Burns proud of Axemen’s hockey effort
BY JOHN DECOSTE
Kings County Advertiser/Register
Although the 2010/ 2011 season had a less than satisfactory ending for the Acadia hockey Axemen, head coach Darren Burns has โlots of positives.โ
After a fourth-place finish in the regular season, the Axemen swept UPEI in the first round of the playoffs, then lost their semifinal series to UNB three games to one, including a loss in quadruple overtime.
โWe felt we had a legitimate shot at making it to nationals. We fell short of that, and thatโs disappointing,โ Burns says.
Hockey Axemen head coach Darren Burns: โAm I happy? Not totally. Am I proud of the guys for what they were able to accomplish? Absolutely.โ File
โThere are things you can control, and lots of things you canโt. I felt a lot of the things we could control, we did.โ
The Axemen โhad an up-and-down first half due to having so many new faces,โ but โgot on a good runโ in the second half until โwe ran into some injury problems that didnโt help.โ
Other than the second period in game one against UNB, โI felt our six playoff games were our six best games of the year.โ
Acadia first swept aside a potentially explosive UPEI team with a pair of 1-0 victories, thanks to an outstanding defensive effort and flawless goaltending from Kris Westblom.
Acadiaโs performance against UNB, including the four-overtime loss in game two, a 3-1 win in game three and a 3-2 loss in game four, was impressive, even though the Axemen were admittedly โrunning on fumesโ with as many as seven players on the sidelines due to injuries.
The teamโs competitiveness against the number-one team in the country earned it a spot in the CIS Top-10 for the week ending March 5.
โI firmly believe the way we were playing, we could beat anyone in the country in a one-game showdown,โ Burns says. โItโs one of the best experiences Iโve had as a coach. We couldnโt have done much more.โ
At the same time, the Axemen did ultimately fall short of their goal of qualifying for nationals.
โWe need to be able to take that next step, and thatโs what weโll be working toward doingโ during the off-season.
Burns โhas some work to do,โ with at least 10 or maybe 11 players departing through graduation.
โWe have a solid nucleus coming back, but we do lose a lot of players.โ
In fact, the list of potential losses includes goalies Westblom and Mike Chiasson, defensemen Zack Firlotte and Nathan Welton and forwards Philippe Bertrand, Chris Bruton, Scott Tregunna, Jamie Klie, Zack McMillan, Adam McIlwraith and possibly Ryan Graham.
Many of the departing Axemen will be leaving after just three years at Acadia which, according to Burns, is โthe risk you run when you recruit good athletes who are also top students.โ
Another player, defenseman Beau Prokopetz, who missed almost all the 2010/ 2011 season, is โpretty much doneโ because of multiple concussions.
โWe knew this was coming, thatโs why we brought in extra players last year, including the four new defensemen.
โOur rookies were all tremendous for us this season, and they all gained valuable playoff experience besides.โ
In his recruiting, โthe things we need to address are more goal scoring up front and replacing the goalies weโre losing. This is a recruiting year thatโs a little more definitive. We know what we have, and what we need
One thing that wonโt suffice is the status quo.
โThe middle of the pack is good – but it not enough to get you out of this conference.โ
Overall, and despite all the injuries the Axemen couldnโt control, there were lots of positives, particularly in the play of the young players.
โAm I happy? Not totally. Am I proud of the guys and what they were able to accomplish? Absolutely. We got a good look at some guys who will help us a lot next year. Now we have to target size, speed and scoring.โ