Acadia Axemen @ StFX X-Men
Saturday, October 9th at 7pm
Axemen win season opener against visiting Dalhousie
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
Axemen Announce Player Leadership Group
McFadden named Acadia Team Captain
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.
2021-22 Acadia Axemen Season Preview
Plenty of Optimism for UCup Hosts
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.
Huskies prevail in 4-3 OT exhibition win over host Axemen
Colella with two assists for Acadia
WOLFVILLE, N.S – For the first time since the 2019-20 season, the Acadia Axemen played in front of fans in the Andrew H. McCain Arena. Despite a strong effort from Acadia, they dropped their first exhibition game of the season to the Saint Mary’s Huskies 4-3 in OT.
Saint Mary’s opened the scoring early, with a beautiful passing play that was finished by forward – and second star of the night – Dennis Busby when he cut in front of the net and tipped a pass under the crossbar.
Acadia responded late in the period with a goal from Subway First Star of the Night Mason McCarty to tie the game. McCarty scored after picking up a rebound in front of the net and shovelling it past the sprawling goaltender to make it 1-1.
By the end of the first period, the shots were 14-10 for the Axemen.
The Huskies were quick to break the tie in the second, as Nathan Dunkley broke in wide on the left and rifled a snapshot into the top right corner to make it 2-1.
Adam McMaster answered for the Axemen at the midpoint of the second period. Maurizio Colella got the puck in front of the net and pushed it out to McMaster, who threw it past the screened Huskies goalie into the wide-open right side of the net to knot the game at 2-2.
Despite opportunities on both sides, including a mad scramble in front of the Huskies net with multiple scoring chances that led to an Axemen power-play, the game remained tied heading into the final frame.
By the end of the second period Acadia pulled ahead in the shot department, leading 25-16.
While the game remained deadlocked for the first half of the final period, the tie was broken with 10:13 left to play in the final period on a goal from forward Loch Morrison.
Morrison took a pass from behind the net and fired it past the Saint Mary’s tender to give Acadia their first lead of the game.
Yet, the Huskies were determined to stay in the game, as they tied it late in the frame on a point shot from defenceman Zachary Hoffman wired past a diving Flodell.
A highlight of the third period came when Axemen goalie Logan Flodell dove across his crease to rob a sure Huskies goal with his blocker and glove.
With the game tied at the end of regulation, the Axemen and Huskies headed to a 5-minute 3-on-3 OT.
Although Acadia had multiple scoring opportunities in the extra frame, it was Huskies defenceman – and third star of the night – Cedric Ralph who ended the game on a 2-on-1. Ralph redirected a pass from Busby off his leg and into the net for the game-winner.
Axemen goaltender Logan Flodell turned aside 16 of 20 shots, while his Saint Mary’s counterpart Matt Welsh stopped 35 of 38 shots.
Acadia plays three more exhibition games before kicking off their regular season against the Dalhousie Tigers on Oct. 8 in Wolfville. The Axemen are in Fredericton, NB this Friday night to take on host UNB.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1440632041716916229
Submitted by Josh Foote
Acadia Athletics Communications
Rippon Commits to Acadia
Axemen add defenceman to lineup
The Acadia Axemen are proud to announce the commitment of defenceman Merrick Rippon to our hockey program. Merrick, a native of Ottawa, is described as a hard-hitting defenceman who played his junior career on the blue line for parts of three OHL seasons with the Mississauga Steelheads and his hometown Ottawa 67’s.
Originally drafted by the Kitchener Rangers, his OHL rights were moved from Kitchener to Mississauga, where he played to start the 2017-2018 season. At the Christmas break, the 6-foot-1 defenceman was dealt to the Ottawa 67’s.
Over his OHL tenure, he has suited up for parts of three seasons with the 67’s in the OHL. Rippon has a total of 54 points in 168 regular-season games played in the league and was a big part of a long playoff run in 2019, which saw the 67’s sweep their first three playoff series on route to a 4-2 series loss in the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals. Following the season, Rippon was invited to the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes rookie camp, but couldn’t attend due to an injury.
In 2020, Rippon was on track for a career year before the season came to an abrupt halt, recording 13 points in 36 games played.
With the OHL not playing due to the pandemic in 2021, Rippon signed a amateur tryout (ATO) with the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Merrick suited up for 1 game with the AHL club.
Coach Burns is excited to add Rippon saying, “Merrick comes from a tremendous background as he was an integral part of the Ottawa 67s. He is an excellent addition for us as he played in an organization which is extremely high profile and a lot of responsibility comes with playing there as it does here. He has a team first mentality and is a fierce two way defencemen with very good mobility . He is tailor made for AUS hockey. He’s all about compete and accountability on the ice. He will be counted on heavily to play against teams top lines.”
