Acadia Set to Begin 2024-25 Season with High Hopes After Strong Pre-Season

Axemen open up season on the road on Friday

Following an impressive 4-1 pre-season, the Acadia Axemen are ready to hit the ice this Friday in Charlottetown to face the UPEI Panthers in their regular season opener. The Panthers were responsible for Acadia’s only exhibition loss last Friday, a 7-1 defeat in Rustico, PEI.

We caught up with Axemen Head Coach Darren Burns, who shared his thoughts on the upcoming season: “Our team’s greatest strength right now is our commitment and unity. Early signs show a team that utilized the off-season, and it’s helped in our preparation for the start of the season. We’ve built a hard-working, high-character team that’s eager to prove its potential and what they believe they are capable of.”

The Axemen enter the 2024-25 season with plenty of optimism, beginning with a solid foundation in net, where AUS 1st Team All-Star and All-Rookie standout Thomas Couture leads the way.

Acadia also added depth between the pipes, recruiting MHL’s top goaltender Nicholas Sheehan to back up Couture. Brayden Peters continues to recover from surgery, and Jett Miller provides additional goaltending depth for the Axemen.

On defense, the Axemen have strengthened their blue line with the additions of Conor Shortall and Keagan Slaney. They join a dependable group of defencemen that includes Cam Whynot, Charlie Desroches, Tyler Deline, Orie Mainolfi, Brendan Tomilson, and Luke Zazula. Meanwhile, the team bid farewell to former Axemen Hudson Wilson and Morgan Nauss, both of whom graduated last year, and Merrick Rippon, who was forced to retire from competitive hockey due to injuries.

Coach Burns also expressed optimism about the forward group: “We’ve added more depth offensively, which will help us maintain pressure and play at a high pace. We might not be the highest-scoring team, but if we practice offensive play and stay healthy, this will help us without question.”

Up front, the Axemen have bolstered their lineup by adding centre Cam MacDonald for extra scoring punch, while Marc Boudreau brings size and grit. Kian Bell, who led the SJHL in scoring for two consecutive seasons, showcased his talent with three goals in the pre-season. Cam Wiebe adds further depth with his size and two-way play. The team will look to returning leaders Brady Burns and Bailey Peach to spearhead the offense, alongside Brendan Sellan, Liam Kidney, and Ethan Ernst. Cole Nagy, Zack Jones, and Peyton Hoyt will be relied on for their two-way contributions, while Corson Hopwo, Adam McMaster, and Brendan Mairs will be counted on to provide additional offensive support.

Reflecting on the pre-season, Coach Burns commented: “The AUS exhibition season is a good barometer for where your team stands. Teams will evolve and get better, and rosters will get altered throughout exhibition, but we feel confident in what we achieved. With back-to-back games coming up each weekend to start the season, so we felt it was important to do the same in our exhibition schedule to mirror that challenge. Overall, we liked what we saw and feel we accomplished a lot.”

What will the regular season hold for the Axemen? It all kicks off Friday at 7 p.m. You can catch the game live on AUStv.ca or tune in to AVR 97.7FM for Len Hawley’s pre-game show starting at 6:45 p.m. Don’t forget to follow @axemenhockey on X (formerly Twitter) for live in-game updates.

#GoAcadiaGo

Story by Chris Richards