Category: Team Stories

A Big Valley Welcome to Axemen Hockey Family Members

The Acadia Axemen have two important games this weekend as they face the CIS #7 ranked SMU Huskies and the 2015 CIS University Cup host St. FX X-Men. But there is another reason this coming weekend mark’s a very special weekend for the Acadia Axemen players. This is the Axemen family appreciation weekend, where our players’ family are invited to travel to Wolfville to spend time together & with the team, experience Acadia University, while enjoying two home games while they are in town.

This is the 6th annual weekend for the event, and it has been a great success in the past, and event organizer Sonia Richards believes this weekend will be no different; with 20 families travelling to Wolfville, from places as far as Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Coach Darren Burns had this to say about the event, “We are extremely excited about the impact and importance of our family weekend. It has become a staple of our program. It is important for us as a team, for our families to experience Acadia, together.”

It is a great event for the families of the 1st year players to get to know the town, the University, and the players surroundings; and for the veteran players, the families look forward to seeing other families they’ve met up with in years past to enjoy watching their sons, brothers, nephews, or cousins suit up for the Axemen.

If you see one of the Acadia Axemen players’ families in town this weekend, be sure to give them a great big Valley welcome! Let’s fill the rink again this weekend and show the Axemen players’ families our support for their Axemen!

AUS/CIS All-Star defenceman returns for 5th year of Eligibility

The Acadia Axemen hockey team is very pleased to announce that Chris Owens has returned to the team for his 5th and final year of CIS hockey eligibility. Owens has decided to continue to pursue his education at Acadia University this year.

Owens was in the lineup for the Axemen on Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to St. FX, where he scored shorthanded on a great individual effort that at the time tied the game at 2. Chris wore #3 for Acadia on Wednesday, since his number from the past four seasons, #10, has been worn by freshman Zach Franko this year.

Coach Darren Burns said, “We are very excited that Chris has decided to pursue more education and continue to play at Acadia. His leadership and abilities will be a great addition to our program.”

In four seasons with Acadia, Owens has scored 30 goals and 104 points in 109 regular season games, but he doesn’t just play in the offensive end of the ice, in 2014 Chris was chosen as the Axemen defensive player of the year. He was also a first team AUS all-star last season, helping to lead Acadia to an AUS championship and CIS University Cup tournament berth.Read more »

AUS Regular Season hockey has finally returned to Wolfville! Your Acadia Axemen return to the ice in Wolfville for their season home opener tonight, as they host the UPEI Panthers. Game time is 7pm. This weekend is also Homecoming weekend at Acadia University, so get your tickets to the hockey game, and come on out and cheer on the team!

One item that has changed since their last regular season AUS game in Wolfville is the name of the Arena, which was formerly known as the Acadia Arena, has been renamed the Andrew H. McCain Arena. You will also notice many upgrades and renovations to the Arena, including new lighting, sound system, and wall materials. Another major addition you will surely notice is the walking track around the arena.

Arrive early to the game on Friday night, as prior to puck drop, a special ceremony will take place as the Axemen raise their 2014 Atlantic University Sport (AUS) Championship banner to the rafters of the arena.

Now onto the game! The Axemen are coming off a 4-0 win over the Dalhousie Tigers last Saturday night in Halifax, which saw their top line of Liam Heelis, Brett Thompson, and Mike Cazzola combine for 3 of Acadia’s 4 goals. The Panthers suffered a 3-2 overtime loss to UNB in Charlottetown on Saturday night, despite an outstanding performance in goal from Mavric Parks, as he turned away 39 of 42 shots he faced from UNB.

Parks will more than likely get the start on Friday night, while Acadia’s Brandon Glover, who shutout the Tigers, will likely get the nod for the Axemen.

Acadia will look to put their team speed and relentless work ethic to the forefront on the larger ice surface of the McCain Arena this weekend; characteristics that were clearly a factor in the retooling of this year’s team and recruitment of new players.

For those out of town, or who can’t make Friday’s game, the game can be watched live online at AUStv.ca , as always, Len Hawley will have the call of the game on AVR Radio, 97.7FM or online on avrnetwork.com. The Axemen return to the ice at home on Saturday night as they welcome the St. Thomas Tommies to town.

Regular Season Opener: Dal Tigers Host the Acadia Axemen

It’s go time for the Acadia Axemen! Having been chomping at the bit to get back on the ice after their appearance at the CIS championships last March; the Axemen now begin the long journey to get back to the University Cup tournament, and gain a shot at redemption. Game 1 of the journey is the 2014-15 regular season opener for both the Acadia Axemen and Dalhousie Tigers, on Saturday at 7pm at the Halifax Forum.

Dal starts the season with 11 new faces, including former Moosehead Memorial Cup winner Brendan Duke.They will look to compete for a playoff position after finishing 8th in the AUS last season with a 3-24-1 record.

Tigers head coach Chris Donnelly believes that his team can make some noise this season, saying, “We are returning a strong core of character players and looking around the league, a lot of teams have lost some core players, so this could be a good year for us to move up in the standings.”

Team leader in points  from a year ago, (17 points) Fabian Walsh and Pierre-Alexandre Vandall will be heavily relied upon for scoring for Dalhousie. While third year netminder Wendell Vye will more than likely see action for Dal in goal.

The Axemen will look to match their AUS championship season of a year ago, which included a second place 21-4-3 record in the regular season.Read more »