Tigers fall to Moncton

MONCTON, N.B. — The Université de Moncton secured a 4-0 victory against Dalhousie Tigers on Friday, aided by a power-play goal in the first period.

Moncton capitalized on their early opportunities to take control in the first period against Dalhousie. At 7:37, Philippe Collette opened the scoring with a power-play goal, assisted by Jeremy D'Astous and Denis Toner. Less than a minute later, Jonathan Desrosiers doubled the home team's lead with an unassisted goal at 8:47. Dalhousie had multiple power-play chances, including a two-man advantage, but failed to convert as Olivier Adam made crucial saves to maintain Moncton's 2-0 lead heading into the intermission.

In the second period, the Aigles Bleus extended their lead with a goal from Jeremy Lapointe at 6:21, taking advantage of persistent offensive pressure. The opposing team struggled to capitalize on their opportunities, with Adam consistently denying their attempts, including shots from Colin MacDougall and Josh O'Connor. Moncton maintained control, consistently winning faceoffs and applying pressure, particularly during power plays following penalties on Luke Johnston and O'Connor. Despite strong efforts by Dalhousie goaltender Giovacchino DiMattia, who turned away multiple shots, the home team concluded the period with a 3-0 advantage.

The Aigles Bleus extended their lead in the third frame with a goal from Olivier Luc Hache at 7:31, assisted by Collette and Marc-Antoine Mercier. Following the goal, the visitors faced a significant challenge as Ethan Martini received a major penalty for contact to the head and a game misconduct at 13:40. This led to a series of penalties and misconducts for both teams, including a roughing penalty on Alexis Arsenault and a slashing penalty on Toner, resulting in brief power plays for both sides. Despite these opportunities, neither team managed to score during the special teams play. The period closed with Dalhousie still unable to penetrate Moncton's defense, resulting in a 4-0 victory for the home team.

DiMattia recorded 32 saves in the net for Dalhousie, facing a challenging offensive onslaught. Ryan Del Monte took three shots and won nine out of 19 faceoffs, providing crucial contributions in the faceoff circle. Martini was assessed a major penalty, adding 15 penalty minutes to his record. Grady Logue, despite not scoring, added three shots to Dalhousie's offensive efforts while also serving a 10-minute misconduct.

The Tigers return home on Wednesday to host the Acadia Axemen.