UNB wins regular season home opener 6-3 over Dalhousie

The Varsity Reds secured a win in their first game on home ice this regular season, topping Dalhousie 6-3.

The game started with a rocky first period for the V-Reds. The first goal came easily, when Cameron Brace found the net at 4:39. Cam Braes and Francis Beauvillier had the assist. It was Beauvillier's first time in the Varsity Reds jersey after being added to the roster eariler this week.

The celebration was shortlived, however. Dalhousie answered quickly with a goal of their own at the fifth minute. Pierre Vandall tied it up, with an assist from Alex Cote and Mitch O'Neill.

UNB's second goal came at 9:39, when Matt Boudens brought the Varsity Reds in front again. Randy Gazzola had the assist. 

The Tigers' Mike Evelyn tied it up for Dalhousie at 15:34, and UNB would head to the locker room with the score at 2-all and 16 shots on goal compared to Dalhousie's six.

The second period started with three fast goals from the Varsity Reds. Dylan Willick, Matt Boudens and Randy Gazzola each lit up the scoreboard and suddenly UNB found itself up 5-2 five minutes into the second.

Still in the second, newly named UNB captain Cam Critchlow scored the sixth goal for the V-Reds off an assist from Cam Braes and Cam Brace.

There would be no more goals until the beginning of the third period, when the Tigers' JP Harvey got one past UNB goalie David Shantz.

UNB head coach Gardiner MacDougall says he's pleased with the team's performance here at home, especially given that it was the first time playing in front of the Aitken Centre crowd for close to half the roster.

"I thought we had lots of energy in the first, but maybe didn't get the performance," he said. "In the second we got more results and maybe the performance was down a little bit, but we got the results. You find a way."

The Varsity Reds play again in Fredericton tomorrow, when they host St.FX at 7pm.

The Dalhousie Tigers travel to Moncton, where they will play UdeM at the same time.