Category: Game Recaps

Sellan & Burns each score a pair

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – Brady Burns and Brendan Sellan each scored twice to lift the Acadia Axemen over the UPEI Panthers 4-2 on Saturday night. 

The game saw 12 penalties, with UPEI amassing 64 penalty minutes and Acadia 56. 

UPEI’s Robert Orr opened the scoring in the second period, but Acadia answered with back-to-back goals from Sellan and Burns. Orr scored again to tie it for UPEI, but Acadia responded in the third, with Sellan and Burns each finding the net again. 

Goaltender Thomas Couture stopped 19 of 21 shots for Acadia. 

The three stars of the game were Orr (UPEI), Burns (Acadia), and Sellan (Acadia). 

Acadia will now hit the road to face Dalhousie on Wednesday and STFX on Saturday, while UPEI heads to Moncton on Friday and UNB on Saturday next week.   

Cam MacDonald with the game winner to complete the hat trick

WOLFVILLE, N.S. — Cam MacDonald completed his hat trick with five seconds left in the third period to lift Acadia to a 6-5 win over Saint Mary’s in AUS men’s hockey action on Wednesday night at Andrew H McCain Arena in Wolfville. 

Derek Gentile opened the scoring for Saint Mary’s, but MacDonald responded with two goals for Acadia. The second period saw Gentile and Will Chisholm score for the Huskies, while Brendan Sellan added a power-play marker for the Axemen. 

In the third, Nathan Dunkley and Gentile scored for Saint Mary’s. Adam McMaster and Brady Burns replied for Acadia before MacDonald’s last-second goal sealed the win. 

MacDonald, Gentile and Burns were named the game’s three stars. 

Attendance was 927. Saint Mary’s had 8 minutes in penalties on four infractions, while Acadia had 24 minutes on eight infractions. 

Acadia continues their homestand when they welcome UPEI on Saturday, while Saint Mary’s heads to UPEI for a Friday night game. Puck drop in both matchups is 7 p.m. 

Cam Whynot with lone Acadia goal

WOLFVILLE – Nathan Darveau made 40 saves as the Université de Moncton defeated Acadia 3-1 in AUS men’s hockey action on Saturday. 

Jacob Dion opened the scoring for Moncton with a shorthanded goal in the second period, before Cam Whynot tied the game for Acadia on the power play. Charlie Desroches assisted on the Whynot marker. 

Michael Horth restored Moncton’s lead in the third period, with David Doucet picking up the assist. Mika Cyr added an empty-net goal to seal the win. 

Darveau was named the game’s first star, while Acadia goaltender Nicholas Sheehan, who made 33 saves, was named second star. 

Both teams spent 10 minutes in the penalty box, with a total of 10 penalties handed out during the contest. Moncton’s offensive push and Darveau’s stellar goaltending led them to victory. 

Acadia continues their home stand as they welcome Saint Mary’s on Wednesday night before hosting UPEI on Saturday. Moncton returns home for a pair of games against Dalhousie on Friday and STFX on Saturday.  

Reds Spoil Acadia Homecoming Game

WOLFVILLE, N.S. — The Acadia Axemen fought hard but were outmatched by the undefeated University of New Brunswick Reds in a 5-0 loss Friday night at home in Wolfville. 

UNB (5-0-0) opened the scoring early in the first period with a power-play goal by Kale McCallum, but Acadia’s penalty kill worked tirelessly to keep the Reds in check for much of the night. Despite the Axemen’s efforts, UNB capitalized on their chances, with Peter Reynolds and Drew Elliott adding two more before the first period ended. 

The Axemen regrouped after the break, showing resilience in the second and third periods, but UNB’s potent power play struck again. Cole MacKay notched a goal midway through the second, and Emmett Sproule rounded off the scoring in the third period, both on well-executed plays. 

Acadia’s defence, led by goalie Max Paddock, withstood a barrage of shots, turning away 29 of 34 attempts, and the team never stopped battling. They fired 19 shots on UNB’s Samuel Richard, testing the Reds’ goaltender and creating several quality chances that came close to breaking through. 

While UNB’s special teams proved the difference, the Axemen showed flashes of promise, with a fast-paced forecheck and determined defensive efforts. 

Acadia (2-3-0) looks to bounce back Saturday night when they host Moncton as part of their homecoming weekend. The Reds continue their roadtrip tomorrow at Saint Mary’s. 

