Category: Game Recaps

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.  

StFX takes a 1-0 lead in best of 3 series

ANTIGONISH, NS – A Josh Nelson (Lockport, IL) goal 19 seconds into triple overtime gave the STFX X-Men the win over the Acadia Axemen in Game 1 of their AUS quarterfinal series at the Charles V Keating Centre in on Wednesday night.  

Nelson picked up a pass from Charlie Callahan (Toronto, ON) just outside the Acadia zone, skated in and lifted one high from up close with his second goal of the game, earning third star of the game honours along the way.   

It took only 40 seconds into the first period for the home team to open the scoring, with player of the game Declan Smith (Antigonish, NS) tipping home a shot from Matthew Struthers (Milton, ON), off a pass from Matthew Phillip (Ilderton, ON). Smith added his second of the night midway through the period, with Struthers again acting as the set-up man, feeding a wide open Smith at the side of the net after picking up a long pass from Sean Stewart (Antigonish, NS).  

STFX’s defence came up big early on, holding Acadia to only two shots though the first 10 minutes. Shots at the end of the period were 14-6 in favour of STFX as they held the 2-0 lead. 

It was Acadia who came out with some jump in the second period, peppering STFX goalie Joseph Raaymakers (Chatham, ON) early on. The X-Men returned fire though, and an extended 5-3 power play provided some scoring chances, but Acadia goalie Thomas Couture (Levis, QC) kept the door closed.  

Acadia cut the X lead in half with about five minutes left to play in the stanza, with Adam McMaster (Beamsville, ON) firing one home through a screen while on the power play, with assists going to Tyler Deline (Peterborough, ON) and Cam Whynot (Kentville, NS).   

STFX replied two minutes later, as Nelson took a pass from Zack Trott (Mulmur, ON) and rifled a shot top shelf on the short side. Shots at the end of the second were 29-17 in favour of the X-Men as they regained their two-goal lead. 

Acadia drew even with back-to-back goals the third, with Liam Kidney (Enfield, NS) scoring off a two-on-one with Nick Deakin-Poot (Georgetown, ON) with six minutes gone, and Brendan Sellan (Bolton, ON) getting the equalizer 90 seconds later, knocking in a rebound off a point shot from Merrick Rippon (Ottawa, ON), with Hudson Wilson (Toronto, ON) getting the other assist.  

The teams continued to battle for the rest of the period, but neither was able to score before time expired, leading to overtime.      

STFX X-Men had a man advantage with two minutes to go in the first 10-minute overtime frame, but weren’t able to capitalize, and it went to double overtime.  

Both goalies came up big in the second overtime period. Raaymakers kept the X-Men in it as they fought off a four-minute high sticking penalty, while Couture had a number of stellar saves including a cross crease dive with 30 seconds left in the second extra period, to take things to triple overtime and set up the Nelson heroics. 

Couture made 57 saves on the night, earning second star of the game. Raaymakers had 32 saves while picking up the win.  

The best of three series resumes Saturday night, February 17, in Wolfville. Game three, if necessary, is set for Monday, February 19, in Antigonish at 7 p.m. 

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Recap courtesy Matt Draper, STFX Athletics 

Paputsakis with 26 saves for Acadia

Antigonish, NS – The STFX X-Men shutout the Acadia Axemen 4-0 in AUS action Saturday night at the Keating Centre in the final game of the AUS season. Joseph Raaymakers (Chatham, ON) had 24 saves in the X net and was first star and player of the game.  

With the win the X-Men (16-13-1-0) clinch third place in the AUS standings, earning home ice advantage in the first round of the AUS playoffs. They will be facing off against the same Acadia (9-16-2-23) squad in the best-of-three quarterfinal series as the Axemen finished the season in sixth place. 

The game marked the final regular season game for the X-Men and coaches honored the graduating student-athletes prior to the game, including Bailey Webster (Kensington, PE), Sam Allison (Cole Harbour, NS), Matthew Philip (Ilderton, ON), Conner Bruggen-Cate (Langley, BC), Josh Nelson (Lockport, Il), Joseph Raaymakers (Chatham, ON) and Jacob Hudson (Antigonish, NS).  

The first period was scoreless as the Axemen had a 12-8 shot advantage in the opening 20 minutes. Each squad had a power play opportunity but it was STFX’s Liam Hawel (Arnprior, ON) who had the best scoring chance while shorthanded late in the period on a breakaway attempt but couldn’t tuck it past the pad of Zachary Paputsakis (Rockland, ON) short side. 

