Category: Game Recaps

Flaman & Hoyt score for Acadia

The Saint Mary’s Huskies downed the Acadia Axemen 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday night at the Dauphinee Centre.  

It didn’t take long for the action to start as the Huskies had their first good chance just 1:30 into the game. Andrew Coxhead (Bedford, NS) had quick shot from just outside the crease that was stopped by Axemen goaltender Zachary Paputsakis (Rockland, ON). 

Just minutes later Saint Mary’s was pressuring again when the puck rolled around the boards to defenceman Connor Olson (London, ON). He fired a shot through traffic to open the scoring just 5:06 into the period with his first career AUS goal. 

Acadia was awarded a powerplay late in the frame as David Berube (Price, QC) got called for interference. The Axemen worked the puck around the zone nicely looking to tie the game but couldn’t get shots on net. Cameron Pound (White Lake, ON) and Keith Getson (Bridgewater, NS) each blocked a shot to make things easy on their goalie Jeremy Helvig (Kingston, ON). 

Shots were 11-6 in favour of the Huskies, as they led 1-0 into the intermission. 

The visiting Axemen got out to a quick start in the second frame as Liam Kidney (Enfield, NS) drove puck to the net but was stopped by Helvig. The second chance opportunity from in close by Brendan Sellan (Hanover, ON) was also stopped.  

Just seconds later it was Luke Zazula (Langley, BC) that launched a shot from the blue line that saw the puck ring off the crossbar. Later in the same shift it was Nick Deakin-Poot (Georgetown, ON) that was denied from the slot.  

Despite not being able to capitalize through half the game, Acadia pressed on, and their patience would be rewarded. Corson Hopwo (Duncan, BC) made a nice move to enter the offensive zone and get a shot off. Helvig made the initial save but the rebound was slid home by Jack Flaman (Vibank, SK).  

On the next shift the Axemen took a penalty and SMU made no mistake on the powerplay to retake the lead just 44 seconds after Acadia tied the game. It was another rebound goal from in close scored by Coxhead after the initial shot by Justin MacPherson (East Gwillimbury, ON) was stopped. 

Acadia led in shots 27-25 after 40 minutes of play but it was SMU with the 2-1 lead. 

A SMU penalty at the end of the second period gave Acadia an early powerplay. It only took 61 seconds into the final period before the Axemen tied the game on a shot by Peyton Hoyt (Lincoln, NB) from the left circle. 

The middle of the frame saw the Axemen with back-to-back powerplays. Acadia was able to score on the second advantage, but the goal was immediately waved off due to the net being off its pegs.  

Shots were 31-27 after regulation and with no one scoring during five minutes of 3-on-3 overtime the teams headed to a shootout.  

Jeremy Helvig shut the door on both Acadia shooters, while Bradey Johnson (Lindsay, ON) and Charlie Dafonseca (Thornhil, ON) scored on their attempts to give Saint Mary’s the 3-2 shootout victory. 

The win improves the Huskies record to 8-6-0 on the season. They’ll be back in action next Friday, Nov. 25, as they welcome the Moncton Aigles Bleus to the Dauphinee Centre. 

The Axemen loss drops their record to 3-8-1-1 on the season. Their next game also comes Friday, when they host the #1 ranked UNB REDS in Wolfville. 

Recap by Troy Langstaff / SMU Huskies Athletics
Photos by Mona Ghiz / SMU Huskies Athletics 

Paputsakis makes 27 saves in Axemen loss

By Thomas Becker/ UPEI Athletics

The Panthers (9-4-0) are playing some of their best hockey in recent memory and are amidst a torrid stretch, having won eight of their last nine games, including Wednesday night’s 2-0 victory over the Acadia Axemen. 

Drake Pilon got the team going early in the game, scoring his fifth goal of the season, while captain Troy Lajeunesse added the dagger late—his team-leading ninth of the campaign. 

They showed off chemistry on a power play at 4:45 of the first period when Pilon took a pass from Kurtis Henry in the right circle, where the third-year forward sniped a shot in the top right corner for the game’s opening goal. 

Another reason for the team’s success is their defensive schemes and simply staying out of the penalty box. At full strength, the Panthers are tough to score against (allowed just 24 goals at full strength), and they showed it again against Acadia. 