Adam McMaster with lone marker for Acadia

In AUS men’s hockey action between Dalhousie and Acadia on Friday night, the Tigers emerged victorious with a narrow 2-1 win.
The scoring began in the second period with Acadia’s Adam McMaster (Beamsville, ON) scoring 9:51 into the second period, where the score stayed until the third period.  

Dalhousie’s Alec Belanger (Quebec, QC) found the back of the net just 21 seconds into the period to even the game 1-1. 

The Tigers stole the game with a late goal from Joseph Serpa (Cambridge, ON), assisted by Jared Cosman (Grand Bay Westfield, NB) with just 1:04 remaining in regulation.

Dalhousie accumulated 14 penalty minutes on 7 infractions, while Acadia had 18 penalty minutes on 5 infractions.

The three stars of the game were awarded to Alexander MacDonald (Truro, NS) and Serpa from Dalhousie, and McMaster from Acadia. MacDonald stood out as the winning goalie for Dalhousie, making 41 saves on 42 shots.  

Thomas Couture (Levis, QC) made 25 saves in the loss for the Axemen. 

Dalhousie improves to a 1-3-0 record while Acadia fell to 2-2-0.

Acadia will now host UNB and Moncton next Friday and Saturday as part of Homecoming weekend, while Dalhousie heads to Antigonish on Wednesday to face STFX before returning home to host UPEI on Saturday.  

Bell with 2 goals, Zazula 3 assists in win

Antigonish, NS – The Acadia Axemnen played to a decisive 8-3 win over the STFX X-Men Friday night, spoiling the home opener for the White and Blue.  

X-Men defenseman Charlie Callaghan (Toronto, ON) opened the scoring 46 seconds into the game, depositing a one-timer off a nice pass from Alex Christopoulos (Richmond Hill, ON) while on a 2-on-1.  

The Axemen then scored three unanswered goals in the first period. Cam MacDonald (Hammonds Plains, NS) took a pass in front of the net and beat X netminder Partrick Leaver (Perth, ON) with a high shot eight minutes in. 

Just over a minute later Brendan Sellan (Bolton, ON) brought the puck in the end zone and pushed it towards the X goal, getting a timely deflection in off an X defender. 

Acadia’s third goal came with 3:27 left off the stick of Corson Hopwo (Duncan, BC) who pounced on a loose puck and beat Leaver with a high shot. 

Shots were fairly even in the opening period – 12-11 for STFX – but it was the Axemen who had the 3-1 lead on the scoreboard. 

The visitors took a 4-1 lead a minute into the second period with a goal from Peyton Hoyt (Fredericton, NB). He took down the puck down the left wing into the X zone and sniped a high shot over the shoulder of Leaver. 

Kian Bell (Fall River, NS) gave the Axemen a four-goal lead at 5:57 of the second, scoring on the power play on a shot through traffic. 

The X-Men found themselves in penalty trouble late in the period and continued to trail 5-1 after 40 minutes.  

Acadia kept with the scoring touch in the third period when Bell tallied his second of the night, this time off a pass from Zack Jones (North Falmouth, MA) in tight. 

Brady Burns (Port Williams, NS) made it a 7-1 Axemen lead when he scored on a wonky bounce off the boards that came back over top and into the X net. 

The X-Men got a pair of goals back to make it a 7-3 game. 

Jacob Maillet (Dundas, ON) scored on the power play, depositing a rebound after Axemen goalie Thomas Couture (Levis, QC) made the initial save off a Callaghan shot. 

Christopoulos scored the third X goal, beating Couture with a high shot over the shoulder in tight. 

Ethan Ernst (Weyburn, SK) rounded out the scoring for the Axemen with a power play goal with 3:45 left in the game. 

Acadia outshot the X-Men by a 34-29 margin as Couture posted 26 saves for the win and garnered first star and player of the game honours. 

Acadia’s Hoyt was second star as he had a goal and assist for the visitors. STFX’s Christopoulos was the third star with a goal and two assists. 

The Axemen will be back in action Saturday night, October 12th when they host the Dalhousie Tigers. Puck drop is 7:00 pm. 

Burns and Slaney with the Axemen goals

HALIFAX, NS – Saint Mary’s forward Ben Allison scored two goals and an assist, leading the Huskies to a 5-2 win over the Acadia Axemen on Saturday night, in front of 388 fans at the Dauphinee Centre in Halifax. 

It was the Axemen who would strike first on the evening, off a powerplay goal from forward Brady Burns (Port Williams, NS), giving the visitors a 1-0 lead 10:01 into the first period. 

