Axemen shut out Aigles Bleus 1-0
Thompson, with his 17th, stands up as the game winner
The Acadia Axemen (18-4-3) are one step closer to securing a first round AUS playoff bye with a tight 1-0 victory over the U de M Aigles Bleus (10-13-2) on Sunday afternoon. The game was originally to be played on Saturday night, but due to inclement weather in Moncton, the game was moved to Sunday.
In what was a very fast and exciting game to watch, with end to end action, very few penalties, and minimal whistles, the teams showed off great speed and skill, but the most important stat on the day came from the goaltenders. Acadia’s Brandon Glover turned away all 27 shots he faced from the Aigles Bleus, while Brandon Thibeau stopped 37 of 38 shots directed his way by the Axemen.
The only shot to beat Thibeau came off the stick of Axemen sniper Brett Thompson, who scored his 17th on the season at 13:32 of the 2nd period, with assists going to rookie Sam Fioretti and 2nd year defenceman Geoff Schemitsch.
Acadia was 0 for 2 on the powerplay, while Moncton was 0 for 3. The Acadia win snapped a three game win-streak that Moncton was riding entering the matchup.
Following the win, Coach Burns had the following to say about his team, “Very proud of our effort this weekend. This is a tough road trip playing against these two teams (UNB and Moncton). They are both playing well right now.”
The Axemen now head home to wrap up the AUS regular season with a pair of home games next weekend, facing the Dalhousie Tigers and the St. FX X-Men. Any combination of the Axemen earning a point, or Saint Mary’s not receiving a point in their final 2 games would clinch 2nd place for Acadia, giving them the 1st round playoff bye. Acadia currently trials UNB by 3 points for 1st place in the AUS.
Brett Thompson sits 2 points back of UNB’s Phillippe Maillet for leading point scorer in the AUS heading into the final weekend of play; Thompson has one more goal then SMU’s Steven Johnston for leading goal scorer in the conference.