Posted on Posted in Team Stories
Jack and his girlfriend Emma Stevens ran the half marathon this past weekend.

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – By John DeCoste ’77 – On Oct. 10, Flaman, a Saskatchewan native, fourth-year Acadia business student and three-year hockey Axemen veteran, ran the half marathon as part of the 29th annual Valley Harvest Marathon.

Despite playing a pair of Axemen hockey games on Friday (in Wolfville) and Saturday (in Antigonish), the 24-year-old Flaman completed the 21.1-kilometre distance in around one hour and 51 minutes.

He took on the challenge as a way of honoring his older brother Mike, diagnosed a year ago with multiple sclerosis (MS), and as a means of raising funds and awareness for MS research.

“I’ve been training for it all summer,” Flaman said in an Oct. 6 interview. He admittedly had not run anything close to a 21-kilometre distance before. “Never,” he said. “It’s something new for me.”

Asked the longest distance he had run at one time, Flaman said that as part of his pre-race training, “I’ve gotten up to around 16 kilometres.” He was confident he would complete the half marathon distance on Oct. 10, adding, “it’s going to be fun. I’m not going to quit now.”

By taking on this challenge, he said, “I am looking to show that regular exercise and being outside doing things is good for you and will likely prolong your life.”

Flaman credited his girlfriend Emma Stevens for playing a big part in his pre-race training and preparation. “One day, she suggested we go running together,” he said – and it became a regular occurrence. Stevens agreed to run part of the half marathon with Flaman. “We’ll run it together.”

His mother Tricia has also been a huge support, especially with his fundraising. “She’s coming out here for the weekend,” Flaman said of his mom. “She hasn’t been here in a year-and-a-half. It’s pretty exciting. She’ll not only get to see me run, but also get to see me play two hockey games.”

In a follow-up email Oct. 11, Flaman described the race as “really fun, actually. The support from all the people on the side of the track really keeps you going.”

He was pleased with his race result, particularly for his first time running the distance. He and Stevens “ran the first half together, and she helped me get through the early grind.” Overall, he “managed to stick to my game plan of taking it easy off the start and getting faster as it went on.”

Flaman’s other goal, raising funds for and awareness of MS, also went well, he said. When we spoke Oct. 6, he had managed to raise around $7,500 toward his ultimate goal of $10,000.

He said Oct. 11, “I managed to surpass my goal of $10,000 before the race started, so I had some extra motivation. I can’t thank enough all the people who supported me and made donations,” he said.

“It started off slow,” he said of the fundraising, “because I didn’t tell a lot of people about it at first. Since I’ve put it out there, the support has been great.”

Flaman said and his brother have always been close. “Mike is three and a half years older than me. Over the past five or six years, we’ve gotten closer than we were when we were younger.”

They have become closer still since Mike’s diagnosis, and despite the distance between Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, Jack has been there for Mike as much as he can.

After playing hockey at the recreational level, Mike Flaman has taken over helping with the operation of the family dairy farm. “He’s looking to carry on the family business.”

Jack, on the other hand, played four years with a series of junior and major junior hockey teams in western Canada before being recruited to Acadia in the fall of 2018. He played two seasons with the Axemen before he and his teammates had to take last season off due to Covid-19.

He is looking forward to playing a full season in 2021-2022, and also that Acadia is scheduled to host the 2022 University Cup in Halifax next March. “Our goal is to earn our way there, not just be there.”

As for MS, asked if there might be a chance that he might be diagnosed someday, Flaman replied, “with MS, you never really know. That’s the scary part.” His brother, he pointed out, is only 27. “He’s on an experimental medicine program through Health Canada, which is making a big difference for him.”

Posted on Posted in Game Recaps

Flodell with 40 saves in Axemen loss

(FREDERICTON, NB) In a renewal of one of Atlantic University Sports’ intensifying rivalries, the UNB REDS scored three times in a five-minute span of the third period as they beat the Acadia Axemen 4-1, Wednesday night.

“It feels awesome,” said veteran REDS forward James McEwan (Chatham, ON), named Subway Player of the Game. “We haven’t really been down before, in this early part of the season, so it was good. A little bit of adversity for us to learn from and have a little bit of a fire under our butts. I thought we did a really good job answering the bell during the third.”

The game was played before 1710 fully-vaccinated and masked fans at Fredericton’s Aitken Centre.

The visitors were first to get on the scoreboard when Peyton Hoyt (Fredericton, NB) converted a one-timer on a pass from Mason McCarty (Blackie, AB) at 13:35 of the opening period.

