WOLFVILLE, N.S. – Make it two straight home wins for the Acadia Axemen (2-2-0), as the team grabbed a 3-2 win against the Moncton Aigles Bleus on Friday night. Acadia was helped by the performance of their goaltender and third star of the night Max Paddock, who turned aside 29 of 31 shots on the night.
Although Acadia held the lead for the entirety of the game, Moncton applied plenty of pressure, as they had the Axemen scrambling defensively in the final minute of the game with a 6-on-5 advantage in the Acadia zone.
Although the Axemen only had eight shots in the opening frame, they held a 2-1 lead by period end.
The home team opened the scoring early with a marker from Subway First Star of the Game Maurizio Colella exactly four minutes into the first period.
Colella streaked in front of the net, where he took a pass from Eric Henderson – who was set up behind the Moncton net – and waited out the goalie on his forehand just long enough to slide it in for a 1-0 lead.
To double up their lead, Adam McMaster tallied a power-play marker. McMaster took a cross-zone pass from McFadden at the top of the left face-off circle and wired a wrist shot bar down on the right side of the net.
Moncton cut the lead in half late in the frame when Edouard St-Laurent nabbed the puck in Acadia's end as both teams were getting ready to leave the zone.
St-Laurent deked out the goalie in tight and lifted a quick wrister under the blocker to set the score at 2-1.
By the end of the first period, the shots were in Moncton's favour, 10-8.
Chances were had by both sides throughout the second period, but Acadia was the only team to put up any offence in the frame, taking a 3-1 lead into the third.
Shortly after the halfway mark of the second period, Nick Deakin-Poot knocked a puck out of the air in the Moncton zone on a penalty kill. He walked in on the goalie and lifted the puck under the crossbar to give Acadia a 3-1 lead.
At the end of the second period, Acadia held a 24-18 lead in shots.
Moncton answered back early in the third period on a goal from Nathaniel Roy.
Roy picked up a rebound off the goalie's right pad and fired it in to cut Moncton's deficit to one.
Yet, that was as close as Moncton would come to tying the game, as they were unable to solve Paddock for the rest of the third, which sealed the Acadia win.
Moncton goalie Emile Samson turned aside 29 of 32 shots.
The second star of the night honours went to Moncton defenceman Francis Thibeault.
The Axemen take to the ice again on Wednesday, Oct. 20 at home against the StFX X-Men, while Moncton faces off against the Saint Mary's Huskies Saturday, Oct. 16.