WOLFVILLE, N.S. - A five minute span from the opening of the second period gave the CIS No. 4 ranked UNB Varsity Reds a commanding 3-0 lead over the top ranked Acadia Axemen.
The four unanswered goals during the second frame by the V-Reds handed the Axemen their second loss in a row following last night's defeat to the visiting UPEI Panthers. For the first time this season, the Axemen have lost two games in a row. The Varsity Reds, on the other hand, extend their winning streak to seven which began after a 7-4 loss to Moncton on November 27 - their last game before the Holiday Break.
Francis Beauvillier (St. Hyacinthe, Que.) scored the first of four UNB goals beginning at 1:07 in second period. Beauvillier one-timed a feed from Jordan Murray (Riverview, N.B.) from a tough angle beating Brandon Glover (Victoria, B.C.) on the short side.
Eighteen seconds later Phillipe Maillet (Terrebonne, Que.) netted a Glover rebound off of a Randy Gazzola (Thorold, Ont.) shot from the near point to give the Varsity Reds a quick 2-0 lead.
Just under three minutes later, Dylan Willick (Kamloops, B.C.) silenced the home crowd on a near-net feed from Gazzola that beat Glover low to the stick side after Willick crossed the top of the crease.
Glover was replaced by second year backup Robert Steeves (Moncton, N.B.) who allowed one goal in his 35 minutes of play against the V-Reds.
UNB sealed the win with less than five minutes remaining in what was a disastrous second period for the Axemen. Taylor MacDougall (New Maryland, N.B.) scored a shorthanded goal after V-Red Matt Petgrave (Brampton, Ont.) was assessed a cross-checking penalty. MacDougall's goal was off a rebound created by teammate Alex Wall's (Mt. Pearl, Nfld.) end to end skate and high shot on Steeves.
Out-shot 40-30 by UNB, the Axemen posted several good scoring opportunities but rookie goaltender Etienne Marcoux (Terrebonne, Que.) was good on all 30 shots and for his effort was named the Subway Third Star of the Game. Teammate Randy Gazzola took top honours with two assists.
Acadia's Kyle Farrell (Howie Center, N.S.) was named the second Subway Star of the Game.
The Axemen lead the four game regular season series with two wins and a loss. Acadia's wins came before the Christmas Holidays in overtime wins on the road and at home.
With the two losses in a row, the Axemen find themselves tied with UNB in the tight AUS standings with 34 points but the Varsity Reds have one game in hand. Acadia drops to 16-4-2, while UNB improves to 16-3-2.
The Axemen host the StFX X-Men, who sit in third place with 15-3-3 record, this Wednesday night, while the Varsity Reds host the fledgling St. Thomas Tommies.