The X-Men opened the scoring in the game 1:21 into the second period. Zack Trott (Mulmur, ON) dropped a pass off to Hawel at the top of the slot and his shot went high over the net, but Trott was on the doorstep to tuck in the timely rebound. 

Raegan Wiles (Calgary, AB) made it a 2-0 STFX lead at 6:40 on a high shot that lopped quickly in, around and out of the Acadia net. The goal was initially waved off and play continued but at the next whistle the on-ice officials confirmed it was indeed a goal. 

The X-Men outshot the Axemen 12-5 in the middle period. 

Team leading scorer Matthew Struthers (Milton, ON) tallied a power play marker three minutes into the third period to give X a 3-0 lead as he one-timed a pass from Hawel into the open Axemen net and past a sliding Paputsakis across the crease. 

The Axemen then went on the power play shortly after but were unable to solve Raaymakers in the STFX net. 

The X-Men’s fourth goal came from Declan Smith (Antigonish, NS) at 12:36 of the third period as he tucked in a rebound off a Matthew Philip (Ilderton, ON) shot.  

STFX held off the Axemen for the remainder of the period and Raaymakers earned the shutout victory in the X net. The X-Men outshot the Axemen 30-24 in the game. 

Hawel picked up second star honours with Struthers receiving the nod for third star. 

The AUS quarterfinal series schedules will be released on Sunday with Game 1 taking place at STFX, Game 2 at Acadia and Game 3 (if necessary) back at STFX. Fourth place Saint Mary’s (15-14-1-0) will host fifth place UPEI (12-14-1-3) in the other quarterfinal series. First place UNB and second place Moncton will await the quarterfinal winners for the second round best-of-five semifinals. 

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Recap courtesy Krista McKenna, STFX Athletics 

Jones scores the winner on the powerplay

WOLFVILLE – The Acadia Axemen had a big three-goal third period to pick up a 4-2 victory over the Dalhousie Tigers in their final home game of the regular season on Friday night in Wolfville.  

Adam McMaster (Beamsville, ON) opened the scoring for the Axemen just five minutes into the first period, where the score stood until 1:25 into the second when Evan MacKinnon (Beaverbank, NS) tied the game for Dalhousie. Just six minutes later Alec Belanger (Quebec City, QC) gave the Tigers the lead, which stood heading into the third.  

Over halfway through the final frame Nick Deakin-Poot (Georgetown, ON) tied the game, followed by a power play goal by Zack Jones (North Falmouth, MA) at the 17:57 mark to put the Axemen back in the lead.  

Reilly Webb (Stoney Creek, ON) iced the game with an empty-net goal in the final minute.  

Thomas Couture (Levis, QC) made 21 saves in the victory, while Nicholas Chenard (Tecumseh, ON) made 30 saves in the loss. 

Acadia wraps up their regular season on Saturday night at StFX, while Dalhousie travels across town to face the Saint Mary’s Huskies. The Axemen hold the final playoff spot in the conference and await Saturday’s results to see if they will play the StFX X-Men or Saint Mary’s Huskies in the opening round of the AUS playoffs. 

Prior to the game Acadia recognized their 2023-24 graduating seniors: Nick Deakin-Poot, Morgan Nauss (Hammonds Plains, NS), Reilly Webb, and Hudson Wilson (Toronto, ON). 

Axemen will finish 6th in the AUS conference

WOLFVILLE – The UPEI Panthers bounced back from a two-goal deficit with three unanswered goals in the first 6:12 of the third period to earn a 4-3 victory over the Acadia Axemen on Tuesday night in Wolfville.  

Tuesday’s game, postponed from the originally scheduled time on Saturday, saw the Panthers’ Elias Cohen (Toronto, ON) open the scoring just 1:08 into game. 

Acadia’s Ethan Ernst (Weyburn, SK) tied the game 6:08 into the first on the power play.  

Back-to-back Axemen goals within a minute of each other by Liam Kidney (Enfield, NS) and Brendan Sellan (Bolton, ON) put Acadia up 3-1 midway through the first. The score stood until the third.  

Ben McFarlane (Ayr, ON) chipped into the lead with his goal 1:20 into the third before a pair of goals by Noah Sedore (Sharon, ON) at 3:58 and 6:12 gave the Panthers their second lead of the night.  

Jonah Capriotti (Charlottetown, PE) made 25 saves in the win for UPEI, while Thomas Couture (Levis, QC) made 12 saves in the loss.  

UPEI wraps up their season with road games against Moncton and UNB this weekend, while Acadia hosts Dalhousie on Friday before hitting the road to face StFX on Saturday night.  

The AUS postseason will start next week with opponents for the quarter-final round still to be determined based on this weekend’s results.  

