Axemen Ready to Get Started After Strong Pre-Season

Acadia opens the regular season at home Wednesday night against Saint Mary’s

The Acadia Axemen kick off the 2025–26 regular season on home ice this Wednesday at 7 p.m. when they welcome the Saint Mary’s Huskies to Andrew H. McCain Arena. Acadia rolls into the opener riding the momentum of an unbeaten pre-season, posting three straight wins over Dalhousie, Moncton, and Saint Mary’s.

The Axemen were stingy defensively throughout exhibition play, anchored by a blue line that returns seven players from last year and bolstered by newcomer Brayden Schmitt.

Goaltending looks just as solid. Third-year netminder Thomas Couture started two pre-season games and picked up two wins while allowing only two goals. With Brayden Peters healthy again after an injury layoff of more than a year and a half, and Nicholas Sheehan ready to step in when called upon, Acadia promises to be tough to beat in net.

Up front, the biggest changes are in the forward group, and chemistry will no doubt take time to come together. Veterans Bailey Peach, Liam Kidney, and Brady Burns have led the way through the pre-season and will be heavily relied upon throughout, while the 1st year Axemen continue to adjust to the speed and physical play of AUS hockey.

Acadia head coach Darren Burns likes what he has seen from his team through camp and the pre-season:

“We have really liked our team’s ability to process and they have brought a strong off season of work into the preseason which has helped our day-to-day practices. Our team has shown early signs that they work hard and challenge each other every day to get better.”

October will test the Axemen with six of their first nine games on the road, but Burns isn’t concerned about the schedule:

“I don’t think it changes anything really. Practicing on a big ice surface then playing in smaller rinks is an adjustment. However, you don’t want to use that as an excuse. Clearly having a more balanced schedule makes sense but we can’t control that. We have tried to build a team that has flexibility whether playing at home on our big ice surface or smaller surfaces on the road. At the end of the day, you play half your games at home half on the road. We just have to be focused.”

The first-year players have also impressed the coaching staff:

“We have been very happy with the adjustment of our first-year players. We were confident they would adjust to our league well when we watched them in junior. Clearly scouting is now a more vital part of recruiting than ever before with the outflux of CHL players going south. You need to watch players more in different leagues.

I think it’s also helped they are coming in to play with some players who have played in the league who have shown them very quickly what AUS hockey is all about.

We like our team. There is great leadership, and they have shown early they are hungry. I like the mix of unity but at the same time they challenge each other to get better on a daily basis. It’s early but we believe there is a solid foundation here.”

The stage is set for Wednesday night. Get your tickets for the season and home opener at acadiau.universitytickets.com and be there to cheer on your Acadia Axemen as they launch the regular season.