Stevenson with the lone Axemen goal

HALIFAX, NS – Saint Mary’s forward Andrew Coxhead scored two powerplay goals and added an assist, as the Huskies routed the Acadia Axemen 7-1 in game one of their best-of-three semifinal series on Thursday night at the Dauphinee Centre.Β 

The Huskies opened the scoring midway through the first period, as a powerplay expired, forward David BΓ©rubΓ© (Price, QC) cut in and played a tape-to-tape pass to Dawson Theede (Brooklin, ON) who tapped it past Axemen goaltender Conor McCollum (Pickering, ON) to put the home team up 1-0. It was the first goal of the season for Theede, who was playing in his first game since Nov. 12 after recovering from an injury.Β Β 

Saint Mary’s outshot Acadia 9-7 in the first period, and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.Β 

Things opened up in the second period, and the Huskies took advantage. Just under eight minutes into the period, Huskies defenceman Justin MacPherson (East Gwillimbury, ON) fired a point shot that was directed into goal by Huskies forward Nathan Dunkley (Campbellford, ON), doubling the Huskies lead to 2-0.Β 

After killing off a pair of Axemen penalties, thanks to some great saves by goaltender Jeremy Helvig, the Huskies got going on a man advantage of their own with just over six minutes remaining in the period.Β 

Forward Keith Getson (Bridgewater, NS) attempted to set up forward Cedric Ralph (Peterborough, ON) in the slot, but the puck was deflected on to the stick of defenceman Jaxon Bellamy (Hampton, NB), who played a nice pass over to Coxhead in front, and he directed it past McCollum for the first of four powerplay goals on the night for the Huskies.Β 

β€œThat was big for us, getting the confidence up on the powerplay”, said Coxhead post-game. β€œWe hadn’t played in a while, but we’ve been practicing it quite a bit, and it’s always nice to score on the powerplay.” 

The Huskies would add another goal just over two minutes later, with Coxhead feeding Joel Bishop (St. John’s, NL), who delivered a backhand pass to a cutting Ralph, who calmly directed it into goal to extend the home team lead to 4-0.Β 

Just over a minute later, the Huskies were on another powerplay when MacPherson and Getson pulled off a textbook give-and-go, with MacPherson finishing it up for the fourth and final goal of the second period, putting the Huskies up 5-0.Β 

β€œThat was great for us,” said MacPherson post-game. β€œWe’ve had a couple weeks off here with the bye, so it was just important to find our legs early. We had a bit of a slow start but found our way in the second period and kind of just continued that into the third.” 

The Huskies outshot the Axemen 19-17 in the second period, and took a 5-0 lead into the intermission. The Axemen would change goaltenders heading into the third period, with Zachary Paputsakis (Rockland, ON) replacing McCollum.Β Β 

The third period saw the physicality increase, as Axemen forward Peyton Hoyt (Fredericton, NB) was given a match penalty for kneeing Huskies forward Liam Van Loon (London, ON), who was forced to leave the game and didn’t return.Β Β 

An agitated Huskies team made the Axemen pay on the ensuing powerplay, scoring twice in 32 seconds.Β 

First it was Coxhead’s second powerplay goal of the night, as he received a pass from Ralph and fired a shot past Paputsakis to extend the lead to 6-0.Β 

Just 32 seconds later, the Huskies would score their fourth and final powerplay tally of the night, as forward Charlie Dafonseca (Thornhill, ON) sneaked a shot through Paputsakis’ five-hole, extending the lead to 7-0.Β 

The Axemen would get one back in the final minutes, as forward Keegan Stevenson (Aweres Township, ON) scored off a rebound to cut the lead to 7-1, which would go down as the final score.Β 

The Huskies outshot the Axemen 39-35 on the night, with goaltender Jeremy Helvig turning away 34 shots for the win. In the Acadia goal, McCollum stopped 23 of 28 shots faced, while Paputsakis denied nine of 11 shots in relief.Β 

