Axemen take consolation series over Huskies

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 6-1win over the No. 8 Saint Mary's Huskies.

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.

Fioretti's first assist came when he flew into the right corner of the offensive zone, won the puck battle, spun around, and threw a pass onto the tape of Leier's stick in front of the net.

Leier lifted the puck over the left pad of the Huskies goalie to make it 3-0.

Fioretti's second assist came on the power-play, as he pulled a spin-o-rama around a Huskies defender near the blue-line, and then fed Farrell, who was wide-open in front for the easy tap in.

Saint Mary's pulled their goaltender Cole Cheveldave and put in Eric Brassard after Farrell's goal.  

The second period was not as goal filled as the first, but the Axemen did pad their lead, while Saint Mary's scored their first and only of the game to make it 5-1 heading into the third.

Axemen forward Cristiano Digiacinto scored the only Axemen goal of the period, when he came in on a partial breakaway. Digiacinto toe-dragged the puck around the goalie and tucked the puck into the net.

Huskies forward Anthony Repaci scored for the Huskies on a power-play late in the final period off a wrist shot from the point that flew past the screened Axemen goalie to make it 5-1.

By the end of the second, the Huskies held a 25-23 lead in shots.

Axemen forward Stephen Harper put the final nail in the coffin of the Huskies' season late in the third, when he tipped a pass from defenseman Michael Zipp into the top left corner of the Huskies net to make it 6-1.

Saint Mary's defenseman Michael Curtis was named second star of the night.

Axemen goaltender Robert Steeves turned aside 32 of 33 shots, while the Huskies goalie Cole Cheveldave stopped 9 of 13 in the first period before being pulled. Cheveldave's replacement, Eric Brassard, stopped 16 of 18 shots.

The 2018 U SPORTS University Cup is being hosted by UNB March 15-18, and the Axemen have secured the third AUS birth in the tournament. Meanwhile, the Huskies look ahead to the 2018-19 season, as their loss to the Axemen marks their final post-season game of the season.