Saint Mary’s University Huskies forward Mike Danton hoists the Cavendish University Cup after the Huskies won 3-2 over the University of Alberta Golden Bears in sudden death overtime in Thunder Bay, Ont. on Sunday March 28, 2010. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Brent LintonBrent Linton/The Canadian Press
An unlikely hero delivered the Saint Mary's Huskies their first ever Cavendish University Cup.
Brad Smith scored in overtime to lead the No. 3 Saint Mary's Huskies to a 3-2 win over the top-seeded Alberta Golden Bears in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's hockey final Sunday.
Smith, who started the game on the fourth line, snapped up a rebound off of captain Marc Raincourt's shot from the slot, and put it top right corner for the win.
"To be honest, I think it's the biggest goal I'll ever score in my career," Smith said after the game.
Smith said that it took him a second to understand what happened.
"I just froze; I couldn't believe it," Smith said. "When I realized what I had just done, I just went crazy."
Rookie goaltender Neil Conway made 38 saves in the win. At the other end of the rink, the Huskies managed only 26 shots on Travis Yonkman through three-plus periods.
Huskies head coach Trevor Stienburg said that he knew how close they came to losing.
"We're not stupid, we know we got outplayed in the first period pretty badly," said Stienburg. "We made the most of our chances, and we just willed it out."
Stienburg said all the media attention that former NHLer Mike Danton brought when he joined the Huskies in January galvanized the team.
"He's been unreal," Stienburg said of Danton. "The city, the school, and the team's embraced him.
"Maritimers love him, man."
Danton's NHL career ended abruptly when he was arrested
Cam Fergus and Scott Brophy also scored for the Huskies, while Tyler Metcalfe and Derek Ryan replied for Alberta.
The Huskies returned to the CIS final after making a run of four straight appearances ending in 1972. Saint Mary's lost all four to the University of Toronto.
The top seed Golden Bears have won three CIS championships in the last six years, and were the favourites to win again this year. Alberta head coach Eric Thurston said that nerves might have played a part in the loss.
"Obviously guys are afraid to make a mistake," he said. "We seemed to be a little bit tentative at times. But these guys are just kids, and they're going to get nervous."
Bears captain Tyler Metcalfe said that they could have capitalized better on their chances.
"We laid it on the line," Metcalfe said. "You always say that you want to bear down more, but it just didn't go our way tonight."
Both teams seemed content sizing up their opponent in the early going with neither team registering a shot until after the three-minute mark.
The Bears opened the scoring at 14:21 of the first. Defenceman Derek Price pushed the puck out from behind the net to Metcalfe, who swatted at the puck a couple of times before banging it home past Conway.
The Huskies tied it up halfway through the second. Cody Thornton, parked at the top of the circle, hit Fergus as he streaked up the middle to the net, deflecting the puck through traffic and by Yonkman.
Early in the third, Brophy deflected a point shot from Andrew Hotham that fooled Yonkman, putting the Huskies up for the first time in the game.
With just five minutes left in the third, Derek Ryan deflected a hard pass from Ian Barteaux to send the game to overtime.
Alberta had a chance six minutes into the extra period as Mark Ashton rung it off the far post before Smith scored the winner at 9:13.
Alberta's power play, which was key in its win against the Lakehead University Thunderwolves Saturday, went 0 for 3 on Sunday night.
The Huskies didn't get a whole lot on net managing only 26 shots through three-plus periods but generated quality scoring chances.
This is fifth time Alberta and Saint Mary's have met in the CIS championships, and the first time in the final. Their last meeting was in 1977, when Alberta swept a semifinal series 2-0. Saint Mary's last beat Alberta 4-3 in a semifinal game in 1972.
Alberta is now 3-2 against Saint Mary's all-time in CIS championship play.
NOTES: Paid attendance: 2,366. Players of the Game: Neil Conway for SMU, Chad Klassen for Alberta. Colby Pridham, who scored a goal in SMU's win over the Manitoba Bisons on Saturday afternoon, did not play due to an injury to his left shoulder.