Category: Game Recaps

Couture stops 36 shots, Tomilson & Nagy score for Acadia

WOLFVILLE – Jeremy Michel (Levis, QC) scored 47 seconds into overtime on Friday night to give the Moncton Aigles Bleus a 3-2 victory over the Acadia Axemen in front of 1,124 fans at Andrew H. McCain Arena.  

Acadia opened the scoring early, with Brendan Tomilson (Cameron, ON) scoring his first of the season.  

Moncton answered before the end of the first, where the score stood until the third period, with Jacob Dion (Sherbrooke, QC) scoring his first of the night.  

Dion’s second game 8:27 into the third period to give the Aigles Bleus the lead.  

That was answered just under three minutes later as Cole Nagy (Saskatoon, SK) scored his second of 2024 to knot the game 2-2.  

Thomas Couture (Levis, QC), the U SPORTS men’s hockey player of the week for the period ending January 7 made 26 saves in the loss, while Olivier Adam (Drummondville, QC) made 26 saves in the victory for Moncton.  

Saturday night Acadia welcomes the UNB Reds (21-0-0), while Moncton travels to Halifax to face the Saint Mary’s Huskies (11-10-0). Puck drop is 7 p.m. for both games. 

Acadia erases 3-1 deficit with come from behind win

By Reegan MacAulay 

 

It’s as if someone copied and pasted Friday night’s series of events as the UPEI Panthers suffered yet another heartbreaking shootout loss, this time to the Acadia Axemen 4-3 in what was another feisty and competitive game on Saturday night at the MacLauchlan Arena. 

 

Just like what happened on Friday when the Panthers lost 5-4 to Saint Mary’s, it was another late rally by the opponent that caught the young Panthers off guard. Not ideal, but head coach Forbes MacPherson defended his inexperienced squad. 

 

“We just played 130 minutes of hockey against two very heavy teams and there were a lot of good signs. There’s another team out there that’s trying to win, (Saint Mary’s and Acadia) played good both nights. 

 

“We didn’t get the results we wanted. Last night’s feeling was way different than tonight the way it ended. I feel like there’s a small area of the game we’ve got to work on,” MacPherson said. 

 

The Panthers came out strong as veteran forward Kaleb Pearson made a saucer pass from the far blue line up to rookie forward Noah Sedore, who surged on a breakaway and scored his seventh goal of the season at 2:00. It was another fabulous play from the top forward line of Pearson, Sedore, and rookie Elias Cohen, which has become a common pattern since November. 

 

Seven minutes later, Liam Kidney tied the game for Acadia at 9:07. The Axemen took control of the game until a late penalty against Corson Hopwo, which led to another UPEI goal. A wide shot by Sedore bounced off the boards right to Cohen, who snapped home his seventh goal of the season at 17:36. After the game, coach MacPherson was more than happy to shout out to both players for their recent performances. 

 

“They’re two guys with high ceilings and they’re doing a lot of things well. We’re happy with their progress and transition into this league,” MacPherson said. 

 

The Panthers weren’t done yet as, half a minute later, rookie forward Keiran Gallant was sent on a breakaway and he scored his third goal of the season at 18:04 to extend UPEI’s lead to 3-1. 

 

The second period began relatively quiet as only one shot was registered after eight minutes from Acadia. Just past halfway, rookie defenseman Cameron Morton received an interference penalty, leading to an Axemen goal by Ethan Ernst at 10:53 to close the gap by one goal. 

 

Although the Axemen had offensive control for most of the game, UPEI came out hungry and energetic in the third period, but they couldn’t capitalize on multiple big chances, including two power plays. As a result, the Axemen found better luck and Bailey Peach tied the game at 18:51. A high-sticking penalty against veteran defenseman Kurtis Henry gave the Panthers a scare, but they managed to kill it off in overtime. 

 

Despite numerous chances on both ends, neither team could get the job done, thus, a shootout. Ethan Ernst was the lone goal scorer for Acadia, sealing the deal and handing the Axemen their second win in a row. Ben McFarlane, Kaleb Pearson, and Elias Cohen were the shooters for UPEI, all failing to score. 

 

The final shots were 30-24 in favour of Acadia. Jonah Capriotti stopped 27 of 30 shots in net for UPEI, while Thomas Couture stopped 21 of 24 shots in net for Acadia. UPEI went 1-for-5 on the power play and Acadia went 1-for-4. Kurtis Henry was named UPEI Player of the Game for his two-assist performance. 