The teams played through a scoreless second period, but it wasn’t without scoring opportunities.

Just before the eight-minute mark, UNB’s Rylan Parenteau (Saskatoon, SK) made a sprawling save on a Jack Flaman (Vibank, SK) shot from point-blank range to hold the Acadia lead to just a goal.

Logan Flodell (Regina, SK) made an equally impressive save at 13:57, with UNB working a power-play. Moments later, he got some help from defenceman Reilly Webb (Stoney Creek, ON), who got a piece of Brady Gilmour’s (Grafton, ON) shot that was destined for the back of the net.

The two teams went to the second intermission with Acadia in front 1-0.

Cue the REDS scoring explosion.

UNB finally got to Flodell at 7:08 of the third, when James Phelan (Laval, QC) swept across the front of the net and slid the puck past the Axemen netminder.

Four minutes later, McEwan broke down the left wing, crossed in front of the Acadia net and lifted a back-hand shot over Flodell to give UNB the lead.

Less than a minute after McEwan’s goal, Jason Willms (Kitchener, ON) scored his first AUS goal to put UNB up 3-1.

The REDS were then forced to kill a double-minor penalty assessed to McEwan. A deflated Axemen squad could not muster a shot during the power-play.

Nicolas Guay (Chateauguay, QC) added an empty net goal to make the final score 4-1.

“The third period, we pride ourselves in it and we know it’s our best period and the guys had the urgency of getting pucks to the net, everybody was going to the net and I think it was about time that somebody would bang one in and James Phelan got us going,” said McEwan. “Lucky enough, we had three more to pot and we were so solid in the back end, everybody really contributed.”

The REDS outshot the Axemen 44-14, but Acadia controlled the game for the first 40 minutes.

“I thought we played really well in the first and the second,” said Hoyt, in his first season with the Axemen. “Then, you know how hockey is, you can get a couple of bounces and it can change just like that, but I thought the team played really well and I think we’ll just get better for the next game coming up on Friday.”

“It felt great,” said REDS defenceman Ross MacDougall (St. Stephen, NB). He spent three seasons with the Axemen, but is now pursuing a Masters degree at UNB. “I thought we played well all game, it was just a matter of time before we beat ’em. Flodell, obviously, had a great game. It was nice to finally break through and get a couple on him.”

With the win, the REDS are now 3-and-0. The Axemen fall to 1-and-2.

UNB now awaits a Friday night visit by the Saint Mary’s Huskies. Game time is 7:00pm.

The Axemen return home and will host Moncton that same night.

 

RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics

PHOTOS BY: James West/for UNB Athletics

Posted on Posted in Game Recaps

Hoyt with Acadia goal

Antigonish, NS – The STFX X-Men hockey team gave the home crowd something to cheer about with a 2-1 victory over the Acadia Axemen Saturday night at the Keating Centre in a closely contested game.

The first two periods saw a lot of action but no goals scored as both Acadia’s Logan Flodell (Regina, SK) and STFX’s Joseph Raaymakers (Chatham, ON) kept clean sheets though 40 minutes.

There was no shortage of hits, and a minor boondoggle near the end of the second period resulted in 10-minute misconducts for X’s Declan Smith (Antigonish, NS) and Acadia’s Nicholas Deakin-Poot (Georgetown, ON).

STFX struck first in the third period with Matthew Philip (Ilderton, ON) finding twine while the X-Men were on a two-man power play. Liam Hawel (Arnprior, ON) fed STFX captain Santino Centorame (Mississauga, ON) in the low slot who fired a shot with Phillip banging in the rebound at the 2:02 mark.

Acadia made it a game just over a minute and a half later when Peyton Hoyt (Fredericton, NB) picked up the puck in the neutral zone and fired a shot from the slot that eluded Raaymakers.

The X-Men scored the game winning goal at 11:41 of the third period on a nice tic-tac-toe play. Zack Trott (Mulmur, ON) made a pass to Hawel across the slot, then Hawel snapped it right back to him and Trott buried the puck in the wide open Axemen goal. Matthew Struthers (Milton,ON) had the other assist on the play.

Acadia made things interesting with a power play with 17 seconds remaining in the game, but the X-Men held on for the victory.

With the win, STFX moves to 2-0-0 early in the regular season, while Acadia falls to 1-1.

Flodell earned the third star of the game for his 34 save performance. STFX’s Hawel received the second star, and X goaltender Raaymakers was the first star and Subway player of the game with his 32 saves and second win on the young season.

