Category: Game Recaps

Axemen to face StFX for bronze medal on Sunday

FREDERICTON (U SPORTS) – The UNB Varsity Reds scored in the first and second periods, added an empty-net goal late in the third, and Etienne Marcoux (Terrebonne, Que.) stopped all 20 shots fired at him, en route to a 3-0 victory over the Acadia Axemen in the first semifinal of the 2017 U SPORTS Cavendish Farms University Cup.  UNB will now play the winner of the second semifinal between StFX and Saskatchewan.

University Cup website: www.universitycup.ca

UNB opened the scoring on their very first shot on goal, at 4:28 of the first, when Chris Caissy (Campbellton, N.B.) drew defenders to his side of the net and slipped the puck to Stephen Anderson (Morell, P.E.I) who put it past Acadia goaltender Robert Steeves (Moncton, N.B.).

Despite trailing, the Axemen defense kept UNB’s snipers to outside shots and had a 6-5 edge in shots in the opening frame.

In the second period, Jordan Murray (Riverview, N.B.) added another for UNB on the power play off a point shot that found its way past Steeves. Up by two in the third, Chris Clapperton (Cap Espoir, Que.) got behind  a defender and rolled a nice pass to Phillipe Maillet (Terrebonne, Que.), who put it into an empty net with 1:13 left. UNB outshot Acadia 30–20.

It was a feisty and spirited game between the two Atlantic University Sport rivals with plenty of hitting.

It will be the third year in a row that UNB has appeared in the gold medal game and MacDougall acknowledged it will  be a momentous occasion.

“It is really special to get to the final four in the national competition,” MacDougall said. “It is a testament to the quality of the hockey in the AUS that these teams are there.” 

Acadia coach Darren Burns was pleased with his team’s effort, despite the loss.

“In a tournament like this, you can never be flat, and we were the furthest thing from flat,” he said. “We played hard. It is a game of bounces-maybe (if)  one or two  go our way, and things are different. We competed every shift. UNB is a great team. We need to regroup and be ready for the bronze game tomorrow.”

When asked his thoughts of tomorrow’s bronze medal game and whether the team is interested in the 9:30 am game prior to the gold medal game, Axemen captain Geoff Schemitsch pointed out that the game has great importance.

“We are not going into it with the mindset that we are not playing for anything. It’s important to our team and our program. So we are going to do our best and refocus and try to have a short memory and forget what happened today, learn from what we did and come out hard tomorrow and win a bronze”, noted Schemitsch.Read more »

Steeves with 33 saves in Acadia win

by Mike Gange, for U Sports

FREDERICTON (U SPORTS) – The No. 8-seeded Acadia University Axemen eliminated the top-ranked University of Alberta Golden Bears by a 4-1 score in the opening game of the  2017 U SPORTS Cavendish Farms University Cup at the Aitken University Centre in Fredericton. The tournament is being hosted by the University of New Brunswick.

University Cup website: www.universitycup.ca

The Golden Bears scored the only goal of the first period. Taylor Cooper (Sherwood Park, Alta.) scored at 10:07 on an Axemen turn over, beating Acadia goaltender Robert Steeves (Moncton, N.B.) for the even-strength marker.

But the Axemen rallied with two in the second and another pair in the third, including an empty-net marker with only seconds to go in the game, to clinch the win and the upset. Kyle Farrell (Howie Center, N.S.) beat Golden Bears goalie Brendan Burke (Scottsdale, Ariz.) at 1:04 of the second, and Boston Leier (Saskatoon, Sask.) scored the eventual game winner at 14:19 of the frame.Read more »

Acadia punches ticket to Nationals with win

Halifax N.S. – The Acadia Axemen are in the 2017 University Cup after beating the Saint Mary’s Huskies 3-0 at the Halifax Forum in the AUS Consolation series – as a third berth into the U SPORTS Championship.

“I’ve been coaching for a long time and I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of a group of guys like this group,” said Axemen head coach Darren Burns. “These guys have gotten better every week and we’ve battled hard.”

“We had a tough last series and a tough week and to come in here and play as well as they did and do what they did, I’m so proud of them.”

The Axemen will be the third entry from the AUS in the tournament. They will join the UNB Varsity Reds and the StFX X-Men.

“We worked hard to put ourselves in a position where there was two opportunities [to get there],” said Burns. “This core group of guys has been to the nationals three of the last four years now and we haven’t hosted that’s earning your way there.”

Robert Steeves (Moncton N.B.) made 19 saves to pick up the shutout and the win.

Boston Leier (Saskatoon Sask.), Geoff Schemitsch (Thornhill Ont.) and Stephen Harper (Burlington Ont.) all lit the lamp for the Axemen. All three goals came on the power-play.

Eric Brassard (St Hubert Que.) made 33 saves, including several that were pure larceny, in the loss.

As has been the story all playoffs the Huskies were playing with a short bench with only 15 skaters dressed. Read more »

Thompson with 3 pts, Steeves 32 saves in win

Wolfville, N.S. – The Acadia Axemen snapped a three-game losing streak in the playoffs, beating the Saint Mary’s Huskies 5-1 on Monday night in Wolfville. Acadia now holds a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three consolation series. The winner of the consolation series will be the third of three AUS teams to qualify for the U SPORTS championship hosted by UNB.