 

The Panthers return to action next weekend as they will head on a road trip to Nova Scotia. On Friday, Jan. 12, they will face the 5-13-2 Dalhousie Tigers. UPEI is 2-1-0 against Dalhousie this season, previously winning 5-3 on the road in November. On Saturday, Jan. 13, they will face the 10-9-1 StFX X-Men. UPEI has yet to beat StFX after three matches so far. 

Couture with 33 saves for the shutout

HALIFAX, NS – Acadia goaltender Thomas Couture stopped 33 shots as the Axemen defeated the Saint Mary’s Huskies 2-0 in Atlantic University Sport Men’s Hockey action on Wednesday night at the Dauphinee Centre in Halifax. 

The Axemen hit the scoreboard first, just over a minute into the action, as defenceman Hudson Wilson (Toronto, ON) fired a point shot that was redirected by forward Cole Nagy (Saskatoon, SK) and past Huskies netminder Matt Welsh (Halifax, NS), putting the visitors ahead 1-0 just 1:08 into the first. 

Moments later, Huskies forward Reid Valade (Caledon, ON) had a glorious chance to equalize as he deked through the Acadia zone and appeared to have beaten Axemen goaltender Thomas Couture (Levis, QC) but was unable to stuff the puck into the empty goal.  

Midway through the period, the Huskies had a breakaway chance as forward Nathan Dunkley (Campbellford, ON) snuck behind the Axemen defence, but Couture made a great save to keep the Axemen lead intact.  

The Huskies outshot the Axemen 17-9 in the first period, but Couture was rock solid through 20 minutes and the visitors took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. 

The first ten minutes of the second period saw the Huskies continue to heavily outchance the Axemen, including several opportunities on the powerplay, but they were unable to beat Couture.  

The Axemen best chance of the second period also come on the powerplay, as Brady Burns (Port Williams, NS) fired a one-timer from the slot, but Welsh turned it away. 

Acadia outshot Saint Mary’s 11-8 through the second period and maintained their 1-0 lead into the final frame. 

The goaltending duel continued into the third period, with Welsh stopping Axemen forward Zack Jones (North Falmouth, MA) on a breakaway.  

Along with the stellar goaltending, neither team was able to get much offence going all night. With less than two minutes remaining in regulation, the Huskies pulled Welsh from goal and Liam Kidney (Enfield, NS) scored an empty net tally to double the Axemen lead. 

Axemen goaltender Thomas Couture was named Player of the Game, turning away 33 shots for the shutout, while Welsh turned away 25 shots for the Huskies. 

The Huskies loss snaps a four game win-streak and drops their record to 10-9-0-0 on the campaign. They’ll be back in action on Friday night, as they visit the UPEI Panthers (7-10-1-0) at 7 p.m. in Charlottetown, PEI. 

The Axemen win improves their record to 5-11-0-3 on the season. Acadia will also be on the road to Charlottetown this weekend, as they take on the Panthers on Saturday night at 7 p.m. 

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

 

 By Thomas Becker 

 

The UPEI Panthers brought the first half of the season to a close on a high note after shutting out the Acadia Axemen 4-0 Saturday night. 

 

Rookie forward Elias Cohen opened the scoring in the first period, but the Panthers (7-10-1) seized control and asserted their dominance with three goals in the second period to secure the victory. 

 

Freshman forward Noah Sedore led the way with a goal and two assists, while Cohen and Kaleb Pearson added a goal and an assist each. Veteran defenceman Kurtis Henry also found the back of the net in the win. 

 

The Panthers jumped to an early lead on a great play from Cohen 36 seconds into the game. As an outlet pass came his way, Cohen spun away from a defender and took the puck up the ice before slinging a wrist shot that beat goaltender Thomas Couture far-side top corner to make it 1-0. 

 

The score would stay that way until the second period, where the Panthers locked down the win. The home team capitalized on an Axemen (4-11-3) double minor penalty at 7:38 when Henry blasted a one-timer from the right circle on a feed from Cohen. 

 

Less than two minutes later, Henry found Sedore at the side of the net, where he redirected the pass in the back of the net with his foot. 

 

UPEI’s leading scorer, Pearson, got in on the fun at 14:57 when the star forward weaved past three defenders before tucking a shot in the top corner to make it 4-0. 

 

The third period was a bit of a sloppy affair for the Panthers, as they were outshot 13-6 in the frame. But goaltender Joe Ranger picked his team up, earning his second shutout in three starts after a 28-save performance. 

Couture with 39 saves for Acadia

WOLFVILLE – Matthew Welsh (Halifax, NS) won the goaltending duel on Friday night in Wolfville as the Saint Mary’s Huskies defeated the Acadia Axemen 1-0 in a shootout in front of 1,131 fans at Andrew H McCain Arena.  

