Category: Team Stories

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Randell Among 5 Axemen Recruits

story courtesy of hockeyscene.com

WOLFVILLE, NS, August 13, 2012 – Only losing three players to graduation from last year’s roster, the Acadia University Axemen hockey team are pleased to announce commitments by two Ontario Hockey League seniors, two Quebec Major Junior Hockey League players and one Western Hockey League defenceman.

“Overall we are extremely excited with our recruiting class”, said 11 year veteran head coach Darren Burns. “We felt we needed to improve offensively as well as adding to our overall grit and physical play which with these additions we feel we have accomplished”.

After five seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads, Twillingate, N.L. native Travis Randell joins the neighbouring Axemen. A forward who has also been tested as a defenceman is noted as an intelligent player.Read more »

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story courtesy of chronicleherald.ca

Darren_Burns_05Hockey coach Darren Burns and football coach Jeff Cummins will remain at the helm of their Acadia University teams.

The university on Thursday announced contract extensions for Burns and Cummins, the longest-serving coaches on the Wolfville campus.

Burns, who played for the Axemen from 1990 to 1995, is heading into his 12th year behind the bench. Cummins, the former CFLer starting his 10th campaign, joined the program as an assistant and took over the reins when longtime head coach Sonny Wolfe retired in 2003.

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Former Islanders great treats dinner guests to stories and music

story courtesy of acadiau.ca 15/06/2012 4:17 pm

trottier_celebrity_dinner

Hall of Famer Brian Trottier

WOLFVILLE, NS – For the 15th consecutive year, the Axemen Hockey Celebrity Dinner, presented by local barristers Boyne Clarke, drew the attention of the Annapolis Valley sporting fan with this year’s headliner NHL hockey Hall of Famer Brian Trottier.

With over 400 in attendance, Trottier grabbed the attention of a appreciative crowd with his stories of past glory with the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins along with a request by emcee and local CTV news anchor Paul Hollingsworth to play a little guitar for those in attendance. Trottier, known for his musical talent, did not disappoint all with a rendition of Johnny Cash’s I walk the Line.Read more »

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story courtesy of tsn.ca March 21, 2012FREDERICTON — Acadia centre Andrew Clark was named the top player in Canadian university men’s hockey Wednesday.

andrew_clark_actionThe native of Brandon, Man., became the third player in school history to claim the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy.

Other CIS award winners announced during the All-Canadian Gala were McGill’s Marc-Andre Dorion as the top defenceman, Alberta’s Real Cyr as top the goaltender, Western forward Zach Harnden as the rookie of the year and Saskatchewan forward Kyle Ross as the most sportsmanlike player.

Moncton’s Serge Bourgeois earned top coaching honours and UNB’s Kyle Bailey won the Dr. Randy Gregg Award recognizing his excellence in hockey, academics and community involvement.Read more »

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BY JOHN DECOSTE

Kings County Advertiser/Register

Acadia hockey head coach Darren Burns confirmed earlier this month he has commitments for next season and beyond from four new recruits, including a goaltender.

Burns has nine departing players to replace, including both of last season’s goalies: Kristofer Westblom, who will attend the Philadelphia Flyers’ conditioning camp, and Michael Chiasson.

Burns says he feels he has one of his goalies of the future confirmed in Evan Mosher, a native of Conception Bay, Newfoundland, who was a second-team QMJHL all-star this past season with the P.E.I. Rocket. “We’ve had such strong goaltending the past three or four years, and we feel Evan will help maintain that tradition.Read more »

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Celebrity dinner a hit with local residents

Published on July 1, 2011

Lyle Carter
http://www.trurodaily.com

Local residents who attended Thursday’s annual Acadia Axemen Celebrity Hockey Dinner in Wolfville didn’t come away disappointed.

“What young hockey player wouldn’t enjoy being in the company of and getting to talk to former NHL greats,” said Ben Lynds, 15. “Marcel Dionne, who played with Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings, is fifth among all-time NHL scorers and Dennis Hull had some great years with Chicago Black Hawks.”Read more »

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Athletic Director Kevin Dickie summarizes the fall of 2011 season

story courtesy of acadiau.ca 06/12/2011 2:21 pm

Submitted by Fred SgambatiWOLFVILLE, NS – The first half of Acadia University’s 2011-12 Athletics program wrapped up Friday, Dec. 2 at Acadia Arena when the varsity hockey Axemen hosted the St. Mary’s Huskies at 7 p.m. But a quick look at the fall term suggests there has been plenty to celebrate already.

Four of Acadia’s 10 varsity teams were ranked in the CIS top 10 during the fall term: football; rugby; hockey; and women’s basketball. That’s 40 per cent and pretty solid, according to Director of Athletics Kevin Dickie.Read more »

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Kevin Dickie was named athletic director of Acadia University on Tuesday.

Dickie was the Acadia hockey coach from 1997 to 2000 before leaving to coach the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. He was with the Blades for four years.

Most recently, Dickie was the athletic director at the University of New Brunswick.

“I’ll always appreciate the opportunity UNB gave me six years ago, but I’m really looking forward to taking my skills and experience to Acadia,” Dickie said in a news release. “The commitment Acadia’s senior leadership team has shown to make me a part of the Acadia family is a wonderful opportunity for me as well as Cindy and our two boys. We’re looking forward to coming to Acadia and back to the Valley. Acadia is headed in a very positive direction and it’s going to be exciting to be part of it.”

courtesy of thechronicleherald.ca

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BY JOHN DECOSTE

Kings County Advertiser/Register

Although the 2010/ 2011 season had a less than satisfactory ending for the Acadia hockey Axemen, head coach Darren Burns has “lots of positives.”

After a fourth-place finish in the regular season, the Axemen swept UPEI in the first round of the playoffs, then lost their semifinal series to UNB three games to one, including a loss in quadruple overtime.

“We felt we had a legitimate shot at making it to nationals. We fell short of that, and that’s disappointing,” Burns says.

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Hockey Axemen head coach Darren Burns: “Am I happy? Not totally. Am I proud of the guys for what they were able to accomplish? Absolutely.” File

“There are things you can control, and lots of things you can’t. I felt a lot of the things we could control, we did.”

The Axemen “had an up-and-down first half due to having so many new faces,” but “got on a good run” in the second half until “we ran into some injury problems that didn’t help.”

Other than the second period in game one against UNB, “I felt our six playoff games were our six best games of the year.”Read more »

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Everyone loves Ekelman

****This is an article written last year about 2010 Axemen Recruit Dustin Ekelman, then of the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors of the OHL.

By Sunaya Sapurji Apr 17, 6:50 pm EDT

Dustin Ekelman stands in the hallway outside the dressing room fully decked out in a suit and tie. He is barefoot.

“I can’t find my socks,” the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors forward says sheepishly, rummaging though his pockets.

It’s understandable, for on this night, the overage forward is the star of the game having scored the game-winning goal—shorthanded no less—to help the Majors defeat the top ranked Barrie Colts, 5-2, and tie their best-of-seven Eastern Conference final at one game apiece.Read more »