Prior to the game, Axemen forward Brandon Childerley (Stratford, Ont.) received a standing ovation from the Wolfville crowd after coming out for a ceremonious puck drop. Childerley is currently out of the line-up following health complications from a game on Feb. 23.

Axemen forward Chance Braid (Wainwright, Alta.) scored the game-winner, with 7:14 left to play in the second.

Braid was in the slot, and fired a one-timer, off a pass from Remy Giftopoulos (Ancaster, Ont.), and buried it in the top right corner of the net, to give the Axemen a 2-1 lead and the eventual win.

Following a period of solid chances from both sides, Acadia opened the scoring late in the first period, with a goal from forward, Brett Thompson (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.).Read more »

Acadia looks to UNB/SMU series to extend season

ANTIGONISH, NS – The StFX X-Men overcame a three-goal third period deficit to defeat the Acadia Axemen 5-4 in overtime in Game 3 of the Subway AUS semifinals in front of over 1400 fans at the Charles V. Keating Centre.

With the win the X-Men sweep the series 3-0 over the Axemen and advance to the best-of-three Subway AUS final series, awaiting the winner of the UNB-Saint Mary’s series.

Freshman forward Matt Needham (Pentincton, BC) was the overtime hero, scoring 4:32 into the extra period, connecting off a Bryson Cianfrone (Stoney Creek, ON) pass.

X-Men head coach Brad Peddle commented, “I was really proud of the group tonight. It wasn’t the start we wanted and we got down a couple goals in the first period, but it was a great test and I really liked how resilient the guys were tonight.”

It was the visiting Axemen who took a 2-0 lead after the first period of play. Sam Fioretti’s (Calgary, AB) shot from the top of the face-off circle at 8:36 beat X-Men goalie Chase Marchand (Halifax, NS) up high. Boston Leier (Saskatoon, SK) and Stephen Harper (Burlington, ON) picked up assists. Read more »

Pettersson nets two in Axemen loss

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – The StFX X-Men took a stranglehold on the best of five semi-final series with a 4-2 win over the host Acadia Axemen. Despite holding a 12-3 home record in the regular season, the Axemen are now 0-2 in Wolfville during the playoffs and will need a win on Monday in Antigonish to keep the series alive.

StFX scored three goals in the first period, with the game winner coming from a power-play goal from defenseman Jagger Dirk (Penticton, B.C.) late in the first.

StFX managed to hold off a surging Acadia team in the third for the victory and 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

“We knew they would push hard with us getting the first one, so we had to come out hard too”, said the Subway First Star of the Game X-Man Eric Locke. “Our starts have been unbelievable and we’ve let up a bit but our chances have been there and we pulled another win out”

Three of the X-Men’s goals came on the man-advantage. “Our power-play was huge to get us some goals early tonight. We like to move the puck quickly on the big ice and spread them out and attack the net when the play is there”, noted Locke.

For the second night in a row, the StFX X-Men held a two-goal lead by the end of the first period and up 3-1 heading into the second.

The first X-Men goal came just over a minute into the opening period from forward Eric Locke (Toronto, Ont.).Read more »

Game 2 goes Friday night in Wolfville

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – The U SPORTS No. 10 ranked StFX X-Men spoiled the No. 5 Acadia’s first playoff game of the 2016-17 season, defeating the Axemen 4-3 in double OT to take a 1-0 lead, in the best-of-5 series.

The Axemen dominated for long stretches of the game, but were constantly playing catch up, as they fell behind 2-0 after the first period, before tying the game up in the second and forcing overtime in the third frame.

Acadia fell behind late in the first period, when the X-Men scored on the man-advantage to jump out to a 1-0 lead.

The goal came from StFX forward, Kristoff Kontos (Penetanguishene, Ont.), who let a wrist shot go that caught the top left corner, breaking Axemen goaltender, Robert Steeves’ (Moncton, N.B.) water bottle.

The X-Men added to their lead, with a goal from rookie forward, Matt Needham (Penticton, B.C.), who scored in tight on Steeves, from a rebounded shot from the point. Needham flipped the puck up over Steeves shoulder to give the X-Men a 2-0 lead.

Acadia led 16-13 in shots by the end of the first, despite trailing 2-0.

Refusing to let the game get away from them, the Axemen managed to tie the game in the second period, with goals from veterans, Remy Giftopoulos (Ancaster, Ont.) and Brett Thompson (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) to send the Wolfville crowd into a frenzy.Read more »

Childerley & Farrell each net a pair in the win

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – The U Sports No. 5 ranked Acadia Axemen (20-8-2) ended their regular season on a high note, erasing a two-goal deficit in the second period to knock off the StFX X-Men (16-12-2) and push their current winning streak to four games.

Not looking to disappoint the fans, the third period saw a wild circularity of Acadia getting two separate two-goal leads, before having the X-Men respond with a goal of their own each time.

Unfortunately for the X-Men, that was as close as they came to recapturing their lead, losing 8-5.