Welsh made 29 stops in the first four periods, while Logan Couture (Levis, QC) made 39 saves to send the game to a shootout. For their play they were named the game’s first and second stars respectively. Ben Boyd (Dartmouth, NS) was named the third star for the Huskies.  

Saint Mary’s Charlie Dafonseca (Thornhill, ON) opened the shootout with a goal, followed by a miss by Acadia’s Adam McMaster (Beamsville, ON).  

In the second round Brendan Mairs (London, ON) and Declan McDonnell (Buffalo, NY) each missed.  

Bailey Peach (Falmouth, NS) evened the game for the Axemen in the third round after Cedric Ralph (Peterborough, ON) left the door open with a miss for the Huskies. 

Bradey Johnson (Lindsay, ON) scored the game-winning goal in the fourth round before a miss by Ethan Ernst (Weyburn, SK) ended the game.  

Tomorrow night the Axemen travel to Charlottetown to face the Panthers, while the Huskies are now done for the break until Wednesday, Jan. 3 when they host Acadia in Halifax.  

Peach & Burns with the Axemen goals

ANTIGONISH, NS – The STFX X-Men’s penalty kill provided two goals in a 4-2 Friday night win over the Acadia Axemen at the Charles V Keating Centre. This victory marked the X-Men’s third in a row.  

  

Reigning U SPORTS men’s hockey player of the week Jacob Hudson (Antigonish, NS) opened the scoring midway through the first period, while short-handed. Logan Chisholm (Antigonish, NS) picked off an errand pass at his own blue line before passing off to Hudson, who skated in and roofed one short-side.  

  

Acadia came close to tying the game early in the middle frame, ringing one off the crossbar. Axemen goalie Zachary Paputsakis (Rockland, ON) made a big save on a Conner Bruggen-Cate (Langley, BC) breakaway in the seventh minute of the second period to keep his team in striking distance. With about four minutes left in the second, Acadia’s Bailey Peach (Falmouth, NS) tied the game with a tap in after getting the puck from Liam Kidney (Enfield, NS) off a bounce behind the STFX net while on the powerplay.  

  

Shots at the end of the second period were 23-17 in favour of the X-Men.  

  

A four minute penalty looked to spell trouble for STFX early in the third period, but the penalty kill came up big again, with Declan Smith (Antigonish, NS) burying a one-timer low off a pass from Hudson from behind the Acadia net. Bruggen-Cate made it a two-goal game about three minutes later, getting the last stick to the puck after Matthew Struthers (Milton, ON) fired a shot that squeaked through the pads of Paputsakis.  

  

The Axemen came to play though, and cut the lead in half three minutes later, with Brady Burns (Port Williams, NS) banking one in from behind the X-Men net. A few minutes later, Paputsakis made a big save to keep the lead at one but got injured on the play and was spelled by Thomas Couture (Levis, QC).  

  

Acadia pulled their goalie with just over a minute left in the contest, but it was Struthers who sealed the game with an empty net goal for the home team. Connor Roberts (Owen Sound, ON) had the assist.  

  

Acadia’s Adam McMaster (Beamsville, ON) picked up the third star of the game, while STFX’s Smith earned second star honours. Hudson was named player of the game for the second time in a row following his two-point performance.  

  

At the final whistle, shots were 35-21 in favour of the STFX. X-Men goalie Joseph Raaymakers (Chatham, ON) had 19 saves in the win, while Acadia’s Paputsakis had 30 saves in the loss.  

  

The Axemen are back on the ice next Friday, when they will host the Saint Mary’s Huskies. The X-Men return to action on Wednesday for another home game against the Moncton Aigles Bleus.  

 

-30- 

 

Recap courtesy Matt Draper, STFX Athletics 

Bailey Peach scores a pair in Acadia victory

WOLFVILLE – Bailey Peach (Falmouth, NS) led the way as the Acadia Axemen snapped a four-game losing streak on Wednesday night with a 5-1 win over the Dalhousie Tigers in front of 937 fans at Andrew H. McCain Arena.  

 

Peach opened the scoring, while Nick Deakin-Poot’s (Georgetown, ON) unassisted goal 10:12 into the first stood as the eventual game-winning goal.  

 

The second period saw each team find the back of the net as Ethan Ernst (Weyburn, SK) pushed Acadia’s lead to 3-0 before Zak Smith (Austin, MB) earned it back with just 21 seconds remaining in the frame.  

