Category: Team Stories

Axemen in partnership with the Atlantic Hockey Group set date for Aug 8-10 at Acadia Arena

The Acadia Axemen in partnership with the Atlantic Hockey Group have announced a specialized hockey camp for the Under 14, 2002 birthdates from August 8-10th at Acadia Arena in Wolfville, POE Prep Hockey Camp.

Coach Darren Burns had this to say about the announcement,

“We are very excited to be able to host a camp like this for the 02 age group. We feel that this is just the beginning for providing a destination for kids in Atlantic Canada to come in the summer. I believe that this is something which could expand very rapidly and provide a very cost effective way of creating a tremendous experience for kids.  We are very fortunate to have the expertise of having a world class kinesiology department as well as the strength and conditioning leadership of Elliott Richardson’s program here at Acadia. The specialization at the goaltending position with  our own Michael Chiasson will also be a staple of this weekend.  Creating this partnership with the Atlantic Hockey Group allows us to utilize their professionalism , experienced and well respected coaches along with our university players to bring in the top aspiring players in Atlantic Canada at this age Level.Read more »

Fioretti Named CHL Humanitarian of the Year

Written by Marc Smith of http://www.discovermoosejaw.com on Saturday, 24 May 2014

Sam Fioretti’s hard work in the community has now earned him national recognition.

The former Moose Jaw Warriors captain was named the 2014 CHL Humanitarian of the Year on Saturday at the annual CHL Awards in London, Ontario.

“It’s a huge honour to win an award like this for the entire CHL,” said Fioretti over the phone from London on Sunday. “It’s not only for me, but it’s an award for my teammates, who also put a lot of time into the community and were always eager to give back.

The award caps off Fioretti’s four-year WHL career with all four seasons spent in Moose Jaw where he became a well known face in the community for more than his hard work and skill on the ice.

Last season, Fioretti worked hard to continued many of the community programs that had been started in previous years, but also worked to create and spearhead two new initiatives. He worked with the Moose Jaw Police Service to go into schools to speak with students about bullying and then started the Warrior Workouts program aimed at teaching kids the correct ways to get active.

“I’ve got to say a big thank you to the community of Moose Jaw,” said Fioretti. “They embraced these two programs and made it very enjoyable to be apart of them.

“We’re role models as WHL players and it’s nice to give back to the community which gives so much to us.”Read more »

Junior A hockey: Ancaster’s Giftopoulos has added good feet to great hands

Soft hands and great feet

IceLevel.com

This year — with the Windsor Spitfires where he was traded last season — Ancaster’s Remy Giftopoulos, pictured, is a point-a-game guy.

Compliment someone on how good their hands are and those within earshot will almost certainly cock their eyebrow and wonder what the heck you’re talking about. Unless, of course, you’re speaking to someone who’s a massage therapist, a doctor delivering babies or someone working in the bomb-disposal business, in which it makes perfect sense.

Or a hockey player.

Good hands have certainly been a bonus for Remy Giftopoulos. His talented mitts have always allowed him to score. Even as a small boy playing minor hockey, he had the gift.

His ability to make some magic with a stick and a puck landed the Ancaster native in the Ontario Hockey League as a 16-year-old with big dreams and lofty expectations. Which is when reality hit hard. At that level, hands are secondary. Speed is king.

“I’ve been told one of my weaker points was my skating,” the 20-year-old says. “I definitely realized it when I came to the next level.”

In order to perform magic with the puck, you have to be able to get the puck. Which comes from wheels. As a guy who never took powerskating lessons growing up and who’d developed some bad habits on his blades, it was a splash of cold water in the face.Read more »

Archer accepted to Medicine program in Edmonton

The Acadia Axemen will be bidding farewell to one of their leaders, defenceman and assistant captain, Colin Archer. Archer has been accepted into the Medicine program at U of A in Edmonton, Alberta.

Archer came to Acadia midway through the 2011-12 season after deciding to leave Montreal’s McGill University. Due to this, he was forced to red shirt, and only practice for the Axemen for the remainder of the season.

The 2012-13 season saw Archer suit up for 26 regular season games, recording 2 points and 38 PIM’s, making a reputation for himself as a tough competitor who took care of his defensive zone first. 2013-14,  he played in all 28 regular season games, recording 5 points and 46 PIM’s. Archer captured the AUS championship with the Axemen in the 13-14 playoffs, recording 3 points in 8 games. He also saw action in the CIS national tournament before being injured in the opening game for Acadia.

