Axemen top Tigers, face X-Men for playoff home ice advantage on Saturday night

Axemen top Tigers, face X-Men for playoff home ice advantage on Saturday night
February 14, 2025

HALIFAX — The Acadia Axemen cruised to a 9-4 victory over the Dalhousie Tigers in AUS men's hockey action Friday night.

Bailey Peach led the way for Acadia with a hat trick, including a power-play goal, while finishing with a +2 rating. Kian Bell also had a standout performance, recording two goals and a team-high four assists, finishing +4. Adam McMaster added two goals, including the game-winner and a power-play marker. Brady Burns contributed a goal and an assist, while Ethan Ernst rounded out the scoring with a goal.

Acadia opened the first period strong, with Burns scoring just 1:29 in, assisted by Cam MacDonald and Corson Hopwo. The Axemen kept up the pressure, and Peach doubled the lead at 12:58, assisted by Bell and Charlie Desroches. Dalhousie had a power-play opportunity after MacDonald received a checking-from-behind penalty and a 10-minute misconduct, but the Tigers failed to capitalize. Acadia led 2-0 after 20 minutes.

The second period saw an offensive explosion from Acadia. Peach netted his second goal at 4:47, followed by Ernst at 5:29. McMaster struck on the power play at 6:29, giving the Axemen a 5-0 lead. Dalhousie responded at 10:10 with a goal from Joseph Serpa, but Bell answered at 15:57 to restore Acadia's five-goal lead. Ethan Martini scored for the Tigers at 17:43, but McMaster tallied his second of the night with just 10 seconds left in the period, making it 7-2 heading into the third.

Dalhousie struck first in the final frame, as Brody Fournier scored just 54 seconds in. However, Acadia responded quickly, with Peach completing his hat trick at 3:02, assisted by Bell. Bell then added his second goal at 14:44, extending the lead to 9-3. Dalhousie's Ryan Smith capped off the scoring at 18:18, assisted by Barret Kirwin and Ryan Del Monte.

Fournier finished with a goal and an assist for Dalhousie, while Smith and Serpa each added a goal. Kirwin led the Tigers with three assists, and Martini also found the back of the net.

The Axemen will host StFX on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. in a crucial matchup for home-ice advantage in the AUS quarterfinals. The winner will secure home ice for the best-of-three playoff series.