Category: Game Recaps

Hopwo & Peach score in Axemen victory

The Acadia Axemen wrapped up their pre-season action on Friday night in Wolfville as they downed the UPEI Panthers 2-1, to improve their exhibition record to 3 wins and 1 loss.

The Axemen opened the scoring early as Brady Burns carried the puck over the UPEI blue line and found Corson Hopwo cruising into the slot, Hopwo one timed the pass behind the Panthers Capriotti, to give Acadia a 1-0 lead at 2:41 of the 1st period.

That was the only scoring in the period, shots on goal were 11-10 for Acadia after 1 period. UPEI was 0 for 2 on the powerplay, while Acadia was 0 for 1.

UPEI had the only goal of the 2^nd period as Ben McFarlane scored off a rebound from a point shot, beating Brayden Peters to tie the game at 1 at the 8 minute mark.

Axemen got into penalty trouble but were able to kill off all 4 penalties in the period, as UPEI was 0 for 6 on the powerplay after 2 periods.

Acadia split the game between their two goaltenders, and after making the switch at the midway point of the game, Thomas Couture made a highlight reel save as he dove across the crease on what looked to be a sure goal for UPEI, but the 1^st year Axemen kept the puck out and kept the game tied.

The shots after 2 periods were 24-20 in favour of the visiting Panthers.

The Axemen took a 2-1 lead early in the 3^rd period on the powerplay as Bailey Peach took a pass from Brady Burns, and one timed the puck into the Panthers net.

Acadia killed off a barrage of penalties through the mid point of the 3^rd period, as they saw themselves down 2 men on 2 different occasions, but backed by solid goaltending from Thomas Couture, the Axemen held their 2-1 lead.

UPEI pushed for the equalizer, pulling their goaltender in the last minute and a half for an extra attacker, but the Axemen held on for the win.

Final shots on goal after 3 periods were 42 for UPEI and 32 for Acadia. UPEI was 0 for 9 on the powerplay, while Acadia was 1 for 4.

Thomas Couture was stellar in net in the second half of the game, as he turned away all 25 shots he faced.

The Axemen now prepare to open their season at home next Friday as they host the StFX X-Men at 7pm at the Andrew H. McCain Arena. Get your tickets at the Acadia Box Office or online at acadiau.universitytickets.com

Axemen with 5 different goal scorers in the victory

The Acadia Axemen improved their exhibition record to 2-1 with a 5-3 victory over the Dal Tigers on Wednesday night in Wolfville. In a rematch from last week, when Acadia downed Dal 7-1 in Halifax, the Axemen came out early with a goal at 2:50 of the first period as Brandon Sellan found Liam Kidney for a tap in, to give Acadia the 1-0 lead.

 

The Axemen made it 2-0 when Port Williams’ own Brady Burns scored on the powerplay at 13:09 on a pass from Bailey Peach. That would be all the scoring in the 1^st period, as Acadia outshot Dal 14-4 in the period.

In the 2^nd period, Dalhousie got into penalty trouble, sending Acadia on a 5 on 3 advantage, defenceman Charlie Desroches ripped a wrist shot home at 5:35 to make it a 3-0 Axemen lead. Bailey Peach picked up another assist on the goal.

 

Just over a minute later, the Axemen scored their 3^rd powerplay goal of the night as Ethan Ernst made it a 4-0 home team lead, with Peach picking up his 3^rd assist on the night.

Dalhousie got on the board at 17:43 of the period on a nice move by Tigers’ O’Rourke in front of the net before putting the puck by the sprawled out Axemen goalie to make it a 4-1 game after 2 periods. Shots on goal after 2 periods, 28 for Acadia, 13 for Dal.

 

The third period saw the visitors put the Axemen on their heels as Dal scored on the powerplay at 4:29 of the period on a goal by Serpa to cut the lead to 4-2. At 11:09, the Tigers pulled within 1 when Kerwin made it 4-3. Despite a strong push from Dalhousie to tie the game, the Axemen were able to ice the victory at 19:22 when Nick Deakin-Poot slid the puck into the empty net to give Acadia a 5-3 victory.