Coxhead was named Subway Player of the Game for the Huskies with two goals and one assist. Cedric Ralph (one goal, two assists), Justin MacPherson (one goal, one assist), Nathan Dunkley (one goal, one assist), Keith Getson (two assists) and David BΓ©rubΓ© (two assists) all recorded multipoint nights for the Huskies.Β 

Keegan Stevenson was named Subway Player of the Game for Acadia.Β 

Game two of the semifinal series will take place Friday night at the Dauphinee Centre, with puck-drop scheduled for 7 p.m.Β 

β€œI assume it’s going to be a different game tomorrow,” added Coxhead. β€œThey’re going to want to come out hard after tonight so we’ve got to match that and play our game.” 

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

McCollum with 28 saves for the win

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – Look out AUS semi-finals, here come the Acadia Axemen. The Axemen swept STFX in the best-of-three quarter-finals on Friday night with a 4-1 win.Β 

It was an upset victory, as Acadia finished beneath STFX in the regular season standings.β€―Β 

Subway First Star of the Night Conor McCollum (Pickering, Ont.) put in an outstanding effort for Acadia, turning aside 28 of 29 shots on the night.β€―Β 

Penalty-killing was huge for Acadia, as STFX went 1-for-8 on the man advantage for the night.β€―Β 

Acadia got off to a strong start in the opening frame with a pair of goals.β€―Β 

Corson Hopwo (Duncan, B.C.) struck first for Acadia with a beautiful solo effort at the 6:19 mark of the period. He took the puck from Liam Kidney (Enfield, N.S.) after he broke into the offensive zone.β€―Β 

After taking the puck from Kidney, Hopwo curled at the top of the right face-off circle and made a line for the net.Β 

Hopwo cut in for the STFX net and slid a backhand past the goalie to make it 1-0.β€―Β 

Keegan Stevenson (Aweres Township, Ont.) doubled the lead for Acadia at the 11:21 mark of the first on a play similar to Hopwo.β€―Β 

Stevenson took the puck from Cole Nagy (Saskatoon, Sask.) and drove the net before faking a shot on the backhand and turning his stick over to lift a shot on his forehand past the sliding goalie.β€―Β 

STFX had two power-play opportunities in the first after going down 2-0, but failed to capitalize on either of them.β€―Β 

At the end of the period, the shots were 10-7 for Acadia.β€―Β 

The teams traded goals in a chippy second period.β€―Β 

STFX used another power-play opportunity to make it 2-1 late in the second period.β€―Β 

The second star of the night Adam Holwell (St. John’s, Nfld.) scored his power-play marker with 5:17 left to play in the frame and it looked like the spark needed to get STFX back in the game.β€―Β 

However, captain Jack Flaman (Vibank, Sask.) stepped up for Acadia and responded with a goal shortly after taking the penalty that granted STFX the power play that got them on the scoreboard.β€―Β 

Flaman scored on a tight wraparound goal with 3:43 left in the period to make it 3-1.β€―Β 

A large scrum broke out at the end of the second, as STFX players tried to dig the puck out from under an injured Peyton Hoy t(Fredericton, N.B.) in the dying seconds of the period.β€―Β 

Heading into the final frame, Acadia held a 21-16 lead in shots.β€―Β 

STFX had multiple 5-on-3 power-plays in the first half of the final frame, but they were unable to capitalize on these opportunities.β€―Β 

They threw everything they had at Acadia’s Conor McCollum, but STFX could not score in the third.β€―Β 

The third star of the night Liam Kidney added an empty-net goal with 24 seconds left in the game to seal the victory for Acadia and send his team to the semi-finals.β€―Β 

STFX goalie Joseph Raaymakers (Chatham, Ont.) turned aside 30 of 33 shots on the night.β€―Β 

Acadia will return to play in the AUS semi-finals once the outcome of the second quarterfinal series between Moncton and UPEI is determined. Game two of that series was postponed tonight due to inclement weather. Moncton leads the series 1-0. If Moncton wins their QF series, Moncton will take on UNB and Acadia will play against Saint Mary’s. If Moncton loses the series, the Axemen will play UNB in a best-of-five semifinal series.β€―Β 

