Author: acadiaaxemenhockey

Posted on Posted in Alumni News

Another Axemen graduate heads to the AHL

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – Graduating hockey Axeman Matt Pufahl will extend his hockey career with the Colorado Eagles this coming season. The Eagles will take over as the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche affiliate team. The AHL Board of Governors approved league expansion in July of 2017, with the Eagles set to come on board this season. The Eagles are located in Loveland, CO — about 100km north of Denver.

“I was expecting to go over to Europe, to be honest. I was looking over there with my new agent, when David Oliver (Director of Player Development, Colorado Avalanche) out of Colorado called me. I had been in contact with him before when I was there out of Junior Hockey. He asked me what my plans were and I indicated I had shifted my focus to Europe and hadn’t heard anything from North America,” noted Pufahl.Read more »

Posted on Posted in Alumni News

Leier’s tryout proves successful with new contract

Belleville, Ont. – The Belleville Senators have signed former Acadia Axemen forward Boston Leier to an American Hockey League contract for the 2018-19 season.

Leier was signed out of Acadia University on March 22 to an amateur tryout agreement after a four-year U SPORTS career in the AUS. In eight games with Belleville, his first foray into professional hockey, he scored four goals and added two assists.

Leier returned to Acadia to complete his courses and write several exams.

“I’m extremely excited to sign my first professional contract with Belleville,” Leier said. “It has been a goal of mine to do this since I entered junior hockey so I’m obviously very grateful for the opportunity. Every member of management, coaching staff and players made my short time there this season a great experience.

“I am excited to start a new chapter with Belleville and could not have done this without my many people, most importantly my family. I am thankful for the opportunities I had at Acadia University and without our athletic department, coaches, and past and current teammates I would not be where I am today and am very excited to get the season going in the fall.”Read more »

Posted on Posted in Team Stories

Leier 13th on Axemen all-time career goal list with 54

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – Senior Axemen forward Boston Leier will be continuing his hockey career after four years with the Acadia Axemen hockey team.

Leier, from Saskatoon, Sask., will join the Ottawa Senators farm team the Belleville Senators of the AHL this week.

“We are very excited for Boston and his opportunity with the Senators. He has worked extremely hard and has committed himself here for four seasons.  His work ethic has been impeccable every practice and every game. It has been a pleasure to watch him develop and lead the Axemen hockey program. We look forward to watching his game continue to grow at the pro level,” said Acadia head coach Darren Burns

Leier, who played five seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers and a year with the Regina Pats in the junior ranks, joined the Axemen in 2014. Over his four-year career at Acadia, Leier played 111 regular season games and accumulated 54 goals and 60 assists. His best season to date was this past season where he posted 39 points – 15 goals and 24 assists and was named as a second team AUS All-Star.

An assistant captain with the Axemen for the last three seasons, Leier led the Axemen with six goals and five assists during this year’s AUS playoffs. While with the Axemen, Leier made three visits to the U SPORTS University Cup including the Axemen’s bronze medal win in 2017,

“I’m really excited. It’s a great opportunity. I was hoping there was some interest and I got a call from Darren and Kevin Dickie and it just took off from there. I had to figure out some stuff with school to make sure it was feasible and I would be able to graduate on time. That’s one of the great things about Acadia is the support from the athletics and academic departments to help you pursue your goals,” noted Leier.Read more »

Posted on Posted in Team Stories

Post-game Press Conference following the Acadia Axemen’s 8-6 quarterfinal loss to the Alberta Golden Bears at the University Cup USports National Tournament.

Coach Darren Burns talks about his team and their season.

Acadia captain 5th year defenceman Geoff Schemitsch talks about the game and his last game as an Axeman. Congrats Geoff on an outstanding university hockey career.

Axemen third year forward Kyle Farrell, on his thoughts of the late third period rally vs Alberta.

Posted on Posted in Game Recaps

2018 U SPORTS Cavendish Farms University Cup

Quarter-final 3: Golden Bears hold on to beat Acadia 

March 16, 2018

FREDERICTON (U SPORTS) – Stephane Legault had a five-point afternoon and Riley Kieser had two goals and two assists as the Alberta Golden Bears beat the Acadia Axemen 8-6 in the third quarter-final game of the 2018 U SPORTS Cavendish Farms University Cup.

CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE

SCHEDULE & RESULTS

Livestream – USPORTS.LIVE

Jason Fram and Cole Sanford each picked up a goal and two assists in the win for Alberta.