 

Acadia split the goaltending duties in the game with Thomas Couture getting the start and playing the 1^st half of the game, shutting the Tigers out, before Brayden Peters took over for the second half of the game.

 

Acadia will round out their exhibition schedule on Friday night when they host the UPEI Panthers at 7pm at the Andrew H. McCain Arena. Get your tickets at the Acadia Box Office or online at acadiau.universitytickets.com

Three 2nd period goals lead Gaels to exhibition victory

The Acadia Axemen came out strong in their 1st home game of the exhibition schedule, however the second period proved to be their demise in a 5-2 loss to the Queen’s Gaels.

Acadia opened the scoring at 9:38 of the 1st period when Corson Hopwo showed masterful possession of the puck in the Queen’s zone before sending a pass to Nick Deakin-Poot, who ripped a shot past the Gaels netminder to make it 1-0. Queen’s answered back at 13:14 on a bad break for the Axemen as Queen’s Katzalay tried to center a pass that hit the defender and deflected into the Acadia net to even the score.

The Axemen would regain the lead before the period ended as Peyton Hoyt fired a sharp angle shot that found the top corner of the net at 19:16, with assists going to Luke Zazula and Brendan Sellan.

Queen’s came out a new team in the second period as they took the play to Acadia, scoring at 4:15 of the frame, the goal off the stick of defenceman Duff.  The visitors then took the lead on a nice passing play as forward Richard found a streaking Hamilton cutting to the net who tipped the pass over the glove of Axemen netminder Brayden Peters. Queen’s rounded out the scoring in the period just over a minute later as Tolnai made it 4-2 heading into the 2nd intermission.

The teams played even hockey in the third period, with the Gaels protecting their 2 goal lead. Acadia tried to open up and push their offense, which lead to Brayden Peters needing to make a number of big saves to keep the Axemen within 2. Queen’s ended the scoring on the night with an empty net goal at 19:49 of the 3rd period on a goal by Paquette.

Final shots on goal in the game were 32 for Acadia and 32 for Queen’s. Acadia was 0 for 2 on the powerplay while Queen’s was 0 for 3.

Acadia’s next exhibition action is set for Wednesday, September 27th as the Axemen host the Dal Tigers at 7pm at the Andrew H. McCain Arena. Get your tickets for the game at the Acadia Box office or online at acadiau.universitytickets.com

Axemen with 7 different goal scorers in win

The Acadia Axemen kicked off their exhibition schedule with a 3-0 victory over the Dalhousie Tigers on Tuesday night in Halifax. The Axemen got off to a quick start, just :50 seconds into the game as Bailey Peach converted on the powerplay to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Later in the 1^st period, on the Axemen’s 2^nd powerplay of the night, they made it 2-0, as Cole Nagy took a pass from Bailey Peach and put it through the Dal netminder’s legs and into the net at 4:40. Brady Burns picked up the second assist on the goal.

The score remained 2-0 until late in the second period when Zack Jones streaked down the wing on a 2 on 1 for the Axemen before feathering a pass across the slot that Brendan Tomilson one timed home to give Acadia a 3-0 lead going into the dressing room for the 2^nd intermission.

The flood gates opened on scoring in the third period starting with Zack Jones scoring as he stepped out of the penalty box, gathered a loose puck for a breakaway and made no mistake to make it a 4-0 game at 5:56.

Dal got on the board with a goal from Dawson Stairs at 8:24, but it was all Axemen from there on out. Luke Zazula scored on a spinning wrap around goal at 12:05, followed by an Ethan Ernst goal at 13:55, and finally Peyton Hoyt scored at 15:21 to make it 7-1 Acadia. That held up to be the final score on the night.

