WOLFVILLE, N.S. – The Acadia Axemen kept their hot pre-season play alive on a humid Tuesday night in Wolfville, beating the Dalhousie Tigers 5-0.
Veteran Axemen goaltender Robert Steeves, named the Subway First Star of the Game, turned in a stellar game, registering his first shutout of the year, while Stephen Harper put up two goals and an assist, to capture Third Star honours.
Despite even play between the two teams early in the opening period, Acadia forward Stephen Harper scored the first of five unanswered Axemen goals 5:12 into the first period.
Harper stole the Dalhousie clearing attempt in front of their net and buried the puck low blocker side, giving the Axemen a 1-0 lead that would hold into the first intermission.
The Axemen added to their lead in the second period, going 3-for-3 on the man-advantage to take a 4-0 lead heading into the third.
The first came from second year forward Kris Hodge – his third goal of pre-season play.
Forward Chance Braid scored the second of the period by deflecting a Stephen Harper point shot past the Tigers goaltender Corbin Boes and into the top left corner.
With a 3-0 lead, Harper scored his second of the night, this time on a 5-on-3 power-play, ripping a calculated wrist shot past Boes from the top of the right circle with 4:40 remaining in the period.
Acadia once again added to their lead in the third when forward Remy Giftopolous snipped a wrist shot to the top corner on Boes.
Three 10-minute misconducts were issued near the conclusion of the game, one of which was given to Axemen defenseman Stephen Woodworth who for checking from behind.
Tigers netminder Corbin Boes stopped 25 of 30 shots, while second star of the night went to Tigers defenseman Aiden Jamieson.
The Axemen head south of the border this weekend to take on UMass Lowell River Hawks and the UMaine Black Bears the weekend of September 30 and October 1 before kicking off the regular season at home on Friday, October 6 at 7:00pm against the StFX X-Men.
By Joshua Foote, Acadia Communications Office