STFX next hits the ice on Wednesday to take on Dalhousie at home, while Acadia heads to UNB on Wednesday and hosts Moncton on Friday.

Posted on Posted in Game Recaps

McFadden with 3 points in Acadia win

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – The Acadia Axemen (1-0-0) opened their regular season on a high note, securing a 5-2 victory over the Dalhousie Tigers (0-0-1) on Friday night.

On a night that saw the home crowd pay tribute to Acadia captain Garrett McFadden before the game, the defenceman also took home Subway First Star of the Game honours with a goal and two assists.

Dalhousie got on the board early in the first period, thanks in part to a full 2-minute 5-on-3 power-play.

Darien Kleib, who also nabbed second star of the night honours, scored on a wrist shot from inside the right face-off circle, which he rifled into the top left corner of the net to make it 1-0 for the Tigers.

Acadia responded with a beautiful goal from forward Loch Morrison with 7:48 left to play in the first. Defenceman Garrett McFadden carried the puck into the zone for Acadia and dangled past a Tigers defender before sliding the puck to Loch Morrison in front of the net, where he tucked it five-hole to tie the game at 1-1.

By the end of the first period, the shots were 10-6 for Acadia.

McFadden spiced things up for Acadia early in the second with an incredible solo effort to put the Axemen ahead 2-1. After breaking into the offensive zone with a 2-on-1 opportunity, McFadden slipped around the Dalhousie defender and roofed a backhand shot to make it 2-1.

Brett Crossley answered for Dalhousie late in the second period with a sneaky shot thrown past a diving Axemen goalie to tie the game at 2-2.

However, the Dalhousie lead was short-held, as Acadia recaptured the lead less than two minutes later. Peyton Hoyt was parked in front of the net, where he picked up his own rebounded tip shot and tucked it under the sprawling Tigers goalie to put Acadia up 3-2.

Logan Flodell made a pair of unbelievable saves for the Axemen in the second period. In both cases, Flodell threw himself across the net and somehow keeping the puck out both times while laying on his back.

Heading into the third period, the Axemen held a 21-15 lead in shots.

Acadia sealed the game with two unanswered goals in the third from third star of the night Jack Flaman and Tyler Hinam.

The Axemen capitalized on an early power-play in the third period to double up on the Tigers. Thanks to a huge point shot rebound, forward Jack Flaman – parked by the right side of the net – was able to slam the puck over the goal line to take a 4-2 lead for Acadia.

Hinam sealed the game for Acadia with an empty-net goal with just under two minutes left in the game.

The game took an unfortunate turn with under a minute to play, as a full line brawl broke out between the two teams that led to a combined 19 penalty minutes.

Acadia went 1-for-4 on the power-play, while Dalhousie went 1-for-7 on the night.

Logan Flodell turned aside 27 of 29 shots for Acadia, while Dalhousie goalie Connor Hicks stopped 29 of 33 shots.

Acadia will be on the road Saturday, Oct. 9 against the StFX X-Men and Wednesday, Oct. 13 against the UNB Reds before returning home Friday, Oct. 15 to face off against the Moncton Aigles Bleus. Dalhousie next plays Saturday, Oct. 9 at home against the Saint Mary’s Huskies.

Provided by Josh Foote, Acadia Athletics Communications

Posted on Posted in Team Stories

McFadden named Acadia Team Captain

From left to right, Loch Morrison, Logan Flodell, Jack Flaman, & Garrett McFadden

The Acadia Axemen proudly announced their player leadership group today, naming 4th year defenceman Garrett McFadden team captain, along with 4th year forwards Jack Flaman and Loch Morrison as assistant captains, as well as 4th year goalie Logan Flodell.

McFadden, from Kincardine, Ontario, is no stranger to leadership roles on the ice, as he served as the Captain of the OHL’s Guelph Storm for 2 years, and as an assistant captain for another season.

The newly named Axemen captain, also is the creator of McFadden’s Movement, which he founded in September 2016, is a nonprofit organization that strives to change, help, and develop mental health among athletes starting at the grass roots level. Along with raising awareness and continuing the conversation, McFadden and MM27 have also donated a total of $78,200 to mental health resources in just five years.

Coach Darren Burns said this about his captain, “Fads (McFadden) has been a leader all his life and embodies what our institution is about. I’ve said it many times, being the captain of our hockey team is not easy, there are many responsibilities that reach far outside the arena. He checks every box of classroom, community, and hockey.”

Flaman, Flodell, & Morrison all hail from Saskatchewan, and exude natural leadership with their dedication & work ethic on and off the ice and commitment to giving back in the community.