 

Both third period goals for the Axemen came on the power play, starting with Peach’s second of the night at the 16:57 mark. Just 11 seconds later Zack Jones (North Falmouth, MA) gave Acadia their extra insurance marker.  

 

Acadia was 2-for-3 on the power play, improving their power play percentage to 19 per cent on the season, while Dalhousie was 0-for-3, sitting at just 12.2 per cent. 

 

In goal Thomas Couture (Levis, QC) made 26 saves in the victory, while Nicholas Chenard (Tecumseh, ON) made 35 in the loss for the Tigers.  

 

The victory moved the Axemen out of last place in the AUS, which is where the Tigers now sit heading into their final games of the first half of the season.  

 

Acadia heads to Antigonish on Friday night to face the STFX X-Men (9-4-1-0), while Dalhousie is home on Friday against the cross-town rival Saint Mary’s Huskies (6-8-0-0). Puck drop for both games is 7 p.m.  

McMaster with the Acadia goal

The Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus (8-4-2-0=18pts, 3rd position) wanted to end their losing streak and they responded with two wins, including a 4-1 win over the Acadia University Axemen (3-9-0-2=8pts, 7th position) on Saturday in front of more than 670 spectators at the J.-Louis-Lévesque Arena on the Moncton campus in an Atlantic University Sport men’s hockey game. 

Jacob Dion (Nathaël Roy, Edouard St-Laurent) gave the home team a 1-0 lead with a goal at 15:03 of the first period when he deftly beat opposing goaltender Thomas Couture by sending the puck between his legs diagonally in front of him on a 4-on-4 play. Moncton led 19-9 in shots on goal.  

Edouard St-Laurent, with the winner on the power play on a hard shot at 8:39 and Alex Arsenault with his 2nd of the season at 13:07 of the second period made it 3-0 in favour of the home team.  

Nathaël Roy on a shot from the front of the net high into the right side at 6:24 of the third gave the Aigles Bleus a 4-0 lead. Adam McMaster on the power play saved his team from the shutout at 14:49 of the final period on a shot that went through the pads of Olivier Adam. Moncton led 39-33 in shots on goal, with both goaltenders Olivier Adam of the blue and gold and Thomas Couture of the Axemen busy throughout the game. Each made point-blank saves at key moments in the game to keep their team in the game. 

It was the second loss in as many nights for the Axemen, who were still dangerous on a few occasions during the game. Speed of play and physical play were the order of the day for both clubs. The Axemen scored one goal on 6 power play attempts and the Aigles Bleus were 1-for-5. Edouard St-Laurent, Jacob Dion and Nathaël Roy were chosen as the 3 stars of the game.

Ethan Ernst with the lone Axemen goal

(FREDERICTON, NB) Emmett Sproule (Collingwood, ON) recorded a natural hat trick, as the UNB REDS defeated the Acadia Axemen 7-1 on Friday night at UNB’s Aitken Centre 

 

Michael Petizian (Mississauga, ON), Adam McCormick (Waterville, NB), Kade Landry (Gowanstown, ON) and Cole MacKay (Sault Ste. Marie) also scored for the REDS as they extended their undefeated streak to 13 games. 

 

Before Friday’s game, the REDS honoured long-time athletic therapist Joe Glenn, who died earlier this year. The REDS hung a banner in the Aitken Centre rafters recognizing Glenn’s 23 years of service to UNB student-athletes. 

 

It took just 37 seconds for UNB to open the scoring as Petizian beat Acadia goalie Thomas Couture five-hole on a shot from the point to make it 1-0. 

 

Then mid-way through the period the REDS scored three goals in five minutes to jump out to a commanding 4-0 leads. 

 

Adam McCormick netted the second goal for UNB before Sproule scored back-to-back goals to close out the first period. 

 

Sproule completed his hat trick at 15:57 of the second period. Sean McGurn (Ottawa, ON) found Sproule open in front of the net and he was able to beat Zachary Paputsakis (Rockland, ON), who came in relief of Couture in the second period, to extend the UNB lead, 5-0.  

 

UNB added two more goals from Landry and MacKay in the third period before the Axemen spoiled the REDS shutout bid at 18:55 of the period on a goal from Ethan Ernst (Weyburn, SK) 

 

Griffen Outhouse (Williams Lake, BC) turned aside 17 shots for his sixth win of the season. 

 

Paputsakis stopped 22 shots for the Axemen (3-9-0), who dropped their third straight. 

 

Looking ahead, both teams are back in action on Saturday night. The REDS will host the Saint Mary’s Huskies at 7:00 pm. The Axemen travel to Moncton to face the Aigles Bleus at 7:00 pm. 

