Axemen fall 3-2 to Huskies

Harper & Fioretti net singles in loss

(Halifax, NS)Β  The Saint Mary’s Huskies picked up a 3-2 win over the Acadia Axemen Wednesday night at the Halifax Forum.

It was the fifth win a row for the Huskies (9-3-1) who take over sole possession of third in the AUS. The Axemen (8-4-1) fall to fourth.

Jake Coughler (St. Catharines, Ont.), Alexander Peters (Blyth, Ont.), with his first career AUS goal, and Calder Brooks (Emerald Park, Sask.) found the net for the Huskies.

Eric Brassard (St. Hubert, Que.) finished with 17 saves and boosted his record to 5-3.Β  Stephen Harper (Burlington, Ont.) and Sam Fioretti (Calgary, Alta.) scored for the Axemen.

Robert Steeves (St. Joseph-de-Kent, N.B.) made 23 saves and fell to 4-4.

Coughler got the scoring going with a power-play goal 14:49 into the first. Working with a four-on-three advantage, Peters sent the puck from below the right-circle up to Anthony Repaci (Toronto, Ont.) at the top of the circle. He fed it across to Coughler who ripped a one-timer from the left-dot high short-side.

Peters got on the board at the 18:43 mark of the frame. Steven Shipley (Ilderton, Ont.) chipped it back towards the point, Taylor Burke (Halifax, N.S.) settled down the rolling puck and handed it off to Peters who snapped it in low-blocker from the high right-slot.

The Huskies won the shot battle in the first 11-4.

The second period was where the Axemen did their damage.

Harper picked up a power-play goal at 11:55 of the period. Boston Leier (Saskatoon, Sask.) slipped it from below the left-circle to Remy Giftopoulos (Ancaster, Ont.) in the mid-circle, his shot deflected to Harper in the slot and it was on his tape off his tape – in the back of the net high-blocker.

Fioretti tied it up at 2-2 at the 14:10 mark. Mathew Pufahl (Saskatoon, Sask.) took a shot from the left-point. There was a scramble for the rebound, Leier tapped it to Fioretti at the right side of the net and a couple whacks put it home.

Shots in the second were 12-6 Axemen.

Brooks tallied the game winner on the power-play just 2:21 into the third. Playing with a five-on-three advantage, the Huskies won a draw in the Axemen zone and set up in the umbrella. Coughler got it on the left-dot and slid it back to Aaron Berisha (Mississauga, Ont.) at the top of the circle. Berisha put it on a tee for Brooks who smashed a one-timer low glove.

The Huskies outshot the Axemen 9-3 in the third.

The Axemen were one-for-five on the power-play. The Huskies went two-for-eight.

Up next, The Axemen will travel to Moncton N.B. to play the Aigles Bleus on Friday Nov. 17. The Huskies will face off against the Aigles Bleus in Moncton on Saturday, Nov. 18.

 

Cam Honey-Webb

Photo Nick Pearce