Posted on Posted in Team Stories
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 »

Posted on Posted in Alumni News

Dayton, Ohio – The Dayton Gems professional hockey team is excited to announce the return of Tim Hartung and the addition of goaltender Kristofer Westblom for the upcoming 2011-2012 Central Hockey League season.

Rejoining the Gems for his third season in a Dayton uniform, Hartung, a 27 year old native of St. Paul, Minnesota, adds utility to the club, spending parts of last season at both defensive and offensive positions. Notching 28 points in his 35 regular season appearances last season; he was also instrumental in the team’s first playoff appearance, earning a point in three postseason games against Rapid City. Gems head coach Brian Gratz offered praise on his comprehensive abilities on the ice, noting “playing both forward and defense for us last season, along with his exceptional play on the blueline, will allow Tim to pose a true duel threat on both ends of the ice this season.”Read more »

Posted on Posted in Team Stories

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 »

Posted on Posted in Team Stories

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 »

Posted on Posted in Alumni News

Midgley joins Mooseheads’ coaching staff

By WILLY PALOV Sports Reporter
Fri, Jun 24, 2011 – 4:55 AM

Jim Midgley is the latest addition to the Halifax Mooseheads’ bench.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs assistant coach will fill a similar role with the Mooseheads, joining Steve Hartley as an assistant to recently named head coach Dominique Ducharme.

“Jim brings tremendous communication and team development skills to our club,” Ducharme said in a news release. “He has a great reputation for growing players at this level and we look forward to him joining us behind the bench in Halifax next season.”Read more »

Posted on Posted in Team Stories

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 »

Posted on Posted in Alumni News

Troy Ryan’s hockey career has come full circle.

By GLENN MacDONALD Sports Reporter

The former player with the Saint Mary’s Huskies and UNB Varsity Reds and assistant coach at Acadia is coming back to the Atlantic university ranks, this time as a head coach. Ryan, who had spent the past eight seasons coaching in the Maritime Junior Hockey League, will take over the reins of the St. Thomas Tommies.

“Ultimately it’s always been my goal to be a head coach (in the AUS) but it wasn’t something I really pursued,” the 39-year-old Ryan said in an interview Wednesday. “It came to me and I jumped at the opportunity when it came my
way.”Read more »

Posted on Posted in Team Stories

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

Posted on Posted in Team Stories

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.

photo_1114837_resize_article
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 »

Posted on Posted in Team Stories

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 »