“Right now, we’re one of the most disciplined teams in the league,” said Panthers head coach Forbes MacPherson. “If you give up three or four more power play opportunities, eventually it will come back to haunt you.” 

UPEI limited the Axemen to just 19 shots and held them scoreless on three power play chances. Lucas Fitzpatrick got the nod between the pipes again after recording his first AUS win last Saturday, and the sophomore netminder didn’t disappoint as he registered his second straight shutout. 

After a scoreless second period, the Panthers kept the pressure on the Axemen in the offensive zone and eventually added the dagger, courtesy of Lajeunesse. On the play, TJ Shea gathered the puck along the end boards and passed it in front to Lajeunesse, who beat goaltender Zachary Paputsakis with the one-time to seal the 2-0 win. 

UPEI looks to capture their fifth straight win this Friday when they host the Saint Mary’s Huskies at Eastlink Centre, while the Axemen aim to end their five-game skid against the Huskies Saturday night.  

Hopwo & Tomilson score in Acadia loss

Story courtesy of Université de Moncton Athletics

The Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus (8-4-0=16pts, 2nd position) found the back of the net four times in the first twenty minutes of play and then held on for a 4-2 win against the Acadia University Axemen (3-8-1=7pts, 6th  position) Saturday in an Atlantic University Sport men’s hockey game at the J.-Louis-Lévesque Arena in front of more than 660 spectators. 

The Aigles Bleus opened the scoring at 3:09 thanks to number 25, Maxime Boudreau (Denis Toner), followed closely by teammate Jérémy Michel (Vincent Lanoue, Mika Cyr) three minutes later. The third was scored by Jacob Dion (Nathaël Roy, Mika Cyr) at 12:20. The Axemen responded only a minute later thanks to Corson Hopwo’s goal (Hudson Wilson, Jack Flaman). At the very last second of the first period, Rémy Anglehart (Olivier-Luc Haché) brought the score to 4-1 to close this period. 

The Axemen added their second in the second period thanks to Brendan Tomilson (Peach, Sellan) at 8:13. Despite numerous attempts in the third period, no goals were scored. Mika Cyr was named the first star of the game, Maxime Boudreau the second and Nathaël Roy the third. Zachary Paputsakis saw 34 pucks in the loss in front of the visitors’ net and Étienne Montpetit (13) and Félix-Anthony Éthier (13), 26 for the win. Moncton had one power-play goal in three attempts and Acadia was 0-for-9.   

The Aigles Bleus play at home against the Dalhousie Tigers on Friday and the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men on Saturday, both at 7 p.m. 

The Acadia Axemen will play the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Charlottetown.  

McCollum stops 22 shots in loss

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – Make it two straight losses for the Acadia Axemen (3-6-1) as the UNB Reds cruised to their seventh straight win with a 5-0 victory.

This game marks the third of the season that Acadia has been shut out by their opponent. Coming up against the hottest goalie in the AUS, Samuel Richard (Ste. Catherine, Que.), did not help Acadia either.

UNB started their offensive onslaught early in the first period when Brady Gilmour (Grafton, Ont.) knocked a puck in at the side of the net.

Simon Pinard (Drummondville, Que.) added to UNB’s lead shortly after the midway point of the period when he split the Acadia defence and slid a backhand past the Acadia goalie Conor McCollum (Pickering, Ont.) to double his team’s lead.

Acadia’s best chance in the period came when Liam Kidney (Enfield, N.S.) got a partial breakaway. However, Kidney was unable to solve the UNB goalie.

At the end of the period, the REDS held a 12-9 lead in shots.

The second period saw UNB continue their offensive dominance, putting up another two goals.

Jason Willms (Kitchener, Ont.) potted the first goal of the second for the REDS, 33 seconds into the period while shorthanded.

A turnover by Acadia exiting their zone led to Willms being left alone in front of Acadia’s net. Willms deked out McCollum and slid the puck under his pads to extend the UNB lead to 3-0.

Cole MacKay (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) notched the other goal of the period, as he fired a one-timer into the top right corner of the net in the final minutes of the second to give the REDS a 4-0 advantage.

UNB held a 20-15 lead in shots heading into the final frame.

Kade Landry (Gowanstown, Ont.) capped off the scoring for UNB with just under two minutes remaining in the game.

Landry stepped in from the blueline and wired a wrist shot high off the left side post and in to put his team up 5-0.

Together, Acadia and UNB recorded 124 minutes in penalties in the third. Most of the penalties came during a pair of scraps late in the period.

Conor McCollum stopped 22 of 27 shots for the Axemen, while his UNB counterpart Samuel Richard turned aside all 20 shots he faced on the night for his first shutout of the season.

UNB players Austen Keating (Guelph, Ont.) and Michael Petizian (Mississauga, Ont.) were awarded Subway First and Third Stars of the Night, respectively. Matt McKim (St. John’s, Nfld.) was named the second star for Acadia.

Acadia now heads out on a four-game road trip that will see them take on UNB, Moncton, UPEI, and Saint Mary’s, before returning home on Friday, November 25^th to take on UNB again. The REDS host Acadia and Saint Mary’s beginning this Friday with the Axemen.

Recap by Joshua Foote, Acadia Athletics Communications

McMaster & Hopwo score in Axemen loss

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – Penalty trouble killed the Acadia Axemen’s chance at a win on Saturday night, as the team fell 4-2 to the StFX X-Men. StFX had a total of nine power-plays on the night and they capitalized on two of them.

Subway First Star of the Night Jacob Hudson (Antigonish, N.S.) scored the game-winning goal and added a pair of assists for StFX.

Acadia jumped out to an early lead, which turned out to be their only one of the game, on a marker from the second star of the night Adam McMaster (Beamsville, Ont.).

McMaster cut into the offensive zone and wired a wrist shot into the top right corner of the net to make it 1-0 with 17:29 left to play in the opening frame.

However, the Axemen ran into serious penalty trouble in the first frame and gave the X-Men an opportunity to put up two power-play goals.

Josh Nelson (Lockport, IL) scored both goals in the first period for StFX, roughly five minutes apart from each other.

Nelson’s first goal came on a wrist shot from the slot, while his second was from a scramble in front of the net where the puck bounced off the goalie, then the post, and then in.

By the end of the first period, Acadia was down 15-12 in shots.

The second period saw chances on both sides, but Acadia was unable to tie the game.

StFX extended their lead late in the period when Jacob Hudson came out of the penalty box and broke in on an odd-man scoring chance. Hudson buried a wrist shot low glove side to make it 3-1.

By the end of the second period, Acadia held a 24-22 shot lead, despite trailing in the game.

The Axemen made things interesting late in the third after they notched a powerplay goal.

Corson Hopwo (Duncan, B.C.) came out of the corner, protected the puck in front of the net and then flipped the puck over the StFX goalie to make it 3-2.

Liam Hawel (Arnprior, Ont.) sealed the victory for StFX with an empty-net goal with 33 seconds left to play.

Axemen goaltender Zachary Paputsakis turned aside 30 of 33 shots on the night, while his StFX counterpart and third star of the night Joseph Raaymakers stopped 40 of 42 shots.

Acadia drops to 3-5-1 and returns to play on Tuesday, Nov. 8 against the UNB REDS at 7:00 pm. The X-Men improve to 4-5-0-0 and host UPEI on Wednesday, Nov. 9 – at 7:00 pm start.

RECAP By: Joshua Foote, Acadia Athletics Communications

Sellan scores 2 goals in win

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – It was an offensive explosion for the Acadia Axemen (3-4-1) on Friday night, as they snapped their four-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Dalhousie Tigers (1-7-0).

Acadia had a strong offensive night, outshooting the Tigers 43-18 and dominating offensive zone play throughout the game.

Four Axemen players scored their first goal of the season, including rookies Corson Hopwo (Duncan, B.C.) and Brendan Sellan (Hanover, Ont.), who scored two on the night.

The first period saw a pair of Acadia rookies net their first career U SPORTS goal.

Brendan Sellan was the first rookie to score. Sellan redirected a slap pass from Jack Flaman, who fired the puck toward the Tigers’ net from inside the blueline, to make it 1-0.

Corson Hopwo added to Acadia’s lead, and nabbed his first university career goal, just under two minutes later on a wrist shot that he buried upstairs on the glove side past the Tigers goalie Connor Hicks (Kanata, Ont.).

Subway First Star of the Game, Liam Kidney (Enfield, N.S.) stole the puck off a Tigers player’s stick at center ice and brought the puck into the offensive zone before handing it off to Hopwo.

“The guys were talking before the game about coming out hot and playing against this team in our rink and definitely exploiting them with the space on the ice and that showed earlier on in the game,” said Kidney after the game.

After taking a timeout early in the period, Dalhousie replied with a power-play marker from Jarrett Baker (Black Rock, N.S.).

Baker fired a quick shot from the slot that beat the Acadia goalie up high to cut the deficit in half for the Tigers.

However, Acadia extended their lead late in the opening period with their first power-play goal in six games from Orlando Mainolfi (Richmond Hill, Ont.).

Acadia held a dominant 14-5 lead in shots by the end of the first.

Keegan Stevenson (Aweres Township, Ont.) added to the lead for the Axemen early in the second. Stevenson took a pass from Cole Nagy (Saskatoon, Sask.) and deked out Hicks before sliding a backhander into the net while falling.

The shots were heavily in Acadia’s favour by the end of the second, as the Axemen held a 31-14 lead going into the final frame.

Acadia continued to dominate the play in the third. Riley Webb (Stoney Creek, Ont.) added a fifth goal for Acadia on a weird bounce in the third.

Dalhousie added a power-play marker from Logan Johnston (Fredericton, N.B.) late in the third, but it was too late to make a difference in the outcome of the game. Johnston was named the Second Star of the Game.

Acadia goalie Conor McCollum (Pickering, Ont.) turned aside 16 of the 18 shots he faced on the night, while Hicks stopped 38 of 43 shots.

Acadia has two home games in the four days, as they take on the StFX X-Men on Saturday, Nov. 5, and the UNB Varsity Reds on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Puck drop for both games is 7:00 pm.

Contributed by Joshua Foote, Acadia Athletics Communications

McCollum makes 26 saves in Axemen loss

By Thomas Becker of UPEI Athletics

The Panthers recorded their fourth straight win Saturday night after shutting out the Acadia Axemen 3-0. 

Darian Pilon, Ryan Stepien and TJ Shea each found the back of the net in the win, while goaltender Jonah Capriotti turned aside 21 shots for his first shutout of the season. 

“The boys are really confident right now. We’re working together and we believe in each other,” Pilon said. 

After a slow start to the game that was highlighted by the strength of each team’s defence, the Panthers (5-3-0) finally broke the deadlock at 11:42 of the second period. On the play, Acadia (2-4-1) tried to clear the puck from their zone, but Pilon nabbed the puck from the air and placed a beautiful backhand shot by goaltender Conor McCollum for the power play goal. 

Defense and goaltending continued to shine throughout the second period and most of the third before UPEI delivered the final blow. After taking a big check with four minutes left to play, Stepien stayed in the play and got the puck back along the side of the net, where he roofed a shot over the goalie’s shoulder to make it 2-0. 

As McCollum tried to skate to the bench for the six-on-five opportunity, the Axemen turned the puck over in the neutral zone, where Shea gathered it and skipped a shot in the open cage for the 3-0 win. 

“Our team has been in tune with being prepared and ready to go for each game,” Pilon said. “When we’re playing our game, no one can really play with us.” 

The Panthers’ next test comes Friday night when they take on the visiting UNB Reds, while the Axemen return home where they’ll welcome the Dalhousie Tigers. 

McMaster & Kidney with the Acadia goals

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – Make it three straight losses for the Acadia Axemen (2-3-1), as the USPORTS No. 6 ranked Saint Mary’s Huskies pulled off a 3-2 OT win on Wednesday night. 

Acadia held a lead late in the third, but Saint Mary’s tied the game on a late power-play goal and then won it in OT on a goal from Subway First Star of the Night Bradey Johnson (Lindsay, Ont.). 

Johnson came in on an odd-man rush and slipped a wrist shot past Acadia’s goalie Zachary Paputsakis (Rockland, Ont.) to send the Acadia crowd home in disappointment. 

There was a kerfuffle in front of the Saint Mary’s net near the beginning of the period that set the tone for a rough first period. 

Neither team was able to open the scoring in the first period. 

Saint Mary’s had the best chance of the period when Jake Durham (Port Perry, Ont.) missed a wide-open net on a cross-crease pass in the final minutes of the first. 

Acadia came close to putting one on the board in the final minute of the first when Keegan Stevenson (Aweres Township, Ont.) got a partial break and lifted a backhand shot at the net. 

At the end of the first period, Saint Mary’s held a 12-7 lead in shots. 

Saint Mary’s put one past Paputsakis with 4:44 left in the frame on a point shot from Jaxon Bellamy (Hampton, N.B). 

Adam McMaster (Beamsville, N.S.) wired a shot on a pass from Nick Deakin-Poot (Georgetown, Ont.) to tie the game, which is where the score stood heading into the final frame. 

At the end of the second, the shots were 21-18 for Acadia. 

Acadia took their first lead of the game in the final period on a goal from the team’s leading scorer, Liam Kidney (Enfield, N.S.). 

Kidney picked up a rebound in front of the net and slid it past the goalie to make it 2-1. 

A late penalty in the final minutes of the third by Acadia gave Andrew Coxhead (Bedford, N.S.) the opportunity to wire a top-shelf wrist shot into the top right corner to tie the game. 

Acadia goalie and second star of the night Zachary Paputsakis turned aside 28 of 31 shots on the night in a stellar performance. Saint Mary’s goalie and third star of the night Matt Welsh (Halifax, N.S.) stopped 28 of 30 shots. 

The Acadia Axemen return to the ice on Saturday, Oct. 29 against the UPEI Panthers before returning for a home game on Friday, Nov. 4 against the Dalhousie Tigers.  The Huskies host the UPEI Panthers on this Friday night. The puck drops at 7:00 pm on both nights. 

Deakin-Poot, Zazula, & Hoyt with Acadia’s goals

Wolfville, N.S. – The Acadia Axemen came up short in a 5-3 loss to the UPEI Panthers, making it two losses in a row for Acadia. 

A three-goal first period from UPEI was the difference maker in the game. Acadia attempted a comeback, getting within one in the second, but they could not find a way to tie the game. 

UPEI stormed out with an offensive onslaught in the first period, taking a 3-0 lead into the second period. 

Drake Pilon (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) opened the scoring on a beautiful cross-ice pass in front of the net from Darian Pilon (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.). 

Pilon’s goal was a wrister that found the top right corner of the net. 

Carson MacKinnon (Summerside, P.E.I.) doubled up the score at the halfway point of the period on a tap-in in front of the net. 

Subway First Star of the Night, Troy Lajeunesse (Sturgeon Falls, Ont.), added to the lead at 1:36 after MacKinnon with another tap-in near the front of the net. 

By the end of the period, the Panthers had doubled up the Axemen in shots, 16-8. 

Acadia made a valiant comeback effort in the second frame thanks to goals from the second star of the night Nick Deakin-Poot (Georgetown, Ont.) and Luke Zazula (Langley, B.C.). 

Deakin-Poot took a wrist shot from the slot with 15:56 remaining to play in the second. His shot found the back of the net and was so hard, it knocked the cap off of the goalie’s water bottle. 

Zazula put Acadia within one at the 8:21 mark in the second period, on a toe-drag wrist shot in the slot. He was able to score after Bailey Peach (Falmouth, N.S.) kept the puck in the zone after shaking a defender at the blue-line with a spin move.  

However, the Panthers doubled up their lead with 42.8 seconds left in the frame. 

Lajeunesse potted his second of the night on a power-play one-timer while set up in the right circle in Acadia’s zone. 

The shots were much closer by the end of the second, with UPEI holding a 27-25 lead. 

It was a tense third period, as Acadia tried to tie things up, but were largely unable to solve the Panthers goalie, Jonah Capriotti (Charlottetown, P.E.I.). 

To make things interesting, Peyton Hoyt (Fredericton, N.B.) netted a power-play goal from the point in the final minute of the game with the goalie pulled. 

A comeback was not in the cards for Acadia, as the Panthers added an empty-net goal thanks to Darian Pilon. 

UPEI Panther Kyle Maksimovich (Oakville, Ont.) was awarded the third star of the night. 

Zachary Paputsakis (Rockland, Ont.) turned aside 25 of 29 shots on the night. Conor McCollum (Pickering, Ont.) stopped all three shots he faced when he came in for a brief relief of Paputsakis to end the first period. UPEI goalie Jonah Capriotti stopped 33 of 36 shots on the night. 

Acadia returns to the ice on Wednesday, Oct. 26 against the Saint Mary’s Huskies at home. The puck drop for the game is 7:00 pm. The Panthers travel to Saint Mary’s on Friday night.