Posted on Posted in Team Stories

Axemen look to excel after break to move up standings

The Acadia Axemen finished up play back on December 4th for a month long holiday break with a 8-9-0-1 record, good for 5th place in the ultra-competitive AUS conference. Their 17 points leaves the team just 5 points out of 2nd place, providing the motivation for a strong start to the short 12 game second half of the season.

We caught up with Acadia Axemen Head Coach Darren Burns and asked him his thoughts on the teams’ first half, he said, “I think we have shown we are an improved team from last year and we got off to a better start at the beginning of the season and these were definite priorities for us. However, I think we all believe that we are capable of being higher in the standings for sure.”

 

As we look back at the first 18 games of the season, we start with the stellar play from netminder Thomas Couture once again this season. He has given the team a chance to win each game, his 473 saves are 174 more saves than the next netminder in the AUS has stopped, giving him a .903 save percentage and a 3.42 goals against average.

 

Acadia’s offense has been a big + over last season, averaging about 1.2 goals more per game at 3.44 this season.

Coach Burns shared this about his team’s offensive performance, “I think in general offence is up in our league and in the first half there were some high scoring games. I think we have more depth this year so even though we have missed a lot of man games due to injury we have been able to play with more energy as a team which has led to more offence. We have been able to maintain more offensive zone time as well. Our powerplay has been solid which adds offence. At the end of the day, we need to be a score by committee team, and we have been getting a more balanced attack this year.”

 

1st year Axemen forward Cam MacDonald has been a big factor, as he and Brady Burns are tied for the team lead in points with 17, putting them in 16th overall in the conference for point leaders. The former Saint John SeaDogs teammates have found success together with the Axemen as MacDonald also leads the team in goals with 9, while Burns is next with 8. Secondary offense from the likes of Liam Kidney, Peyton Hoyt, Brendan Sellan, and 1st year Axemen Marc Boudreau has given the team a balanced attack.

 

Arguably the biggest change has been the offense from the defense, where Charlie Desroches has put up 12 points in 18 games and Tyler Deline has 9 points despite playing in just 11 games due to an injury. Orie Mainolfi has chipped in with 3 goals and 7 points, and Cam Whynot and Luke Zazula have 6 points each. Last season only 4 defenceman had more than 6 points over the entire season, with Deline and Desroches leading the team with 9 points on the year for blueliners.

 

On the special teams, Acadia has improved their powerplay conversion percentage by 4% this season, moving from 18% last season to 22% this year, but have dropped 2% on the penalty kill at 78%, while taking the 2nd most penalties in the conference, to only UPEI.

 

Although the Axemen were bit by the injury bug over the first 18 games, it was not as drastic as last year’s injury woes. Axemen sniper Bailey Peach did miss the first 10 games of the season this year, Kian Bell who got off to a solid AUS start with 4 points in 6 games, missed the final 12 games, and as mentioned Tyler Deline was out for 7 games. However, the team was able to dress a full lineup for each game, and having depth to insert players in the lineup to make an impact has made the Acadia Axemen a tough team to play against on a nightly basis.

We asked Coach Burns the keys to his team’s success in the short 12 game sprint to the playoffs coming up, he said, “I think we need to focus on strengthening our defensive play. I feel we have been a team who plays hard and with structure all over the ice. This has been a strong staple of our team the past couple of years, it allowed us to keep in tight games with highly offensive teams. Down the stretch we gave up too many high-quality scoring chances and this is not how we will be successful.

Team identity is crucial for our success in the second half and if we can improve in this area out of the gate, I think we can be a tough team to play against. We feel we have the players who will work and listen, the onus is on us as coaches to continue to help our team with this important facet of the game.”

The Axemen return to action on Monday, January 6th as they face Dalhousie in Halifax before returning to Wolfville to play 4 of their next 5 games at the Andrew H. McCain Arena as they look to move up the standings. Get your tickets today at acadiau.universitytickets.com and cheer on your Acadia Axemen in exciting AUS action in January. We look forward to seeing you again! #GoAcadiaGo

Posted on Posted in Game Recaps

Burns with a goal and an assist in loss

WOLFVILLE, N.S. — The Acadia Axemen fell to the Saint Mary’s Huskies 6-3 on Wednesday in the final game for both teams before the holiday break.  