Sellan with 2 goals for the Axemen

WOLFVILLE – After taking the game to overtime with a goal in the final minute of regulation, the Axemen fell 4-3 to the Saint Mary’s Huskies thanks to the game-winning goal by Declan McDonnell (Buffalo, NY).  

McDonnell’s goal came 1:39 into the extra frame, with assists from Nathan Dunkley (Campbellford, ON) and Ben Roger (Markham, ON).  

Brendan Sellan (Bolton, ON) scored a pair of goals to lead Acadia’s offence, including the game-tying goal with 40 seconds to go in regulation with goaltender Thomas Couture (Levis, QC) pulled.  

Couture made 35 saves in the loss, while Jeremy Helvig (Kingston, ON) made 21 saves for the Huskies in the victory.  

The point on Wednesday proves big for the Axemen as they are now five points on the Dalhousie Tigers for the final playoff spot. With four games remaining for the Tigers, they have a possible eight points available, needing to win at least one this weekend to make next week’s meeting with the Axemen matter for a postseason push.   

Two points for the Huskies puts them in third place in the AUS, just two points back of Moncton for second place and two points ahead of StFX in fourth.  

Acadia will now host UPEI at home on Saturday night, while Saint Mary’s hosts UPEI on Friday night. Puck drop for both games is 7 p.m.

Zack Jones with the lone Acadia goal

(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB REDS scored four consecutive goals in a 4-1 win over the Acadia Axemen in the 32nd annual Mark Jeffrey Memorial Game, Saturday night at UNB’s Aitken Centre. 

Macauley Carson (Midhurst, ON), Sean McGurn (Ottawa, ON), Michael Petizian (Mississauga, ON), and Kale McCallum (Rothesay, NB) scored for the REDS as they extended their undefeated streak to 26 games. 

Austin Keating (Guelph, ON), who was presented with the prestigious Mark Jeffrey Memorial Scholarship prior to the game, recorded two assists and was named Tim Horton’s Player of the Game. 

“It’s a huge honour,” said Keating, of being the recipient of the Jeffrey Scholarship. “He meant so much to this program, we have stuff all over the room honouring him, and we talk about him often, about the type of person he was.” 

“He was a player’s player, is what we call him,” Keating added. “The people who come into our locker room, that’s the type of guys we want. Someone like him. Being able to receive an award like that is a great honour.” 

The REDS wasted no time establishing their dominance in the opening period.  

“It was a great effort,” said Keating. “We started out a little slow, and they were coming at us a little bit, especially in the first five or ten minutes. But once we got our feet under us, we started taking it to them.” 

Brady Gilmour (Grafton, ON) had the REDS’ closest opportunity of the period, on the powerplay, receiving a pass from Keating, forcing Axemen goaltender, Zachary Paputsakis (Rockland, ON), to dive cross-crease, saving the puck with his stick paddle.  

The second period began, and so did the REDS scoring. 

Carson and McGurn, less than two minutes apart, scored off rebounds at 8:00 and 9:48.  

“I think Carson’s goal was huge for us,” Keating added. “Sam made some big stops when we needed it, and we grabbed momentum from there.” 

Petizian finished the period’s scoring frenzy by getting his stick on a pass from Keating, re-directing the puck under the crossbar with less than a minute left in the period. 

Leading 3-0, the REDS maintained their strong offence into the final frame. 

At 7:24, the Axemen made a goaltending change after an injury to Paputsakis. Thomas Couture (Lévis, QC) took his place in the crease. 

Paputsakis faced 37 REDS shots, saving 34. 

With a pass from Keating from behind the goal line, McCallum lasered a one-timer from his knee, landing the REDS’ fourth goal at 10:40, on the powerplay. 

Zach Jones (North Falmouth, MA), with just 17 seconds left on the clock, found his way past the REDS defenders. His shot beat REDS goaltender Samual Richard (Ste. Catherine, QC), blocker side, and rolled into the net. 

Richard stopped 17 shots for the REDS. 

“I thought it was a great team effort and a great weekend,” said Keating. “We’re looking to keep it rolling.” 

The Axemen are now in sixth place in the Atlantic University Sport standings with an 8-13-1-3 (W-L-OTL-SOL) record. 

UNB is 26-0-0-0. 

The REDS return to action Friday, in Antigonish, facing off against the STFX X-Men. Game time is 7:00pm. 

Acadia returns home for a Wednesday night game against the Saint Mary’s Huskies. Puck drop at 7:00pm. 

 

RECAP BY: Madison Tucker/for UNB Athletics 

PHOTOS BY: James West/for UNB Athletics