Acadia with goals from 5 different players in win

Antigonish, NS – The Acadia Axemen are in the driver’s seat after a come from behind win over the STFX X-Men on Wednesday night at the Charles V Keating Centre. The win gives the Axemen a 1-0 lead in their best of three AUS quarterfinal series.Β Β 

β€―Β 

Acadia’s Subway player of the game was Liam Kidney (Enfield, NS) who scored the game winner and added an assist, while STFX’s Subway player of the game was Matthew Phillip (Ilderton, ON) who played a strong game and added a goal.Β Β 

β€―Β 

It was a tight game early on, and a pair of minor penalties in the first five minutes had the X-Men shorthanded but Acadia wasn’t able to make them pay. STFX came close to opening the scoring while on the penalty kill but Axemen netminder Connor McCollum (Pickering, ON) kept the door shut.Β Β 

β€―Β 

STFX did break the deadlock at 8:50, with Logan Chisholm (Antigonish, NS) firing home a backhand off a pass from Declan Smith (Antigonish, NS).Β 

β€―Β 

As anticipated, there was some rough stuff shortly after the goal, with neither of the heated rivals looking to give an inch and perhaps remembering the previous game between them last weekend, which saw 104 penalty minutes dished out on 22 penalties.Β Β 

Β 

The Axemen later had some penalty killing to do of their own, but Chisholm’s goal remained the only one of the period. Shots at the end of the first 20 minutes were seven apiece.Β Β 

β€―Β 

STFX came out fast in the second period, and the blue and white had the lion’s share of possession and scoring chances early on but it was Acadia who tied the game. Axemen captain Jack Flaman (Vibank, SK) found the back of the net off an odd-man rush, with Kidney and Luke Zazula (Langley, BC) getting the helpers.Β Β 

β€―Β 

Phillip put his team up at 11:01 with a second chance goal, with assists going to Liam Hawel (Arnprior, ON) and Matthew Struthers (Milton, ON), but a 3-on-1 just over 30 seconds later saw Acadia’s Brendan Sellan (Hanover, ON) knot the game at 2-2.Β 

β€―Β 

X-Men forward Zack Trott (Mulmur, ON) gave the home team the lead again, going five-hole with just under four minutes remaining the period.Β 

Β 

Shots at the end of the second were 18-12 in favour of STFX as the home took a 3-2 lead into the dressing room second intermission.Β 

Β 

Acadia drew even with just over four minutes gone in the third period, with Cole Nagy (Saskatoon, SK) burying one after finding himself open in front of the STFX net off a pass from Peyton Hoyt (Lincoln, NB). The visitors then claimed the lead 40 seconds later, with Kidney notching his first goal of the playoffs.Β 

β€―Β 

STFX pushed hard to tie the game and went on the powerplay with about five minutes left to play but weren’t able to close the gap. The X-Men pulled their goalie late but it was Acadia’s Hoyt closing out the scoring with an empty netter with 29 seconds left on the clock.Β 

β€―Β 

McCollum had 23 saves in the win for Acadia, while STFX’s Joseph Raaymakers (Chatham, ON) made 13 stops in the losing effort.Β Β 

β€―Β 

Game two of the series now shifts to Wolfville, NS on Friday night, Feb 17th. An Acadia victory will send them into the AUS semifinal round, while a STFX win will force a deciding Game three, back at the Charles V Keating Centre, on Sunday evening.Β Β 

Β 

-30-Β 

Β 

Recap courtesy Matt Draper, STFX Athletics β€―Β 

Β 

Peyton Hoyt scores two goals in the Axemen loss

Antigonish, NS – A three-goal spree in the opening five minutes of the third period helped the STFX X-Men defeat the Acadia Axemen 4-2 on Saturday night at the Charles V Keating Centre. The match was a warm-up of sorts for the two teams, who will face each other in the AUS playoffs starting on Wednesday.Β Β 