Acadia opened the scoring early in the first, with a power-play goal from Boston Leier (Saskatoon, Sask.), after he picked up a rebound from a point shot by Kyle Farrell (Howie Center, N.S.). Leier fired a low backhand past X-Men goalie, Brandon Hope (Canton, Michigan) for his 18^th goal of the regular season and a 1-0 Axemen lead.

StFX responded quickly with a goal of their own from X-Men forward, Michael Clarke (London, Ont.), who fired a quick snapshot from the inside edge of the right faceoff circle past Axemen goalie Robert Steeves (Moncton, N.B.).Read more »

Williams stops 39 shots for Acadia in win

(Halifax, N.S.) – Acadia goaltender Devin Williams (Saginaw, MI) was the difference-maker on Friday night, recording 39 saves, as the Axemen topped the Dalhousie Tigers 2-1 at the Halifax Forum.

With the win, Acadia advanced to 19-8-2 on the season, while the Tigers fell to 8-18-3. Discipline was an issue for both teams in the opening 20 minutes, as the squads combined for 30 minutes in penalties in the first period.

It was the Axemen who were able to capitalize, scoring the only goal of the period at 10:15 on the man advantage, courtesy of a one-timer from defenceman Geoff Schemitsch (Thornhill, ON).

The visitors maintained the majority of offensive pressure – outshooting Dalhousie 12-6 heading into the first intermission – but were stymied on multiple occasions by Tigers goalie Joe Gladnick (Philadelphia, PA), who made a handful of impressive glove saves to keep the score at 1-0.

The Tigers picked up the tempo in the second period, forcing two early Axemen penalties, while outshooting Acadia 15-1 through the opening 13 minutes of play, and 19-10 overall.

Williams stood his ground however, making a number of impressive saves to keep the hosts off the board, including two from in tight against forward Kelly Bent (Halifax, NS). Read more »

Fioretti nets three in Acadia victory

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – After clinching a playoff spot last week, the U Sports No. 5 ranked Acadia Axemen (18-8-2) continued their winning streak of three against the sixth-place Moncton Aigles Bleus (10-17-1), with a 4-1 win. Axemen forward, Sam Fioretti (Calgary, Alta.), scored a natural hat trick to help lift Acadia over Moncton in their last meeting of the year with the Aigles Bleus.

“It was a great team effort and wrapping up with the bye was our goal going into this year and I think it’s big for our playoff push,” said Fioretti after the game.

Moncton scored at 0:59 in the opening period, with a slapshot off the crossbar and past Axemen goaltender Robert Steeves (Moncton, N.B.), from forward Allain Saulnier (Cap-Pele, N.B.). The puck was shot so hard that it ricocheted back out of the net and play continued before the referees met near center ice to decide it was a good goal.

Fioretti tied the game up with a shorthanded marker late in the first on a 2-on-1, by tipping a pass from rushing defenseman, Geoff Schemitsch (Thornhill, Ont.), past Moncton goaltender, Alexi Thibaudeau (Gatineau, Que.).

Less than two minutes later, Fioretti struck again, coming out of the right corner and firing a snapshot, low glove side, beating Thibaudeau and giving the Axemen a 2-1 lead heading into the second.

Fioretti completed the natural hat trick 45 seconds before the midway point of the second period, on an Axemen power-play. After moving the puck around the perimeter of the Aigles Bleus penalty kill, Axemen defenseman, Matthew Pufahl (Saskatoon, Sask.), slid the puck over to Fioretti, who fired another low snapshot past Thibaudeau to give Acadia a 3-1 lead.

Axemen forward Brendan Childerley added to the lead roughly three minutes later, breaking in on the right side and firing a wrist shot past Aigles Bleus goaltender Brandon Thibeau (Riverview, N.B.), who replaced Thibaudeau after Fioretti’s hat trick.

Despite chances on both sides, neither team added a goal in the third period, as the Axemen focused on defending their lead and preventing Moncton from coming back for a 4-1 Acadia victory.

Axemen goaltender, Robert Steeves, turned aside 19 of 20 shots on the night. Meanwhile, Aigles Bleus goaltender, Brandon Thibeau stopped 6 of 7 shots in relief of the starter, Alexi Thibaudeau, who allowed 3 goals on 18 shots.

The Subway First Star of the Night went to Sam Fioretti, while second and third star of the night went to Moncton defenseman, Pierre Durepos (Shediac, N.B.) and Acadia defenseman, Alex Lepkowski (Buffalo, New York), respectively.

The Axemen have battled injuries for most of the season and Sam Fioretti noted the importance of the bye. “With these last two games and a week off before that (playoffs), sometimes it’s not necessarily the best team, but the healthiest team that comes on top.”

Acadia will next take to the ice on Fri. Feb. 10 in Halifax to take on the Dalhousie Tigers, before finishing up their regular season the next night, at home, against the StFX X-Men.

Moncton plays the first place UNB Varsity Reds tomorrow night, in Moncton, before finishing off their regular season next Friday in PEI to take on the UPEI Panthers. Puck drop for all games is 7:00 p.m.

Source: Josh Foote, Acadia Athletics Communications Office