1^st year Axemen netminder Thomas Couture was strong in net for the Axemen, stopping 28 of 29 shots, preserving the win. Charlie Desroches added 4 assists on the night for Acadia.

Acadia returns home to face the OWA’s Queen’s Gaels on Thursday night at the Andrew H. McCain Arena in Wolfville. Get your tickets today at acadiau.universitytickets.com or at the Acadia Box Office.

Valley business continues longstanding support of university hockey program

At 12 o’clock noon on Friday, 38 teams of golfers will tee off at the Ken-Wo Golf Club in New Minas at the Annual Friends of Axemen Hockey Golf Scramble, sponsored by Harvest Wealth Management. Today, we are proud to officially announce that Harvest Wealth will continue their sponsorship of the Acadia Hockey program, which includes the hockey uniforms and the title sponsorship for the annual golf scramble.

Scott Nichols, Financial Security Advisor and Investment Representative with Harvest Wealth sees great value in the sponsorship for the company and the valley community saying, “Harvest Wealth’s continuing sponsorship of Acadia hockey is two-fold in basic terms; First, Acadia hockey is an institution here in the Valley and has provided entertainment locally in the form of high-level hockey for all ages of spectators to enjoy.  Secondly, the outstanding dedication and support the Acadia hockey players, staff, and coaches give our local youth who participate in our minor hockey programs and camps throughout the year.

Acadia Axemen Head Coach Darren Burns was ecstatic with the announcement saying, “We are so appreciative in the generosity of Harvest Wealth and their belief in our program. Their financial commitment is crucial to the success of our players academically. Their generosity in purchasing team uniforms lessens the burden on our team and our Athletics department. They are true leaders in the community, and we appreciate everything they do for us at Acadia. We hope that our efforts on and off the ice make them proud to be partnered with us.”

Watch for announcements next spring on our social platforms, if you would like to register your team for next year’s Golf Scramble.

If you’d like to learn more about Harvest Wealth Management and the services they offer, please visit https://harvestwealth.ca/

McCollum stops 33 in Acadia loss

Wolfville, N.S. – It was another nail-biter between the Acadia Axemen and Saint Mary’s Huskies in Game 4 of the AUS semi-finals. While both teams put in a valiant effort, it was the Saint Mary’s Huskies who prevailed with a 3-0 victory and series win.

Jeremy Helvig (Kingston, Ont.) was named Subway First Star of the Night after putting in his second shutout of the series.

A costly 5-minute major by the Axemen in the third period ended up being the difference maker.

Nathan Dunkley (Campbellford, Ont.) scored the game and series-deciding goal with 9:49 remaining in the third.

Dunkley picked up the puck at center ice thanks to a misread by the Axemen penalty killers.

Acadia had the puck in the Huskies’ zone and threw it back out to center so that their defense could kill some extra time. However, that was when Dunkley stole the puck, came in on a breakaway and lifted the puck high blocker side to make it 1-0.

A mere 14 seconds later, Keith Getson (Bridgewater, N.S.) doubled the lead while parked in front of the Acadia net with a backhander that he slid through the legs of the Acadia goalie to make it 2-0.

Tight defense was the theme of the last three games. In the past two games of this series, there have only been five goals scored between the two teams, with one of those being an empty-netter.

The first two periods were scoreless.

In the first period, it seemed like Acadia was going to strike first thanks to a handful of odd-man rushes; however, those chances were shut down by the Huskies’ D and Helvig.

Saint Mary’s had their chances too, but the Axemen kept them off the scoresheet.

At the end of the opening period, the shots were tied 11-11.

Once again in the second period, neither team was able to find the back of the net.

Acadia had the best chance when Nick Deakin-Poot redirected a shot that hit the post but stayed out.

The Huskies had a power-play in the second frame that allowed them to get set up in the Acadia zone and record solid shots on the net, but there was nothing that could fool Axemen netminder Conor McCollum (Pickering, Ont.).