STFX forward and Subway Player of the game Matthew Struthers (Milton, ON) had two goals and an assist on the night, while second star was X-Men defender Patrick Kyte (Pembroke, ON), with a goal and two assists. Third star was STFX forward Matthew Philip (Ilderton, ON), who put in quality minutes for the home team.Β Β 

The X-Men carried much of the early play, gaining the offensive zone effectively, and barring any Acadia shots for the first eight minutes. Acadia picked up the pace midway through the period and STFX goalie Joseph Raaymakers (Chatham, ON) had to make a couple of strong saves while on the penalty kill.Β Β 

The teams exchanged some big hits throughout the period and a scum with around six minutes left to play led to a few roughing penalties and a STFX powerplay, but the home team wasn’t able to capitalize.Β 

Acadia opened the scoring at the 2:50 mark, with Peyton Hoyt (Lincoln, NB) poking one home off a pass from Brendan Sellan (Hanover, ON). The period ended with Acadia leading in shots 9-8. Β 

An Acadia penalty three seconds into the second period made it a four-on-four situation that turned into a STFX powerplay that lead to a couple of close chances but Acadia goaltender Zachary Paputsakis (Rockland, ON) stood his ground.Β Β 

Acadia found themselves with a 5-on-3 advantage about midway through the period, but it was Kyte who found the back of the net, finishing off a shorthanded play from Jacob Hudson (Antigonish, NS) and Struthers.Β Β 

Shots at the end of the second period were 19-17 in favour of Acadia as the game was knotted 1-1.Β 

The beak to beak action continued in the third, and Struthers opened the scoring just over a minute in on the powerplay, with Brendan Clavelle (Kapuskasing, ON) and Liam Hawel (Arnprior, ON) assisting. STFX went on the powerplay again a minute later, and Struthers wired home a one-timer, from Hawel and Kyte.Β Β 

X-Men forward Zack Trott (Mulmur, ON) made it 4-1 with around five minutes gone, tucking home a nifty backhand, with Kyte assisting.Β Β 

Hoyt got one back for the Axemen late in the period, his 2nd of the game, with Morgan Nauss (Hammonds Plains, NS) and Zack Jones (North Falmouth, MA) assisting, and the teams continued to exchange less-than-pleasantries for the rest period. Β 

Shots at the end of the game were 33-26 in favour of STFX and the teams posted 104 penalty minutes on 22 infractions.Β 

The X-Men have home ice advantage in the AUS quarterfinal round after finishing in fourth place in the AUS standings with a record of 16-13-1. The quarter-final playoff series (best 2-of-3) will start Wednesday, Feb. 15th at STFX as the same two teams will be back on the ice at the STFX Keating Centre.Β 

Acadia wrapped up regular season play with 11-16-3 record in fifth place. The AUS will announce the complete quarter-final playoff schedule on Sunday. Game 2 will be on the road at Acadia, and Game 3 (if necessary) back in Antigonish.Β 

UPEI and Moncton will meet in the other AUS quarter-final series with first place UNB and second place Saint Mary’s awaiting the quarter-final winners for the best 3-of-5 semifinal playoff rounds.Β 

-30-Β 

Recap courtesy Matt Draper, STFX AthleticsΒ 

Nagy with 3 points in Acadia win

Wolfville, N.S. – It was a big win on Friday’s Seniors Night for the Acadia Axemen, as they defeated the Dalhousie Tigers 4-3. Acadia came out on top despite giving up three power-play goals.Β 

Β 

Subway First Star of the Night Cole Nagy (Saskatoon, Sask.) potted a pair of goals for Acadia in the opening period. Those two goals ended up being the difference maker in the game.Β Β 

Β 

Nagy opened the scoring for Acadia early in the first when he grabbed a rebound in front of the net at 4:37 of the first period and put it away to make it 1-0.Β Β 

Β 

Doubling up, Nagy added his second marker of the night at 8:03 of the first period.Β Β 

Β 

Nagy was parked in front of the net, where he took a pass from Keegan Stevenson (Aweres Township, Ont.), who was working behind the net to free the puck. Nagy fired a quick snapshot past the Tigers goalie to make it 2-0.Β Β 

