday night, extending their scorching run to six victories in seven games. 

Despite trailing on three separate occasions, the Panthers (8-5-0) never folded, matching every Saint Mary's (7-5-0) punch before delivering a punishing haymaker in the final frame. Josh Currie, Keiran Gallant, and Elias Cohen scored the decisive third-period goals, while Ben McFarlane and Robert Orr each added a goal and an assist. Rookie winger Colby Huggan continued his strong play with two helpers as UPEI's balanced attack once again proved too much to handle.

The Huskies set the tone early, capitalizing on a UPEI penalty just 1:36 into the game. Ben Allison spotted Landon Cato cutting through the slot and delivered a crisp cross-ice pass that Cato slipped past Jakob Robillard for the 1-0 lead. But UPEI answered in chaotic fashion a minute and a half later. Goaltender Marcus Vandenberg misplayed the puck behind his net, watching it hop over his stick and straight to the charging McFarlane, who hammered it home to tie the game.

Saint Mary's regained the lead at 8:38, just seconds after a 4-on-4 expired. Jacob Holmes picked off an errant UPEI clearing attempt, sold a shot fake to freeze the defenders, and threaded a pass to Charlie Da Fonseca for the shorthanded redirect and a 2-1 edge. But the Panthers answered quickly again. At 10:06, Huggan fed Orr in the left circle, and the sophomore snapped a crisp wrist shot over Vandenberg's glove to tie things at 2-2.

The Huskies would strike once more before the period ended. With 19:17 on the clock, heavy forechecking pressure allowed Davis Cooper to take the puck from the corner and feed Dylan Andrews, who ripped a wrist shot from one knee past Robillard for a 3-2 advantage heading into intermission.

That lead didn't last long.

UPEI came out flying in the third, and by the midway point they had seized full control. At 7:49, Currie capped a smooth give-and-go with Cole Larkin by stepping into the right circle and snapping a blistering shot past Vandenberg to pull even. Just 23 seconds later, UPEI struck again. Tim Gould's point shot created a scramble in front of the net, where McFarlane's attempt on the rebound popped straight into the air. Gallant tracked it midair and batted it home to give UPEI its first lead of the night.

Cohen delivered the dagger at 11:58. A clean offensive-zone draw found him alone in the slot, and he ripped a quick shot past Vandenberg to stretch the lead to 5-3.

UPEI now faces a quick turnaround, returning to the ice Saturday night to host the conference-leading Acadia Axemen.

Photos by Janessa Vanden Broek