StFX vs Moncton men's hockey playoff preview
Subway AUS Men’s Hockey Quarterfinals (Best 2-of-3)
No. 3 Moncton Aigles Bleus vs. No. 6 StFX X-Men
Quarterfinal Schedule:
Game 1: Thursday, February 16th, 7:00 pm in Moncton, webcast: http://playerv2.streamit.ca/PlayerV2.aspx?eventid=20
Game 2: Saturday, February 18th, 7:00 pm in Antigonish, webcast: www.ssncanada.ca
Game 3 (if necessary): Monday, February 20th, 7:00 pm in Moncton, webcast: http://playerv2.streamit.ca/PlayerV2.aspx?eventid=20
Moncton Aigles Bleus: Third place in AUS with 18-9-1 record and 37 points: 9-4-1 at home and 9-5-0 on the road. Ranked No. 8 in the CIS.
StFX X-Men: Sixth place in AUS with 10-14-4 record and 24 points: 5-7-2 at home and 5-7-2 on the road
Season Series: Moncton won the season series 3-1 with three of the games being decided by one goal and two needing overtime. On October 28th in Antigonish, Moncton defeated the X-Men by a 4-2 score, followed by a 3-2 overtime win in Moncton on November 11th and a 2-1 win in Antigonish on January 28th. The X-Men won the last matchup between the two teams, beating the Aigles Blues 4-3 in overtime on February 3rd in Moncton.
Playoff History: When the Aigles Bleus and the X-Men clash for the first game of the series this Thursday, it will mark the first time these two teams have met in the playoffs since the 2001-2002 season when Moncton defeated the X-Men in three games in the opening round. In an eight team conference, 10 years is a long time since last meeting in the playoffs.
Moncton Key Players:
Dean Ouellet: 6 goals and 28 assists for 34 points in 28 games. Third in AUS conference scoring
Eric Faille: 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points in 28 games. Fifth in AUS conference scoring
Alex Quesnel: 8 goals and 17 assists for 24 points in 25 games. Tied for 20th in AUS conference scoring
StFX Key Players:
Michael Kirkpatrick: 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points in 28 games. Tied for eighth in AUS conference scoring
Jason Bast: 16 goals and 14 assists for 30 points in 28 games. Tied for eighth in AUS conference scoring
Bryce Swan: 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points in 26 games. Tied for 20th in AUS conference scoring
Goaltending Matchup:
Moncton: Pierre-Alexandre Marion: Record of 13 wins, 7 losses and 1 overtime loss in 21 games played. 3.01 GAA and .913 save percentage.
StFX: Joey Perricone: Record of 7 wins, 14 losses, and 1 overtime loss in 22 games played. 3.57 GAA and .874 save percentage.
Game Notes:
X-Men head coach Brad Peddle: “Every game against Moncton this season has been the same, all one goal games except for one when they scored an empty netter. Both teams matchup well, they are a fast team who move the puck well and have a few guys up front that we will have to be aware of.”
“The first game is so crucial, as it’s only a three game series. Moncton is a tough building to play in but I know our guys will be ready.”
Moncton Aigles Bleus head coach Serge Bourgeois: “Both teams in this series can skate well and have good goaltending. Special teams will be the key in the playoffs. StFX has the best power play in the league, so whoever wins the special teams battles will have a good chance of winning hockey games.”
StFX leads the conference in power play percentage, operating at 22.3% clip.
Moncton netminder Pierre-Alexandre Marion has the second best save percentage in the conference at 91.3%.
Moncton will be without the services of star forward Christian Gaudet, who has been out most of the season with a concussion, and Francis Rochon for the remainder of the playoffs.