WOLFVILLE, N.S. - Shaking off the rust of a Christmas Holiday break in university hockey is never an easy task and the CIS No. 3 ranked Acadia Axemen did so with a 3-2 win over the visiting Guelph Gryphons of the OUA Hockey Conference in exhibition hockey.
Without FISU gold medalist Liam Heelis - the AUS leading goal scorer, Mike Cazzola and blueliner Chris Owens, the Axemen trailed the Gryphons at the midpoint of the first period when Guelph's Brett Appio capitalized on the man advantage.
Down by one after the opening period, the Axemen tied the game at on a Leo Jenner goal just over four minutes into the second frame. Joe Gaynor, who was named the Subway Player of the Game, fed Jenner a pass across the crease on a three-on-two break, giving Jenner an easy tap past Gryphon keeper Andrew Loverock.
Gaynor gave Acadia their first lead of the game at 10:55 in the second frame on a wrist shot from the high slot, but the lead was short when Guelph's Jordan Mock responded with less than two minutes remaining in the period. Acadia goaltender Brandon Glover lost the puck behind the net to Michael Hasson who fed Mock alone in front of an empty net.
Acadia's Dylan Anderson scored the eventual game winner at 6:17 in the third period on the powerplay.
Acadia out-shot the Gryphons 36-27 including an 18-9 third period Axemen advantage. Acadia split the goaltending duties between Evan Mosher and Brandon Glover. Mosher stopped 10 shots and let one goal in while Glover repelled 15 and allowed one. The Axemen were 1-3 on the powerplay while the Gryphons were 1-6.
The CIS No. 3 ranked Axemen open the second half of the regular season this coming weekend as they head to Fredericton to take on the St. Thomas Tommies and then travel to UPEI for their second two road games before returning home on Friday, January 10 against the Saint Mary's Huskies. The Gryphons will begin the second half of the OUA regular season versus the Laurentian Voyageurs in Sudbury, ON.