Cazzola & Thompson – A special pair
Four great years for two Axemen greats
Mike Cazzola and Brett Thompson, two Ontario born hockey players, came to Acadia University together 4 years ago. What they’ve done since has been instrumental to the success of the Acadia hockey program, including an AUS Championship, 2 CIS National Tournament appearances, multiple All-star selections, one leading the AUS in points, the other leading the AUS in goals in separate season. Just to name a few of the accolades.
After successful junior careers in the OHL, Thompson scoring 139 goals and 255 points in 310 games, while Cazzola notched 225 points in just 219 games, the two former junior teammates decided to come to Acadia University together to suit up for the Axemen. They spent much of their four seasons as linemates with the Axemen, and became home town fan favorites, with their skilled, high octane, in your face style of play. They teamed up with Liam Heelis to be one of the most potent forward lines in the CIS.
The pair took no time fitting into the AUS, Thompson put up 26 points in 28 games in 2012-13, while Cazzola scored 29 points in 28 games. The stats landed both players on the AUS All-Rookie team for the season, and Cazzola was named the AUS Rookie of the year.
2013-14 saw Cazzola represent Canada at the Universiade in Italy, along with teammates Chris Owens and Liam Heelis. Mike went on to score 9 points in just 6 games in the tournament, helping Team Canada win the championship, while playing against teams which included many KHL players, which is the Russian Pro Hockey League.
The Axemen went on to win the AUS that season, earning themselves a birth in the CIS National tournament in Saskatoon, Sask. En route, Cazzola tied linemate Liam Heelis for the most points in the AUS with 42 points in 28 games, earning both players’ selections as 1st team All-Stars in the AUS for 2013-14.
2014-15 saw Brett Thompson lead the AUS in goals with 19, to go along with 38 points in 28 games, earning him 1st team AUS All-Star status, and also being named to the 2nd team CIS All-Stars. Cazzola landed on the 2nd team AUS all-star team for the season, scoring 32 points in 26 games. The pair led the Axemen to their second straight appearance at the CIS National Tournament, this time in Halifax, NS.
The twosome’s fourth season at Acadia, once again saw the linemates finish 1-2 in team scoring with Cazzola notching 30 points and Thompson 29. Cazzola was named to the AUS 2nd team All-stars for the 2015-16 season. The two spent the season as co-captains for the Axemen.
Coach Darren Burns said, “Brett and Mike have had a tremendous four years. Their performance here with Acadia hockey helped elevate our program without question. They have been instrumental in getting our team to two national championship tournaments. There is no question replacing the minutes these two played and their point production will be a daunting task. I think they can feel very confident that they also played a key role in helping recruit many other high profile players and people to our program.”
It’s very rare that CIS players walk into the league and begin with such impact, and put up big numbers and continue the output for a four-year period, but that’s just what these two have done. In 107 regular season games over 4 years, Mike Cazzola scored 52 goals, adding 81 assists, for 133 points. That is a 1.24 points per game clip. While Brett Thompson played in 111 regular season games, scoring 53 goals, and adding 73 assists for 126 points; good for 1.14 points per game. Very impressive numbers from two players who will go down in the same breathe as some of the Axemen greats who have skated for the Acadia hockey program before them.
It will be no easy task to replace these two impact players, both for what they’ve done on the ice over the past four years, but also for the positive impact they’ve had on the community. They will forever be etched in stone as two of the greats in the rich history of Acadia Axemen hockey.