Acadia falls 6-0 to UNB

(FREDERICTON, NB) Cam Brace(Etobicoke, ON) and Chris Clapperton(Cap d’Espoir, QC) each scored twice to lead the UNB Varsity Reds to a 6-0 victory over the visiting Acadia Axemen on Saturday.

Clapperton opened the scoring, just 1:22 in.

The teams then settled into a relatively even first period.

“That was our plan, to come out right away and get that first goal, so that worked,” said Varsity Reds defenceman Tristan Pomerleau(Riviere du Loup, QC).

Clapperton struck again late in the second, and Mark Simpson(Rothesay, NB) made it 3-0 just 46 seconds later.

Brace scored both his goals in the third.

“They were a little short on their side. We just stuck to the game plan,” said Brace, who noted the Varsity Reds got offence from every line. “When all lines are going, all lines are working, I think that’s the most dangerous thing about our team.”

Olivier LeBlanc(Quebec City, QC) also scored for UNB, while Tyler Boland(St. John’s, NL) had four assists. Veteran forward Matt Boudens(Pembroke, ON) chipped in with a pair of assists.

Alex Dubeau(Mascouche, QC) stopped all 15 shots he faced, while Robert Steeves(St. Joseph-de-Kent, NB) gave up all six goals, on 37 shots, in the Acadia net.

“It doesn’t feel good,” said Axemen forward Sam Fioretti(Calgary, AB). “This is a team that’s won the last two national championships and they’re at the top of the standings and nationally ranked, so it’s a team that you compare yourself to and, come March, you want to be better than, so when you come out with a 6-0 loss, you’re not going to be happy with the result.”

The Axemen were without a number of regulars and dressed just 15 skaters.

“You can look back and make excuses with us being short-benched, but I think it’s more important for us to look at things that we did wrong,” said Fioretti. “Obviously, we weren’t hard enough to play against tonight.”

Clapperton was named the game’s first star and Subway Player of the Game.

In a chippy affair, both teams combined to go 0-for-13 on the power-play.

The Varsity Reds have now won five straight and remain atop the Atlantic University Sport standings with a 20-1-3 record.

The Axemen sit fourth, with a record of 15-7-2.

Both teams are back in action on Wednesday evening. Acadia visits St FX, while the Varsity Reds travel to Charlottetown to take on UPEI. Both games are scheduled to start at 7:00pm.

RECAP AND PHOTOS BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics