Category: Team Stories

Acadia adds hard nosed forward to lineup for January

The Acadia Axemen finished up the first half of their 2015-16 ranked #1 in the CIS national university hockey rankings. Coach Darren Burns was pleased with how the team came together in the first half, and hopes that a new addition to the lineup for the second half, will help the team continue to improve as they look to get back to a third straight national tournament appearance. Chance Braid has arrived in Wolfville, and will begin practicing with the team next week, in preparation for the Axemen’s 2^nd half opener against the STU Tommies on January 9th.

“We had a solid first half, but the league is very tight. We are very excited to have Chance joining our program. He played in last spring’s Memorial Cup with the Kelowna Rockets, so it’s obvious he knows what it’s all about to play in pressure situations,” said Burns.

The 6’1, 210-pound power forward from Chauvin, Alberta spent the fall playing a handful of games in the ECHL with Idaho and Allen. Braid finished up a four-year junior career in the WHL narrowly losing in the Memorial Cup finals in overtime, with the Kelowna Rockets last season, after a midseason trade from the Prince George Cougars. Braid spent his first three years in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders.

Braid is known as a punishing power forward who doesn’t mind sticking up for his teammates. The hard-nosed left winger developed into one of the most feared players in the Western Hockey League. In a previous interview, Braid talked about his play, “I’ve been playing the same style of hockey since I’ve been in Prince Albert four years ago. I just finish my checks, be hard to play against and not be afraid to play in the dirty areas.”

Coach Burns added this about Braid, “His reputation as a team first player, who cares about his teammates is extremely important. He is a very strong physical player who will immediately add size and strength to our lineup. We are a gritty team, but adding a power forward with a strong hockey IQ of his caliber will no doubt help our team and create some space for some of our other forwards. This is a very skilled physical league and adding a forward who goes to the net hard and finishes his checks will be an added element to our team.”Read more »

Acadia to face Saint Mary’s at the Scotiabank Centre

Halifax, NS – Sports & Entertainment Atlantic (S|E|A), in partnership with the Scotiabank Centre, Dalhousie Athletics and Saint Mary’s Athletics, is pleased to announce the creation of a new, university sport event for the city of Halifax!

Varsity Showdown 2016 will bring Dalhousie, Saint Mary’s, St.FX and Acadia together for two (2) regular season men’s hockey games on Friday, January 29th and two (2) women’s and men’s regular season basketball doubleheaders on Saturday, January 30th; all at the Scotiabank Centre in downtown Halifax.

“Varsity Showdown 2016 will provide a terrific platform to showcase the amazing product and inspiring athletes participating in AUS hockey and basketball,” said Derek Martin, President of S|E|A, producers of the CIS University Cup and the recently awarded CIS Final 8. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Dalhousie and Saint Mary’s to bring their home games to the Scotiabank Centre where we know we can deliver an outstanding entertainment experience to students, alumni and fans”.

”This is a community that loves and supports university sport – we’ve seen that time and again,” said Scott Ferguson, president and CEO of Trade Centre Limited, operators of the Scotiabank Centre. “With such an exciting line up of men’s and women’s sport, this promises to be an unforgettable weekend full of good competition.”Read more »

OTTAWA (CIS) – Canadian Interuniversity Sport unveiled Monday its roster for a two-game exhibition series between CIS men’s hockey all-stars and Canada’s National Junior Team prospects in two weeks. Acadia defenseman Matt Pufahl was one of six AUS players named to the CIS All-Star roster.

The two-game set, which was announced earlier this month, will take place at the MasterCard Centre in Toronto on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. EST and Sunday, Dec. 13 at noon EST as part of the National Junior Team’s preparation for the 40^th IIHF World Junior Championship in Finland (Dec. 26 – Jan. 5).

The 23-player CIS lineup – including 20 with CHL experience – is comprised of 11 standouts from the OUA conference and six apiece from the AUS and Canada West leagues.

Highlighting the university squad are two members of the reigning two-time University Cup champion Alberta Golden Bears, a pair of former NHL draft picks, as well as the current CIS leaders in scoring, goals and goaltending.

“I know I speak on behalf of our entire coaching staff when I say we’re very pleased with the makeup of this team,” said head coach Shawn Camp from the University of Guelph, who will be accompanied behind the bench by assistant coaches Darren Burns from Acadia, Brett Gibson from Queen’s and Mike Sirant from Manitoba. “In order to compete with the National Junior Team we need to have players who have speed, skill and mobility, and we certainly have that when you look at the individuals on this roster. We know these guys will compete hard and play with composure.”

