Varsity Reds knock off Axemen 4-0
3 goals in 3 minutes 10 seconds sink the Axemen
The Acadia Axemen (16-5-2) welcomed their rival UNB Varsity Reds (17-3-2) to town on Saturday night, in what was expected to be a battle of the titans, with the Axemen being ranked tops in the CIS, and UNB at ranked at number 4. The result was an uncharacteristic lopsided score between the two teams, who had twice this season played one goal margin games against each other. But in the end this time, it was UNB victorious by a score of 4-0 on the strength of 4 second period goals.
The opening period was just as expected, a tight battle, with both teams getting good chances. The period was highlighted by a six minor penalties which really slowed the flow down for both teams. After 1 period of play, there was no score, with both Brandon Glover and Etienne Marcoux turning aside 9 shots for their respective teams.
The second period didn’t go as expected for the Axemen. Just 1:07 into the frame, Jordan Murray sent a pass from the point to Francis Beauvillier, Beauvillier one timed the feed from a sharp angle and beat Glover to put UNB ahead 1-0. Just 18 seconds later UNB added a second, when Philippe Maillet squeaked one past the Axemen netminder; much to the Axemen faithful’s dismay, their team trailed by two. Unable to stop the bleeding, UNB added a third at 4:17, their third goal in 3 minutes and 10 seconds; this time it was Dylan Willick scoring for the Varsity Reds. That spelled the end of the night for Axemen netminder Brandon Glover, as the Axemen brought in 2nd year netminder Robert Steeves in relief.
With just under 5 minutes remaining in the 2nd period, and Acadia hoping to cut into the UNB lead on the powerplay, UNB scored while shorthanded when Taylor MacDougall took advantage of a loose puck in front of the Axemen net and beat Steeves to make it 4-0.
The third period didn’t see any scoring, despite both teams having some great chances. UNB’s Etienne Marcoux picked his first shutout on the season in the win, while Glover took the loss. Acadia was 0 for 5 on the powerplay, while UNB was 0 for 4.
The three-minute breakdown to begin the 2nd period by the Axemen was ultimately the difference in the game, as it seemingly took the wind out of the home team’s sails. Acadia returns to the ice on Wednesday night when they face the StFX X-Men. UNB and Acadia will play each other for a fourth and final time in the AUS regular season on February 8th in Fredericton.