Category: Game Recaps

Mairs, Hopwo, and Bell score for Axemen in loss

The Acadia Axemen dropped their season opener 4–3 to the Saint Mary’s Huskies on Wednesday night at Andrew H. McCain Arena.

The teams traded chances early before Saint Mary’s struck first. Jake Uberti opened the scoring at 10:06 of the first period, finishing a feed from Ben Boyd. Acadia answered quickly. Just 10 seconds later, Brendan Mairs converted a pass from Ryder McIntyre to tie the game 1–1.

The Axemen grabbed their first lead at 11:15 when Corson Hopwo scored off a setup from Luke Zazula. But a late penalty proved costly. With Acadia shorthanded, Reid Valade scored on the power play at 18:57 to make it 2–2 after the opening frame.

The Huskies regained control late in the second period. Valade netted his second of the night at 19:00, putting Saint Mary’s back in front 3–2 heading into the intermission.

Early in the third, Will Chisholm extended the lead to 4–2 with help from Boyd and Uberti. Acadia pressed in the final minutes and was rewarded on the power play. With 6.2 seconds left, Kian Bell scored from Brayden Schmitt and Liam Kidney to cut the deficit to one. The Axemen, however, ran out of time to complete the comeback.

Acadia outshot Saint Mary’s 37–36 but went 1-for-6 on the power play compared to the Huskies’ 1-for-4. Goaltender Thomas Couture made 32 saves for the Axemen, while Ben West stopped 34 shots for Saint Mary’s.

The three stars were Valade, West, and Hopwo.

Acadia (0-1-0) returns to action Friday, October 3 on the road against Moncton. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.

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.

Axemen add another skilled forward

The Acadia Axemen are proud to welcome Roenick Jodoin to the hockey program. The speedy forward from Cornwall, Ontario joins the Axemen after 3 years in the OHL and last year in the BCHL.

We asked Roenick what enticed him to commit to Acadia, and he said, “I chose Acadia because of the coaching and reputation that its had and the opportunities that it presents, not only on ice, but academically too!”

The 5’8” forward was drafted by the Barrie Colts and joined the team in 2021-22 where he would score 17 points in 47 regular season games as rookie. He would follow that season up with 20 points in 56 games in 2022-23. In his 3^rd season with the Colts, he had his strongest season statistically with 29 points in 61 games, for a combined 66 points in 164 games.

Last season, Jodoin would head West to the BCHL to join the Salmon Arm Silverbacks where he would score 38 points in 44 games, including 20 goals. He would also add 4 points in 4 playoff games.

Acadia Axemen head coach Darren Burns sees Jodoin as a strong fit for the team and the AUS saying, “Roenick has elite level speed which is tailor made for our ice surface. We feel this will be a big boost to our offensive punch. We also like his grit and determination to play in smaller buildings. He is an extremely passionate player who plays with a lot of heart. He’s an exciting addition to our lineup because we believe he is an extremely well rounded player.”

Jodoin is looking forward to hitting the ice in Wolfville, saying, “Fans can expect speed, skill, and hard work from me! I am playmaker and can score goals!”

Roenick is the third Axemen recruit announced for the upcoming season, as he joins forward Zak Lavoie and defenceman Brayden Schmitt. Stay tuned for more recruit announcements in the coming weeks! #GoAcadiaGo

Story by Chris Richards

UNB Sweeps Best of 5 series, 3-0

The UNB REDS completed a semifinal sweep of the Acadia Axemen with a 4-1 victory Monday in Atlantic University Sport men’s hockey action.

The win secured a 3-0 series victory for the REDS, who advance to the AUS championship against the winner of the Saint Mary’s-Moncton series.

Ethan Ernst scored Acadia’s lone goal on the power play at 1:03 of the third period, assisted by Brady Burns. Cole Nagy won 12 of 18 faceoffs, while goaltender Thomas Couture made 38 saves on 42 shots.

UNB opened the scoring at 2:24 of the first period on a power-play goal from Kale McCallum, assisted by Cole MacKay and Benjamin Corbeil. The period saw multiple penalties, including a high-sticking call on UNB’s Sam McGinley at 14:27, but Acadia was unable to capitalize.

UNB extended its lead in the second period with two goals from Sean McGurn at 12:38 and 15:38. The REDS outscored Acadia 2-0 in the frame and maintained their shutout heading into the third.

Ernst’s goal early in the third brought Acadia within two, but UNB responded quickly when MacKay scored on the power play at 4:26. Acadia’s Bailey Peach had taken a minor penalty and a 10-minute misconduct for checking from behind.

McGurn led UNB with two goals and a plus-four rating, while McCallum and MacKay each contributed a goal and an assist. Corbeil added two assists, and Cody Morgan finished with a plus-four rating.

Axemen return home for Game 3 on Monday night

(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB REDS scored three times in the first period and three in the third on route to a 7-1 win over the Acadia Axemen on Friday night and a two-games-to-none lead in their best-of-five Atlantic University Sport semi-final series. 

The game was played before a sellout crowd of 3374 spectators at UNB’s Aitken Centre. 