Protecting the CIS net in Toronto will be goaltenders Kevin Bailie from Queen’s, Corbin Boes from Dalhousie and Jordon Cooke from Saskatchewan.Read more »

CIS coaches announced for series vs. National Junior Team prospects

OTTAWA (CIS) – Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced Tuesday its coaching staff for a two-game exhibition series between CIS men’s hockey all-stars and Canada’s National Junior Team prospects in December.

The two-game set, which was announced last week, will take place at the MasterCard Centre in Toronto on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET and Sunday, Dec. 13 at noon ET as part of the National Junior Team’s preparation for the 40^th IIHF World Junior Championship in Finland (Dec. 26 – Jan. 5).

Shawn Camp from the University of Guelph has been appointed head coach of the all-CIS squad. He will be accompanied behind the bench by assistant coaches representing all three CIS conferences, including Darren Burns from Acadia University, Brett Gibson from Queen’s University and Mike Sirant from the University of Manitoba.

Burns, who hails from Brockville, Ont., is in his 15^th campaign in charge at Acadia. A three-time conference coach of the year and the 2005 recipient of the Father George Kehoe Memorial Award at the CIS level, he has guided his troops to a pair of AUS titles and was an assistant coach with the Universiade gold medal-winning squad in 2007 in Italy. The former Axemen captain was a member of two University Cup championship teams at Acadia, first as a player in 1993 and then as an assistant in 1996.

Coach Darren Burns said, “It’s truly an honour to get this opportunity in December. There is no question that the hard work and dedication of Acadia University, the coaching staff and players here over the past several years, has provided this opportunity for me. It will be a privilege to represent the CIS, AUS, and Acadia at this event. I believe the CIS committee and Hockey Canada have created a tremendous opportunity for all involved, not just this year, but for many years to follow. A lot of hard work and preparation has went into this, and they should be commended.”

Burns added, “Team CIS will need to focus on doing their best to win these two games with integrity and passion. It is important for the team to focus and help the Team Canada Juniors prepare for this prestigious tournament. We need to do everything we can to help our countries team prepare to win Gold in January.”Read more »

OTTAWA (CIS) – Hockey Canada and Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced Wednesday a two-game exhibition series that will see a selection of CIS all-stars face off against Canada’s National Junior Team prospects as they prepare for the 40^th IIHF World Junior Championship in Finland (Dec. 26 – Jan. 5).

The games will be played at the MasterCard Centre in Toronto on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET and Sunday, Dec. 13 at noon ET.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Hockey Canada for what should be two very entertaining hockey games, and the first step in an expanded partnership between our organizations,” said Graham Brown, chief executive officer of CIS. “We all know how excited Canadians get every December about our National Junior Team. These games will provide great exposure for CIS men’s hockey, and I know our players and coaches are looking forward this opportunity to shine on a national stage.”

“It is important for us to make the most of our opportunity to assess the players during December’s selection camp,” said Scott Salmond, vice-president of hockey operations and national teams for Hockey Canada. “These two games on international ice provide us with additional insights we simply wouldn’t get from intrasquad play, as we look to build the strongest team possible to represent Canada in Finland.”

The 23-player CIS roster, comprised of 11 standouts from the OUA conference as well as six apiece from the AUS and Canada West, will be announced on Nov. 30. The coaching staff, including representation from all three CIS leagues, will also be unveiled by the end of the month.

For its part, Hockey Canada will announce the roster of players invited to Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp on Dec. 1. The camp will take place at the MasterCard Centre from Dec. 10 to 13 and the final roster will be announced on Dec. 20, following pre-competition games in Finland against Belarus and the Czech Republic.

“I want to thank both Hockey Canada and the Canadian Hockey League for the dialogue with CIS over the past few years,” said Kevin Dickie, chair of the CIS men’s hockey technical committee and member of the CIS board of directors. “Having coached the World Junior team, I know how critical these game‎s are in their preparation and selection process. From our end, it’s an opportunity to showcase the outstanding caliber of CIS men’s hockey, which is as good as it gets in our country.”

The National Junior Team has faced CIS competition on a regular basis in recent years in its preparation for the IIHF Championship, with most of those contests coming against a single university team or a selection from two or three programs. Last December, the Hockey Canada hopefuls swept a two-game set versus the Toronto Selects from Ryerson, York and U of T.