Huskies finish season winless while Axemen head to Antigonish next weekend

(WOLFVILLE, N.S.) - While today's 26-17 Acadia victory over the winless Saint Mary's Huskies had little bearing on the AUS standings, the game was significant for third-year Axemen reciever Brian Jones.

Jones picked up eight catches for 98 yards, shattering the Acadia receiving record of 53 receptions in a single season held previously by Mike Squires set in 2012.

Jones' record of 57 in a single season falls three shy of the AUS record held by Mountie Gary Ross who set the record of 60 in 2009.

Eli Prochnau, who pulled in five receptions for 101 yards, spearheaded a five-play, 71-yard drive with a 58-yard reception that led to a one-yard rush by Zack Clarke for Acadia's first of three touchdowns on the day.

Ryan Begin's 14-yard field goal that ended a nine-play, 55-yard drive, gave Acadia a 10-0 lead.

Begin extended his consecutive field goal streak to 17, but it was snapped on the final play of the first half when he missed on a 42-yard attempt.

Running back Bobby Troop hit first-year receiver Bradley Vince for the third Acadia major of the first half to give Acadia a 17-0 lead into the locker room at the half.

The Huskies finally got on the board with a safety early in the second half. Late in the third quarter, Melvin Abankwah rushed 44 yards for the Huskies' first of two touchdowns.

Opening up the final frame, Saint Mary's capped a seven-play, 81-yard drive with Abankwah's second rushing touchdown of the game, this time scampering for 26 yards. Abankwah had 25 carries for 194 yards on the ground.

Tied at 17, Acadia edged forward with a one-point safety off of a 43-yard Begin punt.

Pulling together a 73-yard drive, Acadia scored their last touchdown of the day to advance to 25-17 on a Derek Wodz rush of seven yards.

An additional Begin point on a 49-yard punt and single gave the Axemen a 26-17 victory.

Rookie pivot Thompson Richards was an astounding 20-for-22 pass attempts for 235 yards in the air while Zack Clarke gained 81 yards on the ground on 18 carries for the Axemen.

The Huskies' standout in the loss was Melvin Abandwah with 194 yards on the ground on 25 carries that included two touchdowns.

With the win, the Axemen improve to 3-5 and will head to Antigonish, N.S. to take on the 4-4 StFX X-Men.

The last time both teams met was on Saturday, Oct. 11 when Acadia handed the X-Men a 26-4 loss. The teams have met each other three times this season with the X-Men winning two of three matchups.

Source: Acadia Sports Information