The loss of Colin Archer, adds to hole on the backend left by graduating defensemen Chris Owens, Leo Jenner, and Cullen Morin. The Acadia coaching staff is expected to rely heavily on the recruiting process to fill these holes on the blueline for the 2014-15 season. Geoff Schemitsch, Travis Gibbons, and Chris Buonomo are the returnees for the Axemen on defense.Read more »

Great on the Ice, Great off the Ice – Paul Coffey

A great night, great support, and great featured guests. The seventeenth annual Acadia Axemen Celebrity Hockey dinner took place on Thursday, June 19^th with headline guest and four time Stanley Cup winner Paul Coffey.

The night opened up with the master of ceremony, TSN correspondent and studio anchor, Paul Hollingsworth welcoming a crowd of nearly 500 Acadia Axemen supporters, including many Axemen alumni, as well as coaches and players from other Acadia varsity teams.

The silent auctions continued throughout the night with many great items including autographed jerseys from NHL greats and Cole Harbour natives Nathan MacKinnon & Sidney Crosby, along with jerseys & autographed photos from the featured guest himself, Paul Coffey.

Coach Darren Burns took to the stage and thanked the community for the tremendous support throughout the year, and let the crowd know how much he appreciates being a part of the valley community.Read more »

Featuring 2004 Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee Paul Coffey

Click here to Download Registration Form to Purchase a Table or Single Tickets

Smooth-skating Paul Coffey embodied everything an offensive defenseman could be – lightning fast, skilled playmaker, booming shot, savvy — yet still able to defend his team’s zone employing blinding speed.

Born June 1, 1961 in Weston, Ontario, after two seasons of junior, Paul Coffey was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers using their first pick in the 1980 Entry Draft. It was perfect timing for both sides – the Oilers were a highly skilled, offensively explosive club and Coffey’s skill set fit in perfectly as the quarterback of the dynamic young team.

In his second season, 1981-82, Paul led all NHL defensemen with 89 points and was chosen for the Second All-Star Team. In 1982-83, he collected 96 points, but it was his 126 points in 1983-84 that put him second only to teammate Wayne Gretzky in the NHL scoring race that year. That season, the Edmonton Oilers won the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

On his way to helping lead the Oilers to their second straight Stanley Cup, Paul Coffey won the Norris Trophy as the National Hockey League’s best defenseman and was selected to the First All-Star Team in 1984-85, a feat he replicated in 1985-86 in a season that can only be considered extraordinary. Coffey finished third in scoring with 138 points, including 48 goals.

Prior to the 1986-87 season, Coffey was traded to Pittsburgh, where he was able to further his exploits. In both 1988-89 and ’89-90, Paul cracked the

100-point plateau for the fourth time. Coffey helped the Penguins win their first Stanley Cup in 1990-91.

In February 1992, Coffey was moved to the Los Angeles Kings, the third of what would eventually be nine teams on his NHL resume. In January 1993, it was off to Detroit, but an injured knee hampered his play that season. By the following season, he had rebounded and not only led the Red Wings in scoring but was once again awarded the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman.Read more »

For details on how to purchase your tickets along with ticket packages with other Acadia Varsity Sports, click here

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Heelis adds to his hardware for the year; Gibbons awarded the Kevin Powell Memorial Award

The AUS Champion Acadia Axemen hockey team wrapped up the 2013-14 season with the announcement of their team awards at the Annual Fred G. Kelly Awards Night hosted by the Department of Athletics.

The award for Rookie of the Year for the 2013-14 season went to co-winners Geoff Schemitsch and Michael Clarke.

A standout first year defenseman, Geoff Schemitsch played a big role on the team’s back end. Good offensively and responsible defensively, Geoff is a smooth skating defenseman and a  player to watch for years to come. This season Geoff was named to the AUS All-Rookie team.

Michael Clarke flew under the radar the entire season. Scoring nine of his 12 regular season goals in the second half of the season, Clarke was one of the Axemen’s top goal scorers. A strong and physical player, Michael shoots the puck like a pro and plays a complete two way game. With great hands, Michael has the ability to take control of a hockey game.

Second year centerman Travis Randell was named the Most Improved Player of the Year. A great leader that can play in all situations, Travis is a centerman that has the ability to produce and play a sound defensive game. While Travis had three goals in the regular season – all three in the second half of the season, he also scored three important goals in eight playoff games including two eventual game winning goals.Read more »