Brady Burns led Acadia with a goal and an assist, scoring on the power play. Adam McMaster also had a strong performance with a power-play goal, while Conor Shortall was the other goal scorer for the Axemen.  

Goaltender Thomas Couture made 31 saves despite allowing five goals.. 

The Axemen opened the scoring in the first period with McMaster’s power-play goal at 3:48, assisted by Burns and Deline. Couture was sharp in net, holding Saint Mary’s scoreless despite several power-play opportunities. The Axemen outshot the Huskies and held a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. 

Saint Mary’s took over in the second period, with Nathan Dunkley scoring just 1:01 in. Ben Allison gave the Huskies their first lead, but Shortall equalized for Acadia before Dunkley struck again to make it 3-2 for Saint Mary’s heading into the third. 

The Huskies pulled away in the final frame with two power-play goals from Bradey Johnson and an empty-net goal by Derek Gentile. Burns scored Acadia’s final goal on the power play, but the comeback fell short. 

Dunkley paced Saint Mary’s with two goals and an assist, while Johnson added two goals, including the game-winner. Gentile contributed a goal and an assist, and Allison had a goal. Goalie Ben West made 24 saves for the win. 

Acadia returns to action on Jan. 6 at Dalhousie, while Saint Mary’s will host Dalhousie on Jan. 10. 

Posted on Posted in Game Recaps

Couture with 39 saves in net for the Axemen

(FREDERICTON, NB) Cole MacKay (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) scored twice, including the game-winner, as the UNB REDS beat the Acadia Axemen 5-3 in Atlantic University Sport men’s hockey action, Friday night, at UNB’s Aitken Centre. 

The game was played before a sellout Aitken Centre crowd of 3374. 

MacKay’s first goal, just 3:13 into the opening period, unleashed UNB’s 8th annual Teddy Bear Toss, and more than 2200 stuffed animals flew from the Aitken Centre stands onto the ice. 

A ten-minute delay ensued as the stuffed animals were removed. 

The Salvation Army will distribute them to children and families in need during the holiday season. 

UNB’s first lead lasted a bit more than three minutes. 

Cam Whynot (Kentville, NS) tied the game 1-1 at 6:23 and the teams went to the first intermission even. 

Macauley Carson (Midhurst, ON) restored UNB’s lead less then three minutes into the second period, but the Axemen battled back on a goal by Cam MacDonald (Hammonds Plains, NS) a short time later. 

Tied 2-2 through 40 minutes, the REDS erupted with two power-play goals in 1:41 span of the third, including MacKay’s game-winner, and added an empty-net goal in the final minute. 

Cody Morgan (Gilford, ON) finished the night with three assists for the REDS while Benjamin Corbeil (Granby, QC) had a pair. 

Despite allowing four goals, Thomas Couture (Levis, QC) was a difference-maker for the Axemen. He stopped 39 of the 43 shots he faced and did so under constant pressure. 

Samuel Richard made 11 saves on 14 shots to earn the win for the REDS. 

Not only did the REDS win their Teddy Bear Toss Game, they won on Gardiner MacDougall Appreciation Night too. 

The long-time REDS head coach, who led UNB to nine national championships,  was honoured in a pre-game ceremony, and a banner citing his accomplishments was raised to the Aitken Centre rafters. 

UNB is now 15-1-1-0 (W-L-OTL-SOL) atop the AUS standings. The Axemen fall to 8-7-0-1 and sit fifth. 

The REDS skate back into action on Saturday afternoon when they host the Saint Mary’s Huskies in a 4:00pm start. 

Acadia visits Moncton on Saturday night. Game time is 7:00pm. 

 

RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics 

PHOTOS BY: James West/for UNB Athletics 

 

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Axemen fire 69 shots on net in OT shootout loss

The Dalhousie Tigers beat the Acadia Axemen 3-2 in a shootout at the Halifax Forum on Saturday night. 

The Axemen started the game on the front foot and the pressure never faltered. The Axemen dominated the puck and took a whopping sixty-nine shots. The Tigers struggled to mount any offence with sixteen shots but scored two late third-period goals to bring the game to overtime. 