Β 

However, Dalhousie answered with a goal of their own on the power-play late in the opening period.Β 

Β 

Campbell Pickard (Halifax, N.S.) had an easy tap in after Cameron Thompson (Victoria, B.C.) broke in from the neutral zone to set up the power play and pulled the Acadia’s goalie Conor McCollum to one side of the net.Β 

Β 

At the end of the first period, the shots were 11-5 for Acadia.Β Β 

Β 

While there were chances on both sides through the period, it was late in the second before things got interesting.Β Β 

Β 

Acadia added to their lead late in the second period thanks to Matt McKim (St. John’s, Nfld.).Β Β 

Β 

Nagy came out from behind the net and set up McKim for his first goal as an Acadia Axemen.Β Β 

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Dalhousie had a response shortly after thanks to another power-play marker.Β Β 

Β 

Jarrett Baker (Black Rock, N.S.) wired a wrist shot high blocker side to pull within one goal of tying, making it 3-2.Β Β 

Β 

That is where the score stood heading into the third.Β Β 

Β 

By the end of the second period, the shots were 23-12 for Acadia.Β Β 

Β 

Third star Brendan Sellan (Hanover, Ont.) was the difference maker for Acadia. His power-play goal 8:08 into the third period ended up being the eventual game-winner for Acadia.Β 

Β 

Sellan took a feed from Nick Deakin-Poot (Georgetown, Ont.) while parked near the left side of the crease. He chipped the puck over the goalie’s left pad to make it 4-2.Β Β 

Β 

Dalhousie made one final stab at a comeback with Evan MacKinnon (Dartmouth, N.S.) adding another power-play marker for the Tigers.Β Β 

Β 

MacKinnon snuck a shot past McCollum, narrowly beating him high right side.Β Β 

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That was as close as the Tigers would get, despite a pulled goalie at the end of the game.Β Β 

Β 

Acadia’s Conor McCollum turned aside 15 of 18 shots on the night, while his Dalhousie counterpart Alexander MacDonald stopped 26 of 30 shots.Β Β 

Β 

The Axemen improve to 11-15-2-1 and slip into fifth place, while the Tigers drop to 6-21-1-1 and will make post season play.Β 

Β 

Acadia closes out their regular season tomorrow night against STFX, while the Tigers host Saint Mary’s for their last game of the season. The puck drops for both games at 7 pm.Β 

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Provided by Joshua Foote, Acadia Athletics Communications OfficeΒ 

Deakin-Poot scores a pair, McCollum stops 30 shots

Story courtesy of UdeM Athletics

The second period was again problematic for the UniversitΓ© de Moncton Aigles Bleus (11-15-1-1=24pts, 5th position) as they allowed three goals and then loss 4-1 against the Acadia University Axemen (10-15-2-1=23pts, 6th position) in an Atlantic University Sport men’s hockey game Saturday at the J.-Louis-LΓ©vesque Arena on the Moncton campus in front of 520 spectators.Β Β 

Β 

With this victory, the Axemen moved one point closer to the Aigles Bleus in the standings with two games to play in the regular season. The Blue and Gold opened the scoring in the first period at 10:13 by a Vincent Deslauriers (Remy Anglehart, Denis Toner) goal, which allowed the team to keep the lead during the rest of the period. The second period was marked by the Axemen with three goals and led 13-5 in the shots on goal. The advantage started with a first goal at 4:48 by Nick Deakin-Poot. The visitors repeated that feat with two goals in less than a minute by Liam Kidney and Peyton Hoyt at 15:30 and 16:02. The end of the second period ended 3-1 in favor of Acadia.Β Β 

Β 

At the end of the game and with the goalkeeper replaced by an attacker, the Axemen scored their fourth in an empty net by Nick Deakin-Poot with his second of the game. The Aigles Bleus tried everything in the final minutes of the third with a 5-3 advantage without being able to break through the defense and goalie Conor McCollum who saw 31 shots for the victory. FΓ©lix-Anthony Ethier received 26 shots in the loss.Β Β 