Acadia held a slight advantage in shots by the end of the second frame, with a 27-24 lead going into the third.

Adam McMaster (Beamsville, Ont.) almost scored in the opening minute of the third on the power-play, ringing the puck off the goal post.

Saint Mary’s got their best opportunity of the game in the third after Axemen forward Jack Flaman (Vibank, Sask.) took a 5-minute boarding major, giving the Huskies a huge power-play chance.

It was this power-play that saw Dunkley and Getson score to put the game out of reach for Acadia.

The Axemen continued to fight but were unable to solve the Huskies’ goaltender.

Andrew Coxhead (Bedford, N.S.) sealed the victory for Saint Mary’s in the final two minutes by adding an empty-net goal to make it 3-0.

Bad blood seemed to be brewing throughout the series but it was not until the final minute that a fight broke out between the teams, with a number of players dropping the gloves.

The teams combined for 130 minutes in penalties for the game.

Tonight, was another stellar night for the men between the pipes. Acadia goalie Conor McCollum put in a strong performance, turning aside 33 of 35 shots on the night. Likewise, Jeremy Helvig stopped 40 of 40 shots in his phenomenal game.

Acadia Axemen forward Adam McMaster and Saint Mary’s defensman Dennis Busby (Oro-Medonte, Ont.) were named second and third stars of the night, respectively.

With a 3-1 semifinal series win, the Huskies move on to face the winner of the Moncton/UNB series in the AUS finals.

McCollum makes 51 saves in win, Sellan with 2OT Winner!

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – Don’t call it a comeback just yet, but the Acadia Axemen kept themselves in the AUS semi-finals tonight thanks to a 2OT 2-1 win over the Saint Mary’s Huskies.

Acadia is now down 2 games to 1 in the best-of-five series.

It was a thrilling finish to the game as the third star of the night Brendan Sellan tipped in a point shot in the second overtime period.

Goaltending was an essential piece to keep both teams in the game, as Conor McCollum and Jeremy Helvig put in a pair of incredible performances for Acadia and Saint Mary’s respectively.

McCollum was named Subway First Star of the Night and Helvig was awarded second star of the night for their stellar nights in the net.

Following a 7-1 shellacking and a much closer 2-0 finish, Acadia responded with their strongest performance yet.

Acadia began to be outplayed by the Huskies as the game wore on, but they came out with the victory thanks to their gritty play.

It only took 35 seconds for the Axemen to get on the board.

Acadia grabbed their first lead of the series early in the first period with a power-play goal in the opening minute of the game.

The puck came out to Adam McMaster, who was set up in the left face-off circle. McMaster ripped a shot high into the top right corner of the net to make it 1-0.

This was the only goal of the period despite chances on both sides throughout the rest of the first.

The play was chippy, with a few shoving matches breaking out after the whistle in front of both nets.

By the end of the first period, the shots were tied 10-10.

In the second, neither team was able to find the back of the net. There were a number of power-play opportunities, on both sides, in the frame, but neither team capitalized.

Acadia had two strong scoring chances in the frame, including a failed 3-on-1 and a breakaway that led to a power-play after Nick Deakin-Poot had his stick slashed out of his hands.

Saint Mary’s had a few strong power-play chances but were unable to find the back of the net in the middle period.

At the end of the second period, the shots were 24-21 in favour of Saint Mary’s.

Mirroring Acadia’s first period, Saint Mary’s scored 22 seconds into the third.

Nathan Dunkley scooped the puck up in front of the net from a failed centering pass by Walter Flower and threw it in past the scrambling Acadia goalie.

Dunkley’s goal made the rest of the period a tense fight to see who could break the tie.

Conor McCollum put on a showcase late in the third, making a pair of incredible saves during an offensive burst from the Huskies.

Acadia had a few odd-man rushes in the frame but was shut down by the Huskies’ defense. Their best chance came in the final minute when Morgan Nauss got a pass from behind the net and took a clear shot while stepping in from the point uncovered.

