The red-hot stick of Colby Pridham has the Saint Mary’s Huskies a win away from their second straight Atlantic University Sport men’s hockey title.
The ex-Halifax Mooseheads forward and sophomore standout buried his eighth goal of in as many post-season games at 2:35 of double-overtime as the Huskies edged the St. Francis Xavier X-Men 3-2 last night in Antigonish. The Huskies have a 2-0 stranglehold in the best-of-five AUS final.
Pridham’s marker, his sixth in the past three outings, came on the power play after X-Men forward Brennen Wray took a checking-to-the-head minor 46 seconds into the second overtime frame.
“Marc Rancourt threw a beautiful saucer pass (from the half-boards) that landed flat on Pridham’s stick and Pridham just put it over the goalie’s shoulder,” said Huskies head coach Trevor Stienburg. “Beautiful goal. Colby’s played really well.”
Rancourt and Cody Thornton scored in regulation while rookie goalie Neil Conway made 21 saves. Lantz’s Bryan Gillis stopped 29 for the X-Men.
It was much closer than Sunday’s 7-1 trouncing at the Forum.
“They played better but they took a penalty in double-overtime and it cost them,” Stienburg said.
X-Men goal-scoring leader Bryce Swan, a former Mooseheads right-winger, was back in the lineup after collapsing on the ice because of dehydration late in the second period of Game 2. He recorded an assist.
There’s a long pause in the series, with Game 3 set for Monday at 7 p.m. at the Forum.
“We can’t let it (hurt us),” Stienburg said.
“It would be nice to turn around and play them (Wednesday) night but it gives us a chance to regroup, get our focus back and take advantage of the home ice.”
Game notes
• Cody Thornton’s two-point night leapfrogged him past teammate Andrew Hotham to the top of the AUS playoff scoring lead with 13 points in eight games.
• Eight Huskies players are among the top nine AUS scorers.
• Hotham was named AUS male athlete of the week earlier in the day.