The Axemen came out the gate quickly with twenty-seven first-period shots. After constant pressure, with 11:45 left in the period, Adam MacMaster (Beamsville, ON) gave the Axemen an early 1-0 lead with a whipping snapshot setup with a slick feed from Corson Hopwo (Duncan, BC). Tiger’s goalie, Nicholas Chenard (Tecumseh, ON) kept the game close by saving twenty-seven shots in the first frame. 

After the break, the Axemen continued their offensive pressure. Initially, the period was end-to-end, but a Tigers penalty would dissipate all their momentum. With 11:11 remaining in the period, while on a powerplay, Axemen forward, Peyton Hoyt (Lincoln, NB) would double the lead to 2-0. Two minutes later, the Tigers would commit another costly penalty. The Tigers committed three penalties in the second period. The Axemen finished the second in full control, but Chenard made twenty-two saves in the period (forty-nine up to that point) to keep the Tiger’s hope alive. 

The final frame continued in the Axemen’s favour with them comfortably protecting their lead. Suddenly, the Tigers sparked a comeback. With 3:36 left, Tigers rookie defenseman, Zach Welsh (Halifax, NS) would fire the puck top left and beat the Acadia netminder to cut the lead to 2-1.  

Inspired, the Tigers kept the pressure going, and then, with 2:00 minutes remaining, Jack Harper (Guelph, ON) found the equalizer and miraculously tied the game at 2-2. 

The game would go into overtime, where both teams would go back and forth. Chenard was a man-possessed in overtime, willing the Tigers to a shootout. 

The Tigers would complete the comeback and win the shootout 3-1. 

In a breakout performance, Nicholas Chenard made sixty-seven saves with a 97.1% save percentage to earn himself the player of the game. 

The Tigers will look to go back-to-back wins next Wednesday when they travel to Antigonish to face the X-Men. The Acadia Axemen return against the first-seeded UNB Reds this Friday at 7:00 pm AST. 

Written by Sam Goldstein 

Posted on Posted in Game Recaps

Acadia downs StFX 3-2 in overtime

ANTIGONISH, NS - The Acadia Axemen needed overtime and a goal from second year defender Tyler Deline (Peterborough, ON) to earn a hard fought 3-2 win over the STFX X-Men on Friday night at the Charles V Keating Centre in Antigonish. Deline made a nifty move after getting the puck from Cole Nagy and buried the game winner top shelf just over a minute into the extra period. 

 

Acadia opened the scoring five minutes into the first period, with Ethan Ernst (Weyburn, SK) snagging the puck near the home team blueline, skating in on a two-on-one, and firing one low to the short side. Assists went to Marc Boudreau (Toronto, ON) and Luke Zazula (Langley, BC). Things were rough and tumble at times, with plenty of big hits and both teams enjoying multiple powerplays. The visitors held a 17-10 advantage in shots after 20 minutes.     

   

Alex Christopoulos (Richmond Hill, ON) tied the game up with his ninth goal of the season four minutes into the second period, picking up a pass from Zack Trott (Mulmur, ON) in the slot and sending it to the back of the net.  

 

Jacob Maillet (Dundas, ON) gave the X-Men the lead seven minutes later, shoveling home his own rebound after getting a pass from first star of the game Ethan Burroughs (Georgetown, ON). The lead didn’t last long though, as Bailey Peach (Falmouth, NS) wristed one in from the point on the powerplay two-minutes later, making the score 2-2. Charlie Deroches (Days Corner, PE) and Cam Whynot (Kentville, NS) had the helpers. 

  

It was a tense, back and forth third period with officials waving off what appeared to be a STFX goal due to a kicking motion with five minutes gone. Both teams pressed to take a lead, but strong play from STFX goalie and second star Lucas Pfeil (Owen Sound, ON) and Acadia netminder and third star Thomas Couture (Levis, QC) kept the game even through 60 minutes, setting the table for Deline’s decided goal.   

 

The X-Men return to action tomorrow night, when they take on the Saint Mary’s Huskies in Halifax at 7 p.m. The Axemen also hit the ice tomorrow night, when they face-off with the Dalhousie Tigers in Halifax, also at 7 p.m.   

 

-30- 

 

Recap courtesy Matt Draper, STFX Athletics