Macauley Carson (Midhurst, ON) scored four goals to lead the REDS. He was named Tim Horton’s Player of the Game. 

The fourth-year REDS’ forward opened the scoring just 2:55 into the first period when he took advantage of an Axemen turnover, skated in alone and lifted a backhand past Acadia goaltender Thomas Couture (Levis, QC) for a short-handed goal. 

His second goal came five minutes later. 

Liam Kidney (Enfield, NS) scored Acadia’s only goal at the 10:40 mark of the first, but Peter Reynolds (Fredericton, NB) restored UNB’s two goal lead a short time later. 

Cody Morgan (Gilford, ON) pushed UNB’s lead to 4-1 with the only goal of the second period. 

Carson added two more in the third and Reynolds got his second of the game. 

Cole Huckins (Upper Kingsclear, NB), Benjamin Corbeil (Granby, QC), and Justin Nolet (Mississauga, ON) all had two assists for the REDS. 

Carson’s four-goal game came a night after Morgan recorded a hat trick in UNB’s 5-2 win in the series opener. 

Samuel Richard (Ste. Catherine, QC) made 18 saves on 19 shots for the win in the UNB net. Couture made 35 saves on 42 shots. 

The Axemen will host the third game of the series Monday night. Game time is 7:00pm. 

The winner of this series advances to the AUS Championship Series and qualifies for the U SPORTS Championship, in Ottawa, March 20-23. 

RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics 

PHOTOS BY: James West/for UNB Athletics 

Four 3rd period goals lead Axemen to win

The Acadia Axemen rallied in the third period to defeat the StFX X-Men 6-4 on Saturday, completing a sweep in their best-of-three AUS quarterfinal series.

Liam Kidney led Acadia with two goals and an assist, including an empty-net marker to seal the win. Kian Bell scored a power-play goal, while Peyton Hoyt and Cole Nagy each found the back of the net. Cam MacDonald notched the game-winning goal and won nine faceoffs.

StFX struck first, with Charlie Callaghan scoring just eight seconds into the game. Bell answered for Acadia at 8:35 on the power play, and Hoyt put the Axemen ahead at 10:25. The X-Men tied it before the first intermission, as Raegan Wiles scored at 18:58.

StFX built a 4-2 lead in the second period with goals from Ethan Burroughs at 1:38 and Callaghan at 10:27. However, Acadia took over in the third, beginning with Kidney’s goal at 2:33. Nagy tied it at 7:52 before MacDonald put the Axemen ahead 30 seconds later. Kidney added an empty-netter at 19:23.

Callaghan finished with two goals for StFX, while Burroughs had a goal and an assist. Wiles contributed a power-play goal and a plus-one rating. Alex Christopoulos led the X-Men with a plus-three rating, and goaltender Patrick Leaver made 34 saves.

With the win, Acadia advances to the AUS semifinal against UNB. Game 1 is set for Thursday night in Fredericton.

Axemen look to close out series at home on Saturday night

ANTIGONISH, NS – The Acadia Axemen defeated the STFX X-Men 2-1 in AUS quarter-final playoff action on Thursday evening at the Charles V Keating Centre. The closely contested win gives the Axemen the early 1-0 advantage in the best-of-three series, which continues Saturday in Wolfville.   

The first period was a tight physical battle, with the Axemen fending off a pair of early STFX powerplays, before going on the man advantage themselves. The shots and scoring chances were even throughout, and despite a late flurry from the X-Men, the game remained scoreless after 20 minutes.   

The Axemen came out with some jump in the second, forcing STFX netminder Patrick Leaver to come up with some key saves. Acadia went on the powerplay five minutes into the period, but the STFX penalty kill held tight.  

Acadia hit paydirt on their next powerplay chance though, with a point shot from Tyler Deline hitting the back of the net at the 12-minute mark. STFX picked up the pace looking for an equalizer, but strong play from Acadia goalie Thomas Couture kept the game 1-0 in favor of the visitors after 40 minutes.   

Peyton Hoyt made it 2-0 for Acadia 70 seconds into the final period, one-timing a shot from the slot off a pass from Liam Kidney.   

Leaver blanked Acadia defender Charlie Desroches from in close with 10 minutes to go and continued to stand tall for the rest of the game.  

STFX defender Charlie Callaghan came up big once again for the Blue and White, firing home a shot from the point through traffic with five minutes to go, cutting the lead in half.   

The X-Men pulled Leaver late, but weren’t able to find the equalizer. Leaver finished the game with 27 saves, while Couture had 28 stops in the win.  

Deline was named first star while Callaghan earned second star honors and STFX’s Ethan Burroughs got the third star nod.   

The series now moves to Wolfville for Game 2, on Saturday, February 22 at 7 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, is scheduled for Monday, February 24, at STFX. 

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Recap courtesy Matt Draper, STFX Athletics   

Quarterfinal round Game 1: Thursday, Feb. 20 – Acadia at STFX

Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 22 – STFX at Acadia

Game 3: Monday, Feb. 24 – Acadia at STFX (if necessary)

All games at 7 p.m.