Rippon joins a very impressive recruiting class put together by Coach Burns and his staff, with the additions of netminder Max Paddock, fellow defensemen Luke Zazula and Olie Mainolfi, and forwards Luke Moncada, Keegan Stevenson, and Adam McMaster. The Acadia Axemen are the host team for the 2021-22 UCup national tournament, taking place in March in Halifax.
Former Axemen assistant coach joins NY Rangers Staff
Jim Midgley named NHL assistant coach
Former Acadia Axemen assistant coach Jim Midgley has been named assistant coach of the NHL’s New York Rangers. Midgley joins Prince Edward Island’s Gerard Gallant’s coaching staff, along with assistant coach Mike Kelly, also from PEI and a UNB hockey alumnus. Midgley was an assistant coach with Acadia from 2002 thru 2007.
Jim, 43, originally from Townsend, Ontario, is currently an assistant coach with Team Canada’s women’s national team at the World Championships in Calgary; the head coach of that team is another former Assistant Coach for the Axemen, Troy Ryan. The two were also to serve in the same positions for the 2022 Beijing Olympics for Team Canada, although with his new position, Midgley will likely need to pass on the Olympic opportunity.
Prior to working with Team Canada, Jim scouted for the Philadelphia Flyers and was an assistant coach with the Iserlohn Roosters of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in 2019-20. He was the head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in 2017-18 after serving as an assistant coach for six seasons (2011-17). Midgley was also an assistant coach with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL (2007-09) and). He was the video coach for Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2016 IIHF U18 World Championship.
Axemen Head Coach Darren Burns was thrilled to hear the hiring news by the Rangers saying, “We are so excited for Midge. He is one of the great young minds in the game of hockey. He has kept focussed and continued to study the game over the last couple years, while not coaching and now he is a member of an original six franchise. It is all about being a real quality hockey person and having perseverance. It’s great to see this Maritime connection. There’s a reason why Gerard and Mike’s teams never underachieve. They understand motivation and being real with their players. In adding Midge to their staff, they have just added a huge piece of the puzzle to help them continue their reputation as one of the top coaching tandems in hockey. We are very proud of Midge and we wish him all the best!”
Midgley played his junior career, in the OHL, with the North Bay Centennials & the Belleville Bulls before heading east to suit up for the Acadia rival, Saint Mary’s Huskies for 4 years; serving as Captain of the team for 3 of those years.
The Acadia Axemen hockey program would like to congratulate Midge on his new role with the Rangers, as we’ll be watching and routing for him this season in Wolfville!
Axemen Hockey Off Season Highlighted by New Addition
A familiar face, Scott Trask, joins the hockey staff
This past year was a challenge for all university sport hockey teams and for the Axemen it was no different, however it was the program’s philosophy not to make excuses and move ahead to get better wherever possible.
The addition of alumnus Scott Trask, as the strength and conditioning coach, has proven to be a crucial step in this season’s preparation. “Scottie has been a huge addition for our program. We are fortunate that many recent alumni are deciding to make the Annapolis Valley their home and we are extremely fortunate he made this choice as well”, explained head coach Darren Burns.
“It’s pretty simple he has never underachieved as a person or a player and has always been on successful teams. He has always been a committed teammate and person. You can’t go wrong with adding a person with these qualities. I learned a lot from coaching him and as a staff we knew he would be a huge addition for our program.”
Trask, a native of Bonavista, Newfoundland, played 3 seasons with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL, winning the league title in 2009-10. He finished up his junior career by captaining the Summerside Western Capitals Junior A to a MJAHL championship in 2012-13. He then joined the Acadia Axemen from 2013-2017 notching 15 points in 84 regular season games. He won back-to-back SPHL championships with the Huntsville Havoc in 2017-18/2018-19. Scott also suited up for 2 games in the ECHL with his hometown Newfoundland Growlers in their expansion season of 2018-19.
We asked Scott about what it meant to be back with the Acadia hockey program and his focus in his new role, he said, “I’m very thankful for the opportunity to give back to a program that gave me so much during my time as an Axemen. It means a lot to be in this role as it is something that I’m passionate about and take great pride in. In my role, my focus for the team is to get the athletes game ready and help prepare them to compete for a National Championship.”
Coach Burns added, “Scott was raised to work hard and to be a leader and he brings this same type of mentor ship to our players. The reality is these players need the best resources to be the best players and people they can be if they want to be winners. As a staff you need to utilize different resources and that’s where Scott has been huge in our players off season training. We are lucky here in the Valley, as many players found employment here this summer and we are thankful to the many local businesses who have supported them, so that they could stay here this summer to get ready for the upcoming season.”
The Axemen would also like to recognize Josh Nowlan, their student strength & conditioning coach, who did an excellent job this past winter with the players.