No. 3-ranked Axemen tame Tigers 4-1

WOLFVILLE, NS - The CIS No. 3-ranked Acadia Axemen hockey team improved to 10-3-0 and kept pace with the UNB Varsity Reds in first place in the AUS standings after a convincing 4-1 win over the feisty Dalhousie Tigers.

First-year forward Brett Thompson scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season at 4:57 of the first period to give Acadia a 1-0 lead.

With a 1-0 lead heading into the locker room after the opening 20 minutes, the Axemen out-shot Dalhousie 10-4, but the Tigers tied the game 28 seconds into the second frame when Ben Breault scored his third goal of the season on Acadia netminder Evan Mosher.

Acadia responded in the closing minutes with two goals 24 seconds apart when Liam Heelis scored at 18:01. Dustin Ekelman added another, his sixth of the season, seconds later to give Acadia a 3-1 lead after two periods.

Acadia's leading scorer, defenseman Chris Owens, nailed the coffin shut with a hard point shot that slipped past Tiger goalie Wendell Vye to give Acadia a power-play goal and an important 4-1 win heading into tomorrow's matchup against the third-place Saint Mary's Huskies.

Owen's effort tonight, that included a goal and three assists, landed him the Subway first star of the game honours, while also adding to his point total of 19 in 13 games played. Owens now trails first place Lucas Bloodoff of the Saint Mary's Huskies by one point in the AUS scoring race.

The Axemen out-shot the Tigers 41-21 overall and head coach Darren Burns was happy with the win against an aggressive Dalhousie club who have performed better than their current 4-7-2 record.

"We worked hard tonight and battled to get the win. Dalhousie played very well. We will have a big test tomorrow night against the Huskies".

Acadia was 1-6 on the powerplay, landing nine shots on net.

The evening was highlighted by the annual Pink in the Rink evening which raises funds and awareness for Breast Cancer Research. The Axemen wore pink warm-up jerseys prior to the game and all jerseys were auctioned off to an eager crowd of 2,142.

The Axemen host the Saint Mary's Huskies tomorrow night after the Huskies topped the StFX X-Men 5-2 in Halifax. The Tigers host the StFX X-Men Saturday evening in Halifax.

Source: Acadia Sports Information