Axemen rally in third to top Huskies 4-3

(Halifax, NS) The Acadia University Axemen scored three times in the third period to beat the Saint Mary's University Huskies 4-3 on Saturday night  at the Halifax forum in Halifax, NS.

The loss drops the Huskies record to 13-13-1. Their 27-points has them in fourth place in the AUS standings with three games left in the regular season.

The Axemen moved to a 17-8-2 record. They sit second in the AUS with 36-points.

Devin Williams (Saginaw, MI) made 23 saves for the Axemen as he improved his record to 7-4.

Chance Braid (Provost, AB) (2), Brett Thompson (Sault St. Marie, ON) (9), Stephen Harper (Burlington, ON) (6) and Kyle Farrell (Howie Center, NS) (8) all found the back of the net for the Axemen.

Calder Brooks (Emerald Park, SK) (5), Hunter Garlent (Thorold, ON) (14) and Austyn Hardie (Montreal, QC) (1) tallied goals for the Huskies.

Garlent's goal was the 38^th point of his rookie season and moved him into a three-way tie for second in AUS scoring.

Cole Cheveldave (Calgary, AB) made 19 saves for the Huskies and had his record fall to 6-9.

The Huskies were playing with a short bench due to injuries with only 16 skaters dressed. They went with three lines and a floater up front and five defensemen.

Brooks opened the scoring with a power play goal 7:52 into the second. Mark Trickett (Baddeck, NS) retrieved the puck in the Huskies zone and sent a pass up ice off the left wing wall to Bradley Latour (Barrie, ON).  Just outside the Axemen blue line, Latour made a short backhand pass to Aaron Berisha (Mississauga, ON) who carried into the Axemen zone made a nice move to evade a check and draw three Axemen to him before slipping a pass to Brooks.  Cutting across the front of the net, Brooks made a slick move to his backhand and tucked it five-hole.

Garlent made it 2-0 Huskies at the 12:05 mark of the second. Hardie chipped the puck off the wall out of the Huskies zone to Bronson Beaton (Springhill, NS) who raced up the left wing creating a three-on-one with Garlent and Hardie.  Beaton sauced a pass onto Garlent's tape and Garlent sent it right in.

Braid made it 2-1 with just seven seconds left in the second. He intercepted a poor Huskies clearing attempt and ripped a shot off the post glove side from the top of the left circle.

Thompson tied it at 2-2 just 1:54 into the second. With the Axemen in control of the puck in the Huskies zone Remy Giftopoulos (Ancaster, ON) sent a pass across the blue line to Mathew Pufahl (Saskatoon, SK) who had lots of room to work into the right circle and shoot from the dot.  He grabbed his own rebound and shot again, the second rebound went right to Thompson in the slot and he buried it.

Harper made it 3-2 Axemen just 50 seconds later. Scott Trask (Bonavist,a NL) sent a pass through the neutral zone just out of the reach of Tyler Ferry (Richmond Hill, ON).  Ferry was able to track the puck down on the right half wall and poke it back to Trask just inside the blue line.  He slipped a feed to Harper who worked through the right circle and cut across the front of the net.  With a Huskie draped all over him, he was able to squeak it through the five-hole.

Hardie tied it back up 9:31 into the third. Conor McGlynn (Oakville, ON) centered it from the left corner and Stephen Johnson (Moncton, NB) deflected it wide.  Steven Shipley (Ilderton, ON) picked it up in the right corner and sent it back to Hardie on the point.  Hardie fired a wrist shot with eyes that found it's way through the traffic in front and in low glove.

Farrell made it 4-3 with 6:02 left on the clock in the third. Thompson cut into the slot to a backhand shot and the Huskies swatted the rebound towards the line.  Farrell gloved it down and loaded up a wrist shot that found a seam through the traffic and in blocker side for the game winner.

The Huskies were one for five on the power play while the Axemen went zero for five.

Shots were 26-23 in favour of the Huskies.

Up next:

The Axemen will host the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus on Saturday, February 4 in Wolfville NS, while the Huskies will host the Aigles Bleus on Wednesday, February 1 at the Halifax Forum in Halifax NS.

By Cam Honey-Webb

Photo Nick Pearce