Coach Burns added this about these 3 members of the leadership group, “Loch (Morrison) is a tireless worker who has gotten better each year he has been here. He competes hard and will hold others accountable.

Flams (Flaman) always over achieves because he is the type of old school player who looks in the mirror as a player and a person every day. His work ethic is impeccable.

Floods plays a key role in the success of our hockey team and has had a desire to take on more responsibility on and off the ice. This has been very exciting to watch over the last couple of years.”

McFadden, Flaman, Morrison, Flodell & their Acadia Axemen teammates hit the ice for the regular season opener on Friday, October 8th as they host the Dalhousie Tigers, before hitting the road to visit StFX on Saturday, October 9th.

Posted on Posted in Team Stories

Plenty of Optimism for UCup Hosts

Photo by Peter Oleskevich – pjophotography.com

The Acadia Axemen return to home ice on October 8th to open up the 2021-22 regular season after last season was cancelled by USports due to the pandemic. The Axemen have a number of new faces since the team last played playoff action back in February of 2020, prior to hosting the USports National University Cup championship, which were cancelled before Acadia played their first game as the pandemic struck Canada. Acadia has once again been named the host for the UCup tournament this season in Halifax, in March.

Let’s take a look at the 2021-22 Axemen!

Arguably the strongest position for the Axemen will be in goal this season. Acadia will have the reigning AUS regular season MVP of 2019-20, Logan Flodell, in net once again, along with highly touted WHL recruit Max Paddock, completing the tandem. In the ultra-competitive AUS no game is a ‘night off’, so having this 1-2 punch in goal will ensure the Axemen a chance to win every night.

Axemen coach Darren Burns, who heads into his 20th season behind the bench for Acadia, is confident of the tandem in his crease saying, “We feel our goaltending will be as good as there is in USports. Floods (Logan Flodell) has been an MVP in this league and we will need him to replicate that form. Although Max is a rookie in the league, he has proven he can carry the ball in high pressure situations. He starred with Regina in the Memorial Cup which has proven to be a great measuring stick for him.”

The Axemen will ice a very different lineup on defence since their last regular season game in Wolfville, gone are the likes of Liam Maaskant, Alex Lepkowski & Ross MacDougall, but the Acadia coaching staff has assembled a very strong defensive corps, with 9 natural defenseman on the roster. Acadia will be led on the backend by the smooth skating Garrett McFadden, who was an AUS 2nd team all-star in 2019-20, along with returning defenceman Morgan Nauss and TJ Fergus.

New additions to the blue line, will play a big role in the Axemen success with the skating & offensive skill of Luke Zazula, and the hard nosed play from Merrick Rippon & Orie Mainolfi, & last year’s strong two way defence recruits Reilly Webb & Hudson Wilson. With this depth on defense, Loch Morrison will move up to the wing to see action with the forwards.

Burns, the 2019-20 AUS Coach of the Year, likes the make up of his blue line saying, “On defence, we feel we are mobile, physical and can skate. We have a mixture of key elements at this position, and we will need this group, along with our goaltending to focus on playing stingy and keeping pucks out of our end.”

“Up front we feel we have a hard-working group who skates well. They will need to focus on work ethic and puck possession to create offence this season,” said Coach Burns about his forward lineup.

 

Having lost scoring prowess of graduated forwards Stephen Harper, Cristiano Digiacinto, Rodney Southam, & Owen MacDonald, Acadia will rely heavily on scoring by committee with a balanced attack this season. Mason McCarty will be looked to for production, currently skating on the top line with fellow veteran Mo Colella and 1st year centreman Adam McMaster.

2018-19 Memorial Cup winner Tyler Hinam should be an impact player in his first official AUS season, along with 6’5” centreman Nick Deakin-Poot. Forwards Keegan Stevenson, Peyton Hoyt & Annapolis Valley native Cole Rafuse will look to provide a balance of energy and scoring throughout the four line attack.

Returning forwards Johnny Corneil, Eric Henderson, & Jack Flaman will be relied on to continue their production and leadership in the lineup; while Axemen Jordy Stallard, who has been one of the team’s top scoring forwards since arriving in January of the 2018-19 season, will be sidelined until the second half of this season following off season surgery, but will provide a strong addition to the offense when he returns.

The Axemen finished up their exhibition schedule last week with victories over Saint Mary’s and then Dalhousie giving them a 2-1-1 preseason record. Acadia’s regular season opens up on Friday, October 8th as the Axemen host the Dalhousie Tigers, followed by a trip to Antigonish on Saturday for the Axemen to face the X-Men.