 

Recap by: Evan Richtsfeld/UNB Athletics 

Photos by: Fran Harris/for UNB Athletics 

 Couture with 41 saves in the shootout loss for Acadia

HALIFAX, NS – Huskies forward Ben Allison scored the shootout winner and goaltender Matt Welsh stopped 23 shots for the shutout, as Saint Mary’s defeated the Acadia Axemen 1-0 in a shootout on Saturday night at the Dauphinee Centre in Halifax. 

The first period saw the Huskies out chance the Axemen, but they were not able to get a go-ahead goal despite outshooting the Axemen 10-3.  

Huskies defenceman Cameron Pound (While Lake, ON) had a good chance as he had a partial breakaway, but was unable to muster a shot on goal. Moments later, Huskies defenceman Connor Olson (London, ON) pinched in from the blueline and had a clear shot but Axemen netminder Thomas Couture (Lévis, QC) turned him away. 

Saint Mary’s would get two powerplay opportunities over the final eight minutes of the opening period, after penalties from Axemen defencemen Orlando Mainolfi (Richmond Hill, ON) and Morgan Nauss (Hammonds Plains, NS), but the Huskies were unable to capitalize, and the two teams went into the first intermission tied 0-0. 

With just over six minutes remaining in the second period, Huskies forward Nathan Dunkley (Campbellford, ON) had the best scoring opportunity of the game, breaking out and firing a shot off the leg of Couture, and gathering his own rebound to fire towards an empty goal, but Axemen forward Bailey Peach (Falmouth, NS) was able to clear it out of the crease to keep the game scoreless. 

The Huskies outshot the Axemen 18-10 in the second period, to extend their advantage to 28-13, but the teams remained tied 0-0 after 40 minutes. 

Early in the third period the Huskies thought they had found their go-ahead goal as defenceman Ben Roger (Markham, ON), fired a shot that was directed by forward Ben Allison (Halifax, NS), and appeared to have beaten Couture but settled on the goal line and was waved off. 

Moments later Huskies forward Reid Valade (Caledon, ON) had a breakaway opportunity but was denied by Couture. The Axemen countered with their best scoring opportunity of the game as Peach played a great pass to Reilly Webb (Stoney Creek, ON) who had a point-blank shot on goal but was denied by a sliding Welsh, the best save of the night for the Huskies netminder. 

60 minutes of regulation play saw no score for either team and the game headed to overtime, where the outstanding goaltending would continue for both teams. 

The first great scoring opportunity was a Huskies three-on-one, where Ben Roger flicked a pass to Reid Valade, who lifted his shot high over goal. That was followed up by a clear breakaway by Axemen forward Brady Burns (Port Williams, NS) but Welsh shut the door. 

The goaltending duel continued into the shootout. Charlie Dafonseca went first for the Huskies, and made a nifty dangle but lifted his backhand shot high over the net. Bailey Peach kicked things off for the Axemen and fired a snapshot off the stick of Welsh. 

Huskies second shooter Reid Valade came in with speed but was unable to beat Couture who deflected the shot away with his glove. Brendan Sellan was up next for the Axemen but Welsh denied him with a blocker save.  

It was third shooter Cedric Ralph (Peterborough, ON) who finally scored for the Huskies, making a nice deke and lifting a forehand shot high. But Tyler Deline (Peterborough, ON) was able to respond for the Axemen, firing a shot past Welsh’s blocker. 

That brought up Ben Allison (Halifax, NS), who beat Couture five-hole. Talented Axemen forward Brady Burns had a chance to equalize, but he was denied by Welsh, and the Huskies bench mobbed their veteran goaltender who secured the thrilling 1-0 victory. 

“I think we’re all pretty pumped in the room,” said Welsh post-game. “This week really shows how great team we are. It was a big building block for our team with two really gritty wins and we’re just looking to use it heading to New Brunswick next week.” 

The Huskies outshot the Axemen 41-23 on the night, with Matt Welsh making 23 saves for the shutout and was named Player of the Game, while Thomas Couture turned away 41 shots in an outstanding performance for the Axemen.  

The Huskies win improves their record to 6-6-0-0 on the campaign. They’ll be on the road to New Brunswick next weekend, as they take on the Moncton Aigles Bleus (6-4-2) on Friday night, before visiting the U SPORTS #1 ranked UNB REDS (12-0-0) on Saturday night in Fredericton. 

The Axemen loss drops their record to 3-7-0-2 on the season. They too will face a New Brunswick road trip next weekend, taking on the REDS on Friday and Aigles Bleus on Saturday. 

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