But the Huskies equalized several minutes later, as forward Charlie Da Fonseca (Thornhill, ON) skated behind the net and threw the puck in front, where it took a fortuitous bounce onto the stick of Ben Allison (Halifax, NS) who wired it past Axemen netminder Thomas Couture (Levis, QC) to tie the game at 1-1 with just under two minutes remaining in the period.  

Despite the goals, Couture and Huskies goaltender Justin Sumarah (Halifax, NS) were both sharp over the opening 20 minutes, denying 11 and 10 shots respectively, and the Axemen took a 12-11 advantage in shots on goal into the first intermission. 

It took just 40 seconds into the second period for the Huskies to take the lead, as forward Bradey Johnson (Lindsay, ON) won the faceoff to Cedric Ralph (Peterborough, ON) who dished a pass to Reid Valade (Caledon, ON) who wired a shot past Couture to put the Huskies ahead 2-1. 

Allison’s second goal of the night would add to the Huskies lead, as the second year forward played a perfect give-and-go with linemate Derek Gentile (Sydney, NS), extending the lead to 3-1, 6:22 into the second period. 

Acadia cut it back to a one-goal lead midway through the period, as first year defenceman Keagan Slaney (Airdrie, AB) won the puck away from a Husky and fired a high shot over the shoulder of a screened Justin Sumarah for Slaney’s first career AUS goal, cutting the lead to 3-2. 

The Huskies outshot the Axemen 11-10 in the second period, with the Huskies taking a 3-2 into second intermission. 

Saint Mary’s would add to the lead in the third period, with Dennis Busby scoring a powerplay goal off of a set-up from Ben Allison. 

In the final seconds of regulation, defenceman Jaxon Bellamy (Hampton, NB) scored an empty netter from the other end, icing the 5-2 victory. 

Huskies forward Ben Allison was named Player of the Game with two goals and an assist. Allison’s linemates Charlie Da Fonseca and Derek Gentile both recorded two assists.  

Saint Mary’s goaltender Justin Sumarah made 26 saves for the win, while Axemen goaltender Thomas Couture turned away 27 shots in defeat. 

The Huskies win improves their record to 2-0-0 on the season. They’ll be back on home ice next Thursday, Oct. 10, hosting the STFX X-Men at 7 p.m. at the Dauphinee Centre.  

The Axemen loss drops their record to 1-1-0 on the campaign. They will also face the X-Men next, Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. in Antigonish, NS. 

Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary’s Huskies Athletics
Photos by Eduardo Ibarra / Saint Mary’s Huskies Athletics 

Nagy with 3 points in win for Acadia

By UPEI’s Thomas Becker 

It’s not the way the UPEI Panthers wanted to start their season. 

The Panthers’ season-opening struggles continued Friday night as they fell 5-1 to the Acadia Axemen, marking their second consecutive home loss. The Panthers (0-2) were overwhelmed by Acadia’s fast start, surrendering four goals in the first 13 minutes—a deficit they were could not overcome. 

The Axemen (1-0) wasted no time establishing their dominance, opening the scoring just 2:09 into the game. After winning the puck battle in the corner, Acadia forward Corson Hopwo managed to fire a shot from a tough angle that beat goaltender Jakob Robillard, giving the visitors a quick 1-0 lead. 

The early onslaught continued at 7:57 when Marc Boudreau retrieved the puck along the sideboards and directed a shot on goal. Brendan Sellan, stationed in front of Robillard, attempted a backhander before poking the puck past the netminder, doubling the lead to 2-0. 

Barely over a minute later, Brendan Mairs found teammate Cole Nagy on the opposite wing, where he fired a well-placed shot past Robillard. With the Panthers trailing 3-0 and Robillard facing just five shots, head coach Forbes MacPherson saw enough and pulled Robillard for Joe Ranger. 

However, the Axemen weren’t done. At 13:08, Brady Burns took a loose puck into the slot and found Cam MacDonald near the far post where he beat Ranger with a quick release shot, putting his team ahead 4-0 before the first intermission. 

Despite the lopsided first period, the Panthers regrouped and came out fighting in the second. Their efforts were rewarded at 2:41 when defenceman Derek Pys walked into a shot that was deflected in front by Marc Richard which cut the deficit to 4-1. 

However, the Axemen quickly squashed any momentum UPEI was building. Just under two minutes later, Luke Zazula fired a shot off a faceoff win that was deflected in front by Mairs for Acadia’s fifth goal, effectively sealing the Panthers’ fate. 