 

The Aigles Bleus play on the road against the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Axemen host at home the Dalhousie Tigers on Friday.Β 

Deakin-Poot, Sellan, & Hopwo score for Acadia

FREDERICTON, N.B. – The U SPORTS No. 2 ranked UNB REDS scored three times in the third period to beat the Acadia Axemen 6-3, in Atlantic University Sport men’s hockey action, Friday, at UNB’s Aitken Centre.Β 

Austen Keating (Guelph, ON) scored twice for the REDS while former Axemen Ross MacDougall (St. Stephen, NB) had three assists and was named Subway Player of the Game.Β 

The visitors opened the scoring midway through the first period.Β 

With the Axemen working the penalty kill,Β Nick Deakin-PootΒ (Georgetown, ON) forced a UNB turnover at the REDS blueline then took the puck the other direction and beat Griffen Outhouse (Williams Lake, BC) with a wrist shot.Β 

Despite being outshot 15-7, Acadia led 1-0 after 20 minutes.Β 

A wild second period saw five goals scored.Β 

Just 12 seconds in, UNB’s Adam McCormick (Waterville, NB) sprung Keating on a breakaway and he beatΒ Zachary PaputsakisΒ (Rockland, ON) in the Acadia net.Β 

Issac Nurse (Hamilton, ON) and Jason Willms (Kitchener, ON) would also score for the REDS in the second, whileΒ Brendan SellanΒ (Hanover, ON) andΒ Corson HopwoΒ (Duncan, BC) replied for Acadia.Β 

Benjamin Corbeil (Granby, QC), Camaryn Baber (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) and Keating, with his second of the game, scored UNB’s goals in the third.Β 

“I thought it was an outstanding game,” said Axemen head coach Darren Burns. “I think, structurally, we were outstanding. Obviously, they’ve got a high-powered offence, but if you’re a knowledgeable hockey person, you’re going there’s a team that played well.”Β 

The REDS peppered Paputsakis with 35 shots, while Outhouse faced 18.Β 

“When you’re playing them, the margin of error is so small,” said Burns. “If you make mistakes, even small ones, you’re going to pay and we paid, but I loved our game tonight. I thought it was a good, physical, clean game and once they start revving their engine, they go. It kind of got away from us at the end.”Β 

With the win, the REDS are now 21-3-1-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL) and first in the AUS standings.Β 

Acadia is 9-14-2-1 and sits in sixth place.Β 

The REDS are back in action on Saturday, when they host the Saint Mary’s Huskies, while the Axemen visit les Aigles Bleus, in Moncton.Β 

Both games are scheduled for 7:00pm starts.Β 

Β 

RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS BY: Fran Harris/for UNB AthleticsΒ 

Paputsakis with 32 saves for 1st AUS victory

By Thomas Becker of UPEI Athletics

Β 

It was a weekend of missed opportunities for the UPEI Panthers.Β 

Β 

They could’ve cushioned their second-place spot in the standingsβ€”that was relatively secure for most of the seasonβ€”but instead let it slip after back-to-back home losses, including Saturday night’s 3-2 defeat to the Acadia Axemen.Β 

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Now, for the Panthers (15-9-2) to earn the coveted bye, they’ll have to finish with more wins in the final four games of the regular season than the red-hot Saint Mary’s Huskies. A tough task to say the least.Β 

Β 

TJ Shea did his part, scoring both goals for the Panthers with Kyle Maksimovich delivering two helpers. For the Axemen, Nick Deakin-Poot and Cole Nagy led the charge, as the pair finished with a goal and an assist. Adam McMaster also scored in the win.Β 

Β 

For the second straight night, the Panthers once again opened the scoring, this time just 3:48 into the first period on a power play marker from Shea. Maksimovich had the puck in the slot and passed it behind his back to Troy Lajeunesse, who fed it in front to Shea for the redirect.Β 