Overtime was needed to break the tie.

Saint Mary’s held a commanding 40-28 lead in shots.

Both teams had solid chances in the first overtime, including a close call on a shot by Corson Hopwo late frame.

The shots were 47-33 for Saint Mary’s heading into the second OT frame.

Acadia goalie Conor McCollum turned aside 51 of 52 shots in the game, while his Saint Mary’s counterpart Jeremy Helvig stopped 41 of 43 shots.

Game 4 of the AUS semi-finals is tomorrow night, Tuesday, Feb. 28. Puck drop is 7 pm at Andrew H. McCain Arena.

Provided by Joshua Foote, Acadia Athletics Communications Office

McCollum with 19 saves in loss

HALIFAX, NS – Saint Mary’s goaltender Jeremy Helvig stopped 32 shots for his first career AUS playoff shutout, as the Huskies defeated the Acadia Axemen 2-0 in game two of their best-of-five semifinal series on Friday night at the Dauphinee Centre. 

“It’s huge for us,” said Helvig post-game. “It wasn’t our best game but we played solid defensively in front of me and made my night… not too hard I’ll say.” 

The Axemen looked motivated to bounce back from Thursday night’s 7-1 loss in game one, as they were buzzing from the opening puck drop. Axemen forward Cole Nagy (Saskatoon, SK) generated several scoring opportunities for his team, and the Huskies were able to kill of an early Axemen powerplay. Saint Mary’s best scoring chance in the opening period came on a shot by Cedric Ralph (Peterborough, ON) and a follow up rebound by Joel Bishop (St. John’s, NL), but Axemen goaltender Conor McCollum (Pickering, ON) was able to deny the chance. 

Late in the first period, Acadia had their best scoring opportunity, with a rebound landing directly on the stick of forward Keegan Stevenson (Aweres Township, ON), but Huskies goaltender Jeremy Helvig slid across his crease to make a great pad save and keep the game scoreless. 

Neither team was able to open the scoring in the first 20 minutes, with the Axemen outshooting the Huskies 12-5 in the period. 

The Huskies began the second period on the powerplay, but were unable to generate a quality scoring chance. When the game returned to even strength, the Axemen peppered the Huskies goal with shots, but Helvig was able to turn them all away.  

The two teams continued to battle for a go-ahead goal until there was just under eight minutes remaining in the period, when the Huskies opened their account. Defenceman Dennis Busby (Oro-Medonte, ON) took a pass from teammate Jaxon Bellamy and did the rest, skating around an Axemen defender and sniping a shot through McCollum’s five-hole to put the home team up 1-0. 

Both teams were credited with eight shots in the second period, and the Huskies took a 1-0 lead into the second intermission. 

The Axemen continued to pressure in the third period, and thought they found their equalizer on the powerplay, when forward Zack Jones (North Falmouth, MA) appeared to have banged the puck past Helvig, but the Huskies goaltender revealed the puck was underneath him, and the officials waved it off.  

“He had the open net so I just threw my body on the puck and it fell into my glove. I guess they thought it went in but it was in my glove the whole time,” said Helvig. 

Acadia fired 12 shots on goal in the third period, but Helvig stopped them all, and Huskies defenceman Justin MacPherson iced the game with a long empty-net goal with just 16 seconds remaining, his second of the series securing the Saint Mary’s 2-0 victory. 

The Axemen outshot the Huskies 32-21 on the night, with goaltender Jeremy Helvig turning away all 32 shots and being named Subway Player of the Game. Conor McCollum stopped 19 shots for the Axemen. 

“It’s huge to get the two wins at home,” said Helvig. “Just have to finish the job on Monday and beat Acadia.” 

Game three of the semifinal series will take place Monday night at the Andrew H. McCain Arena in Wolfville, NS, with puck-drop scheduled for 7 p.m. 

Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary’s Huskies Athletics
Photos by Mona Ghiz / Saint Mary’s Huskies Athletics 

Stevenson with the lone Axemen goal

HALIFAX, NS – Saint Mary’s forward Andrew Coxhead scored two powerplay goals and added an assist, as the Huskies routed the Acadia Axemen 7-1 in game one of their best-of-three semifinal series on Thursday night at the Dauphinee Centre. 

The Huskies opened the scoring midway through the first period, as a powerplay expired, forward David Bérubé (Price, QC) cut in and played a tape-to-tape pass to Dawson Theede (Brooklin, ON) who tapped it past Axemen goaltender Conor McCollum (Pickering, ON) to put the home team up 1-0. It was the first goal of the season for Theede, who was playing in his first game since Nov. 12 after recovering from an injury.  

Saint Mary’s outshot Acadia 9-7 in the first period, and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. 

Things opened up in the second period, and the Huskies took advantage. Just under eight minutes into the period, Huskies defenceman Justin MacPherson (East Gwillimbury, ON) fired a point shot that was directed into goal by Huskies forward Nathan Dunkley (Campbellford, ON), doubling the Huskies lead to 2-0. 

After killing off a pair of Axemen penalties, thanks to some great saves by goaltender Jeremy Helvig, the Huskies got going on a man advantage of their own with just over six minutes remaining in the period. 

Forward Keith Getson (Bridgewater, NS) attempted to set up forward Cedric Ralph (Peterborough, ON) in the slot, but the puck was deflected on to the stick of defenceman Jaxon Bellamy (Hampton, NB), who played a nice pass over to Coxhead in front, and he directed it past McCollum for the first of four powerplay goals on the night for the Huskies. 

“That was big for us, getting the confidence up on the powerplay”, said Coxhead post-game. “We hadn’t played in a while, but we’ve been practicing it quite a bit, and it’s always nice to score on the powerplay.” 

The Huskies would add another goal just over two minutes later, with Coxhead feeding Joel Bishop (St. John’s, NL), who delivered a backhand pass to a cutting Ralph, who calmly directed it into goal to extend the home team lead to 4-0. 

Just over a minute later, the Huskies were on another powerplay when MacPherson and Getson pulled off a textbook give-and-go, with MacPherson finishing it up for the fourth and final goal of the second period, putting the Huskies up 5-0. 

“That was great for us,” said MacPherson post-game. “We’ve had a couple weeks off here with the bye, so it was just important to find our legs early. We had a bit of a slow start but found our way in the second period and kind of just continued that into the third.” 

The Huskies outshot the Axemen 19-17 in the second period, and took a 5-0 lead into the intermission. The Axemen would change goaltenders heading into the third period, with Zachary Paputsakis (Rockland, ON) replacing McCollum.  

The third period saw the physicality increase, as Axemen forward Peyton Hoyt (Fredericton, NB) was given a match penalty for kneeing Huskies forward Liam Van Loon (London, ON), who was forced to leave the game and didn’t return.  

An agitated Huskies team made the Axemen pay on the ensuing powerplay, scoring twice in 32 seconds. 

First it was Coxhead’s second powerplay goal of the night, as he received a pass from Ralph and fired a shot past Paputsakis to extend the lead to 6-0. 

Just 32 seconds later, the Huskies would score their fourth and final powerplay tally of the night, as forward Charlie Dafonseca (Thornhill, ON) sneaked a shot through Paputsakis’ five-hole, extending the lead to 7-0. 

The Axemen would get one back in the final minutes, as forward Keegan Stevenson (Aweres Township, ON) scored off a rebound to cut the lead to 7-1, which would go down as the final score. 

The Huskies outshot the Axemen 39-35 on the night, with goaltender Jeremy Helvig turning away 34 shots for the win. In the Acadia goal, McCollum stopped 23 of 28 shots faced, while Paputsakis denied nine of 11 shots in relief. 

