In two exhibition games scheduled this past weekend against NCAA opponents, the Axemen returned home with losses against UMass-Lowell River Hawks (4-2) and UMaine Black Bears (3-1).
Axemen head coach Darren Burns wasn't dissappointed with the outcome.
"Our guys played very hard this weekend. Although we lost two close games, it was a trip that was very benefiscial. We learned a lot about our team and it's strengths and some things we need to get better at. Both games were physical, but it was disciplined hockey," said Burns following the Axemen's game against the Black Bears.
The UMass Lowell Hockey team skated to a 4-2 exhibition win against Acadia University on Saturday night at the Tsongas Center.
Senior forward Jake Kamrass got the River Hawks on the board first with just 37 seconds left in the first period with a power-play tally.
Stephen Harper and Rodney Southam tallied goals for the Axemen in the second and third periods respectively. Southam's power-play goal made it a 3-2 game just 4:19 into the third, after sophomore forward Ryan Lohin netted the go ahead goal just 1:58 into the final frame.
Sophomore forward Colin O'Neill scored the River Hawks second goal at 10:14 of the second period to give UMass Lowell a 2-1 advantage.
Junior forward Nick Master added an insurance empty-netter with just two seconds remaining in the contest.
The River Hawks outshot the Axemen, 27-16, including a 12-2 shot advantage in the opening period.
Junior goaltender Christoffer Hernberg started the game for the River Hawks and made two saves in the first 20 minutes of the game. Sophomore Tyler Wall played the final 40 minutes, making 12 saves, including eight in the second period. Acadia's Dawson Carty stopped 23 shots in the losing effort.
In the Axemen's second exhibition game this past weekend had Acadia matched up against the host Maine Black Bears.
A pair of special-teams goals, including a power-play tally from freshman defenseman Alexis Binner and a short-handed score from junior defenseman Rob Michel, helped lift the University of Maine Black Bears to a 3-1 victory over the Acadia Axemen on Sunday afternoon at Alfond Arena.
The Black Bears dominated the game territorially in the first period and outshot the Axemen by a margin of 13-1 in the frame.
Despite the outpouring of shots, the Black Bears and Axemen entered the first break tied at 0, but just 2 minutes, 13 seconds into the second period, Binner found the back of the net while Acadia had a man in the box for slashing. In his first action in a Black Bear jersey, freshman goaltender Jeremy Swayman preserved the one-goal lead with a stop on an Axemen breakaway and had a nice stuff on a close-range attempt minutes into the third period.
Michel stretched the lead to two goals with his short-handed goal at 8:55 of the third period, Stephen Harper cut the Axemen's deficit to one with a power-play tally six minutes later. However, UMaine's first even-strength goal of the night – off the stick of Tim Doherty – gave the Black Bears the insurance goal they would need for the final 3-1 lead.
Rob McGovern started between the pipes for UMaine, making three saves in 29:18 of ice time while Swayman finished with 14 saves in 30:42.
UMaine ended up with the final edge in shots on goal (40-18). The Black Bears went 1-for-7 on the power-play while the Axemen were 1-for-5.