Β 

However, that lead was short-lived as the Axemen (9-14-3) scored less than four minutes later. On the scoring play, Nick Deakin-Poot battled through a couple Panthers before slipping a soft shot by Lucas Fitzpatrick for the tying goal.Β 

Β 

Acadia came right back and scored again 53 seconds later when Bailey Peach’s harmless shot from the blue line skipped to Fitzpatrick, who gave up a long rebound that McMaster took a couple hacks at before scoring.Β 

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The Panthers would even the score at 15:17 when Shea took a pass from Lajeunesse through the neutral zone and beat a defender with a nifty move before tucking a wrist shot in the top right corner.Β 

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UPEI appeared to have settled down after scoring the tying goal, but was undone by the Axemen early in the second period, where they took the lead and never relinquished it. At 4:18, Luke Zazula fired a shot in traffic where Cole Nagy slipped the puck by the goalie to make it 3-2.Β 

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The Panthers desperately searched for the equalizer for the remainder of the game, as they outshot their opponent 22-10 in the final two periods, but once again a rookie goaltender denied them that opportunity. Zachary Paputsakis recorded 32 saves and earned his first AUS win in his ninth start of the season.Β 

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β€œThey (Panthers) are a good team and they battled hard, but we’re a hardworking team too, and we know that if we play our best, we can compete with any team in this league,” Paputsakis said.Β 

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The Panthers travel to Halifax on Wednesday to take on the Dalhousie Tigers. The Axemen don’t play until Friday as they make their way to Fredericton for a tilt against the UNB Reds.Β 

Hopwo with the lone Acadia goal

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – The Acadia Axemen (8-15-1-1) ended their five-game home run on a sour note, as they lost 4-1 to the Saint Mary’s Huskies (17-9-0-0).

The Huskies seemed a step ahead of the Axemen all night.

Subway First Star of the Night Nathan Dunkley (Campbellford, Ont.) had a pair of assists for the Huskies.

Both teams had their chances in the opening period. It was not until the last second of the first frame that the first goal was scored.

Saint Mary’s forward Sam King (Hampton, N.B.) put his team on the board thanks to a power-play marker with 0.5 seconds left on the clock.

King took a pass in front of the net and put the puck into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0.

At the end of the first period, Saint Mary’s held an 11-5 lead in shots.

Acadia quickly responded in the second period with a goal in the opening minute.

The second star of the nightΒ Corson HopwoΒ (Duncan, B.C.) came out in the front of the Saint Mary’s net and attempted to throw a pass across in front of the crease, but it deflected off a Huskies leg and into the net.

The teams traded chances throughout the period but remained gridlocked at one.

Saint Mary’s replied late in the third period with an even-strength marker shortly after a failed power-play attempt.

Liam Van Loon (London, Ont.) took a pass while parked in the left face-off circle and fired a quick shot past Acadia ‘sΒ Conor McCollumΒ (Pickering, Ont.) to restore the lead for the Huskies.

Another late-period goal for the Huskies, as they added their third goal with 18 seconds remaining to play in the second.

Charlie Dafonseca (Thornhill, Ont.) redirected a shot from the third star of the night Jaxon Bellamy (Hampton, Ont.) to make it 3-1 for Saint Mary’s.

Heading into the third period, the Huskies held a 23-14 lead in shots.

Acadia ran into penalty trouble in the third, costing them a goal.

Jaxon Bellamy scored a power-play marker for Saint Mary’s near the midway point of the third. Bellamy lifted a high shot from the point that fooled McCollum to make it 4-1.

The Huskies played tight defence to keep Acadia from starting a comeback.

Conor McCollumΒ turned aside 32 of 36 shots on the night, while his Saint Mary’s counterpart Jeremy Helvig (Kingston, Ont.) stopped 19 of 20 shots.

The Axemen return to play on Sat. January 28 at UPEI, which marks the start of a three-game road trip, the Huskies will head to UPEI on Friday night. Acadia’s next and last regular season home game is Friday, February 10 against the Dalhousie Tigers.

Provided by Joshua Foote, Acadia Athletics Communications Office