Axemen goaltender Thomas Couture has been named the U SPORTS men’s hockey player of the week for the period ending January 7.

Couture is the fifth Acadia athlete to receive national a player of the week recognition this season.

A first-year business administration student, Couture picked up his first career AUS shutout win on Wednesday against the Saint Mary’s Huskies. The 2-0 victory featured a 33-save performance by Couture. He followed that with a 21-save win, including a three saves in a perfect shootout, to help the Axemen to a weekend sweep to open the second half of the year.

Toronto's Erica Fryer was named the women's hockey player of the week. 

Fryer had a perfect opening weekend of 2024 for the No. 8-ranked Varsity Blues, as she picked up a pair of shutout wins. On Friday, she stopped all 17 shots she faced in a 2-0 win over the York Lions. On Saturday, she followed that up with a 19-save performance in a 4-0 shutout of the Laurier Golden Hawks. Fryer and the Blues return to action this weekend as they visit Waterloo on Friday and Queen’s on Saturday.