Coxhead was named Subway Player of the Game for the Huskies with two goals and one assist. Cedric Ralph (one goal, two assists), Justin MacPherson (one goal, one assist), Nathan Dunkley (one goal, one assist), Keith Getson (two assists) and David Bérubé (two assists) all recorded multipoint nights for the Huskies. 

Keegan Stevenson was named Subway Player of the Game for Acadia. 

Game two of the semifinal series will take place Friday night at the Dauphinee Centre, with puck-drop scheduled for 7 p.m. 

“I assume it’s going to be a different game tomorrow,” added Coxhead. “They’re going to want to come out hard after tonight so we’ve got to match that and play our game.” 

Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary’s Huskies Athletics
Photos by Mona Ghiz / Saint Mary’s Huskies Athletics 

McCollum with 28 saves for the win

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – Look out AUS semi-finals, here come the Acadia Axemen. The Axemen swept STFX in the best-of-three quarter-finals on Friday night with a 4-1 win. 

It was an upset victory, as Acadia finished beneath STFX in the regular season standings.  

Subway First Star of the Night Conor McCollum (Pickering, Ont.) put in an outstanding effort for Acadia, turning aside 28 of 29 shots on the night.  

Penalty-killing was huge for Acadia, as STFX went 1-for-8 on the man advantage for the night.  

Acadia got off to a strong start in the opening frame with a pair of goals.  

Corson Hopwo (Duncan, B.C.) struck first for Acadia with a beautiful solo effort at the 6:19 mark of the period. He took the puck from Liam Kidney (Enfield, N.S.) after he broke into the offensive zone.  

After taking the puck from Kidney, Hopwo curled at the top of the right face-off circle and made a line for the net. 

Hopwo cut in for the STFX net and slid a backhand past the goalie to make it 1-0.  

Keegan Stevenson (Aweres Township, Ont.) doubled the lead for Acadia at the 11:21 mark of the first on a play similar to Hopwo.  

Stevenson took the puck from Cole Nagy (Saskatoon, Sask.) and drove the net before faking a shot on the backhand and turning his stick over to lift a shot on his forehand past the sliding goalie.  

STFX had two power-play opportunities in the first after going down 2-0, but failed to capitalize on either of them.  

At the end of the period, the shots were 10-7 for Acadia.  

The teams traded goals in a chippy second period.  

STFX used another power-play opportunity to make it 2-1 late in the second period.  

The second star of the night Adam Holwell (St. John’s, Nfld.) scored his power-play marker with 5:17 left to play in the frame and it looked like the spark needed to get STFX back in the game.  

However, captain Jack Flaman (Vibank, Sask.) stepped up for Acadia and responded with a goal shortly after taking the penalty that granted STFX the power play that got them on the scoreboard.  

Flaman scored on a tight wraparound goal with 3:43 left in the period to make it 3-1.  

A large scrum broke out at the end of the second, as STFX players tried to dig the puck out from under an injured Peyton Hoy t(Fredericton, N.B.) in the dying seconds of the period.  

Heading into the final frame, Acadia held a 21-16 lead in shots.  

STFX had multiple 5-on-3 power-plays in the first half of the final frame, but they were unable to capitalize on these opportunities.  

They threw everything they had at Acadia’s Conor McCollum, but STFX could not score in the third.  

The third star of the night Liam Kidney added an empty-net goal with 24 seconds left in the game to seal the victory for Acadia and send his team to the semi-finals.  

STFX goalie Joseph Raaymakers (Chatham, Ont.) turned aside 30 of 33 shots on the night.  

Acadia will return to play in the AUS semi-finals once the outcome of the second quarterfinal series between Moncton and UPEI is determined. Game two of that series was postponed tonight due to inclement weather. Moncton leads the series 1-0. If Moncton wins their QF series, Moncton will take on UNB and Acadia will play against Saint Mary’s. If Moncton loses the series, the Axemen will play UNB in a best-of-five semifinal series.