The third period saw high emotions boil over as both teams racked up penalties and engaged in some heated exchanges. Multiple power play opportunities were squandered as neither team was able to capitalize on the man advantage.

Axemen add top Goaltender from the MHL to program

The Acadia Axemen are proud to welcome, from Moncton, New Brunswick, goaltender Nicholas Sheehan, to the hockey program. Sheehan, is a 6’0”, left handed catching netminder, who starred for the Edmundston Blizzard of the Maritime Junior Hockey League this past season.

We asked Sheehan what made him choose Acadia, and he said, “First of all it is a great honour to have the chance to become an Axemen and attend Acadia. I have heard nothing but great things about the program and the University, which is why it felt like a no-brainer to spend the next chapter of my life in Wolfville. With the hockey program being such a first-class program and so well recognized around USports. I am truly honoured to become an Axemen and can’t wait to get started.”

In 2020-21, in the pandemic shortened QMJHL season, Nicholas played in 3 games with the Moncton Wildcats. In 2021-22, he started the season in Edmundston with the Blizzard of the MHL for 11 games where he had a 2.38 GAA and a .920 save percentage and 2 shutouts to go along with a 7-3-0 record, before being called up to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on the QMJHL where he would play in 22 games, going 10-8-4. In 2022-23 he played the entire season with the Armada, in 28 games he posted a .893 save %, a 3.54 GAA and a 6-12-3 record.

For his overage season, he returned to the the Edmundston Blizzard where he sparkled, being named the 2023-24 MHL Goaltender of the Year. Among the many categories Sheehan led this season were games played (40), wins (30), goals against average (2.29), minutes played (2,383), saves (1,135), save percentage (.926), shutouts (5), and shootout wins (3). Overall, he posted a 30-9-1-0 record for the Blizzard.

Sheehan will join a talented group of netminders, led by AUS 1^st team All-Star and All-Rookie team member Thomas Couture, along with Brayden Peters who had off-season surgery and is expected to be rehabbing for majority of the season, and Jett Miller. Acadia’s depth in net was important last season as they were forced to dress 4 different goalies throughout the season due to injuries.

Acadia head coach Darren Burns likes the depth with adding Sheehan, saying, “We are very excited to be bringing Nic to Acadia. He is a very positive kid, who loves playing the game and exudes the confidence to get better. We are very familiar with him following his junior career with Blainville and Edmundston. He comes highly recommended as a person, and in consulting with goalie coaches who have worked with him in his past, we are confident he will adjust well to this league. He will also benefit from the leadership and focus of Thomas Couture. The mentorship and example he can provide will help Nic and provide strength for us in the crease this coming season.”

As for Nicholas, he says, “the Axeman fans can expect to see me as a goalie who works hard every time he steps on the ice, competes for every puck, will never give up on trying to keep it out of the net, and a guy who hates to lose. I would describe myself as a composed goalie in net, with quick feet, and the ability to play the puck well.”

Sheehan joins defenceman Conor Shortall as newly announced commitments for the Axemen. Stay tuned for more updates! #GoAcadiaGo

Story by Chris Richards

Couture stops 76 shots in 2nd longest USports Game in History

WOLFVILLE – Declan Smith (Antigonish, NS) scored the game-winning goal on Saturday night in Wolfville to clinch the quarter-final series for the StFX X-Men over the Acadia Axemen in the fourth overtime at Andrew H McCain Arena.  

Smith’s goal gave StFX the 3-2 victory in the second longest game in U SPORTS men’s hockey history.  

The current record is 121:53 of total time, set by UNB and Acadia on Feb. 27, 2011 in Game 2 of their AUS semifinal series in Fredericton. Tonight’s final playing time was 118:19, just under three minutes short of the all-time record.  

Coming in clutch when needed, Smith scored his first of the night, the game-tying goal, to send the game to overtime with just 1:13 remaining in regulation.  

For StFX, it was Clark Webster (Kensington, PE) that opened the scoring in the game, 11:32 into the second period.  

Acadia answered with two goals in the third from Ethan Ernst (Weyburn, SK) at 2:09 and Nick Deakin-Poot (Georgetown, ON) at 10:24 to take a 2-1 lead. 

Thomas Couture (Levis, QC) made 76 saves in the loss for the Axemen, while Joseph Raaymakers (Chatham, ON) made 61 saves in the victory.  

StFX will now play Moncton in the AUS semifinal round, while Saint Mary’s will face UNB. Dates for the next round are still to be announced.