The Golden Bears avenge their quarter-final loss against Acadia at last year’s University Cup with the win.

“It was never about redemption,” said Golden Bears head coach Serge Lajoie.

Alberta quickly entered the Acadia zone off the opening faceoff. Kieser converted on a cross-ice, backhand pass from Fram to open the scoring just 13 seconds in.

After some back and forth action, Kieser would score his second goal, redirecting a pass from the corner to put the Bears up by two.

Kyle Farrell responded for Acadia just 16 seconds later with a quick shot from the slot.Read more »

Posted on Posted in Team Stories

 

The 2018 U SPORTS Cavendish Farms University kicks off on Thursday at the Aitken University Centre in Fredericton and concludes next Sunday with the gold-medal final at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. The semifinals and final will be broadcast live on Sportsnet 360 and SN Now. All remaining games will be livestreamed at USPORTS.LIVE.

A championship schedule and team-by-team previews are available below.

Read more »

Posted on Posted in Team Stories

The Acadia Axemen have punched their ticket to the University Cup U Sports National tournament which starts this upcoming Thursday, March 15th in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The Acadia Axemen have been seeded in the 7th position in the 8 team tournament. They will be joined by fellow AUS teams StFX X-Men (5th) & the host UNB Varsity Reds (1st), along with the University of Alberta Golden Bears (2nd), McGill University (3rd), the Brock Badgers (4th), University of Saskatchewan Huskies (6th), & Concordia Stingers (8th).

For more on the University Cup, visit https://usports.ca/en/championships/hockey/m/info or follow @coupeUcup & @axemenhockey on Twitter.

Posted on Posted in Game Recaps

6 different scorers lead Acadia to victory

WOLFVILLE, N.S – The USports No. 7 Acadia Axemen went out with a bang for their last game on home ice of the 2017-18 season, with a 6-1 blowout win over the No. 8 Saint Mary’s Huskies.

Even sweeter for the Axemen is the fact that the win guarantees them a spot in the 2018 U SPORTS University Cup in Fredericton, N.B. Axemen forward Sam Fioretti was named Subway First Star of the Night for a pair of terrific assists.

Although Saint Mary’s dominated the opening minutes of the first, Acadia controlled the rest of the period, taking a 4-0 lead into the second period.

Acadia opened the scoring just before the two-minute mark in the first, when forward Stephen Harper dropped the puck at the top of the right faceoff circle for Ryan Foss, who ripped a low wrist shot past the Huskies goalie Cole Cheveldave.

The second Axemen goal came from forward and third star of the night, Taylor Makin – his first goal of the post-season.

Makin took a cross-crease pass from Rodney Southam in front of the net and lifted it over the Saint Mary’s goalie for a 2-0 lead.

Sam Fioretti had a pair of beautiful assists in the first, exactly two minutes apart, setting up the third and fourth goals of the period, for Boston Leier and Kyle Farrell on the power-play.Read more »

Posted on Posted in Game Recaps

3rd & Deciding Game Goes Friday in Wolfville

(Halifax, N.S.) The Saint Mary’s Huskies picked up a 3-2 win over the Acadia Axemen in game two of their AUS consolation final series on Wednesday night at the Halifax Forum. The best of three series is now even at 1-1.

Anthony Repaci (Toronto, Ont.) picked up a pair and Aaron Berisha (Mississauga, Ont.) scored for SMU. Cole Cheveldave (Calgary, Alta.) made 21 saves in the win.

“I thought Chevy played outstanding,” said Huskies Head Coach Trevor Stienburg. “He held the fort, he moved the puck well for us and gave us a chance to get pucks out of our own end.”

Samuel Fioretti (Calgary, Alta.) and Kyle Farrell (Howie Corner, N.S.) scored for the Axemen.

Robert Steeves (St. Joseph-de-Kent, N.B.) finished with 21 saves.

Fioretti opened the scoring 9:19 into the first. Boston Leier (Saskatoon, Sask.) knocked a clearing attempt out of the air, Fioretti jumped on the puck just above the left circle and snapped it home low blocker through a screen in front from just above the dot.

Berisha tied it up just under two-minutes later. Berisha back to Dylan DiPerna (Nobleton, Ont.) who took a point shot that was tipped by Jake Coughler (St. Catherines, Ont.) and Berisha knocked the rebound in from in tight.

Repaci made it 2-1 at 17:18 of the first. Calder Brooks (Emerald Park, Sask.) held the puck in at the line and flipped a backhand on net, Repaci tipped it on the way through and it bounced in passed the left pad.Read more »