Tough time on the ice
Axemen return home winless after road trip to UPEI and UNB
A Panther-Axemen matchup at cLauchlan Arena rarely disappoints.
And on the weekend UPEI got the better of their rival 4-1.
After surrendering an early goal, the Panthers (7-5-1) countered with four unanswered to grab the victory. Cody Payne broke out and matched his season total with two goals, while Kameron Kielly and Beau McCue chipped in with a goal apiece.
The Axemen (4-8-2) found the back of the net at 4:28 when Stephen Harper scored off a faceoff win that eluded goaltender Simon Hofley.
However, UPEI would get that goal back before the period ended on a goal by Payne.
The Panthers hit the gas in the second and quickly took the lead at 3:42. A goal by Kielly put his team ahead 2-1. Payne would score his second of the night on the powerplay at 7:46 in the second frame.
With time slipping away, McCue sealed the 4-1 win with an empty net goal in the third.
“They [Acadia] definitely had a push and they rallied between the second and third, but we were resilient and our killers did a good job blocking shots and taking away shooting lanes,” UPEI head coach Forbes MacPherson said.
In the second of two road trip games, the UNB Reds scored four power-play goals on route to a 6-1 win over the Acadia Axemen on Saturday.
Chris Clapperton and Tyler Boland each scored twice for the Reds, while Kris Bennett Ma- and Joe Gatenby each had three assists.
Matthew Boucher had a goal and an assist for UNB, while Samuel Dove-McFalls also scored.
Acadia actually struck first, when Stephen Harper scored, on the power-play, at 5:42 of the first period.
UNB countered with their first power-play goal about two-and-a-half minutes later.
Boucher’s shot from the face-off circle was kicked out by Axemen netminder Dawson Carty but Dove-McFalls was right there to fire the rebound home.
The Reds erupted for three goals, all on the power-play, in the second period.
Alex Dubeau earned the win in the UNB net, stopping 26 of the 27 shots he faced. Carty took the loss, stopping 42 of 48 shots.
“We are young,” admitted Axemen head coach Darren Burns. “They’re working as hard as they can, but just to get acclimatized to this league, it’s tough.”
With the win, the Reds improve to 13-0-3. The Axemen wrap up the first half of the season by hosting UPEI and UNB this Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m.