Category: Game Recaps

Couture with 31 saves in Axemen loss

The Acadia Axemen and the StFX X-Men squared off in Wolfville to open the regular season on Friday night, with the visitors coming out on top 3-2 in a hard-fought battle.

 

The story of the opening period was the goaltending, as both netminders made save after save, including a number of highlight reel saves both by Acadia’s Thomas Couture, who made a glove save to rob a StFX forward of an open net, and Joseph Raaymakers, who made at least 4 saves on point blank shots by Acadia from the slot. The period ended scoreless with Acadia getting the edge in shots on goal 17-14.

 

The second period saw only one goal, as StFX’s Struthers buried a rebound past Couture to make it 1-0. Again, both netminders were the story, turning aside the offensive attacks. The shots after 2 periods were 33-28 in favour of the Axemen.

 

The teams exploded with 4 goals in the 3^rd period including 3 goals within 2:22, as Bailey Peach tied the game at 1 on the powerplay when he one timed a pass from Charlie Desroches into the back of the StFX net at 3:18. Cole Nagy picked up the second assist on the goal. Then just 53 seconds later, at 4:11 of the period, Brendan Sellan put a backhander between the legs of Raaymakers to give the Axemen a 2-1 lead. Zack Jones picked up the assist on the goal.

 

StFX answered right back though just over a minute later at 5:40 when Declan Smith tied the game at 2. The X-Men regained the lead on the powerplay for good when Wiles let a shot go from the point that beat a screened Thomas Couture at 11:57 of the 3^rd period.

 

Acadia pressed for the equalizer on a 4 minute powerplay late in the 3^rd period but couldn’t beat Raaymakers. Final shots on goal in the game, Acadia with 51, StFX with 34.

 

The Axemen were without Peyton Hoyt who was serving the final game of his 3 game suspension dating back to game 2 of the SMU semi-final playoff series, and also Nick Deakin-Poot, who was serving his 1^st of 2 games in his suspension from an altercation in the final game of the same SMU series.

 

Acadia heads to Halifax on Saturday night to face the Dal Tigers (0-1), while StFX hosts SMU (1-0).

Young Acadia team looks to grow from last year’s experience

The Acadia Axemen will kick off their AUS regular season on Friday night when they host the StFX X-Men at 7pm at the Andrew H. McCain Arena. The Axemen upset StFX in the 1^st round of the AUS playoffs last year, knocking the X-Men off 2-0 in a best of three series. Fast forward to September, and the Acadia Axemen had a strong preseason, going 3-1, including two wins over Dalhousie and a victory over UPEI. Their only exhibition loss came at the hands of the Queen’s Gaels.

 

Looking forward to the upcoming regular season for Acadia, much has changed with the Axemen lineup since March, with 8 new players joining the team this year, including a new goaltending tandem. In addition to the 8 rookies on the team, the Axemen have 8 second year players, which means the players in their 1^st two years in USports will make up nearly two-thirds of the team.

 

We asked Coach Darren Burns what he saw from his team in the pre-season, and what his team needs to work on to be successful in the regular season, he said, “The exhibition season was very beneficial and informative for our staff to evaluate our team moving forward. There were a lot of positives, but without question we have to quickly mold our team identity.

 

To run with the top teams in this league we will have to be meticulous in the defensive zone and very structured defensively in the neutral zone. These are definite areas of focus.

 

We have made some strides offensively, but we need to focus on getting pucks to the net and being more of a blue paint team. At the end of the day this is a league where you have to pay the price to gain space 5 on 5. We have a veteran D, with some nice additions to the mix, we need them to be the stabilizing force to start the season.”

 

Let’s take a deeper look at the forward, defence, and goaltender positions for the Axemen heading into the regular season:

Forwards

The Axemen have injected much needed offensive punch by adding the Saint John SeaDogs all-time leading scorer, and Port Williams’ native, Brady Burns. The addition of power forward Ethan Ernst will be a key to success, while Brandon Mairs will give Acadia depth upfront. Acadia will look for continued progression from Falmouth’s Bailey Peach, Enfield’s Liam Kidney, Corson Hopwo, Brendan Sellan, and Cole Nagy. All had strong rookie campaigns last season scoring between 16-19 points each, and increased production will be important for Acadia to increase their offensive output from last season.

Peyton Hoyt, Nick Deakin-Poot, Zack Jones, and Adam McMaster will be counted on for their strong two way play both in their own zone as well as adding scoring pop to make the Axemen a well-balanced deep offensive team. Colin Marshall will continue to add depth for Acadia at forward. Graduating or moving on from last year’s lineup is captain Jack Flaman, Eric Henderson, Keegan Stevenson, Cole Rafuse, & Matt McKim.

 

Defence

The Axemen defensive corps was arguably their strongest position last season, and with the additions of Kentville’s Cam Whynot, a former 3^rd round pick of the Calgary Flames, former Saint John SeaDogs captain Charlie Desroches, and the OHL’s Flint Firebirds’ Tyler Deline, this may be the strongest blue line we’ve seen with the program in years. So much so, that two of the regular defenceman in Reilly Webb and Brendan Tomilson have been moved up to play forward through the exhibition schedule. The new recruits along with returning players Morgan Nauss, Orie Mainolfi, Luke Zazula, Merrick Rippon, & Hudson Wilson will make it a grind for the opposition to play against Acadia.

 

Goaltending

With Conor McCollum graduating last season, the Axemen added two highly touted goalies coming out of the junior ranks in Thomas Couture and Brayden Peters. Couture won a Memorial Cup with the Saint John SeaDogs in 2022, along with Burns & Desroches, and starred for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies last season. He has had a very strong showing in the pre-season games he has played in. Peters played his entire WHL career with the Calgary Hitmen, and was invited to the Colorado Avalanche Rookie camp earlier in September. Acadia believes with this tandem, they will give their team a chance to win on every given night. Zachary Paputsakis is back with the team as the third goalie, and will be relied on to be sharp when called upon.

 

The Axemen struggled on the powerplay last year, converting on just 11% of their chances, however, based on the exhibition games, that struggle looks to be rectified as Acadia has not only converted on a number of powerplays, but the puck movement and overall scoring chances on the man advantage has greatly improved.

 

As is the case every year in the ultra competitive AUS conference, the Axemen will have tough competition as perennial favourites UNB have re-tooled and will be ready to defend their AUS championship, while Saint Mary’s and StFX will no doubt be in the mix again at the top of the conference. Regardless of who the opponent is for any game in the AUS, every game will be a battle to the finish.

Get your season tickets for what is shaping up to be an exciting season on the ice, and cheer on your Acadia Axemen; tickets available at the Acadia Box Office or online at acadiau.universitytickets.com

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