WOLFVILLE, N.S. (U SPORTS) – It was a big win for the Golden Bears that saw goals from seven different players en route to Alberta's decisive 7-0 victory over the Acadia Axemen in the quarterfinal game at the 2022 U SPORTS Cavendish Farms University Cup at the Andrew H. McCain Arena.
Clayton Kirichenko scored a goal and added an assist to his goal to take home the Nike Top Performer for the Golden Bears.
Asked how much his team focused on the defensive side of the game, Kirichenko noted that it was most important aspect of their game.
"I think that was everything we were focused on going in to it. Just making sure we were taking care of our end first and everything fell on top of that. That was definitely a large focus", said Kirichenko.
There were 2049 people in attendance to cheer on the teams, with many town residents and students coming out to support the hosting Axemen.
Alberta came out firing in the first period, scoring three of their seven goals in the opening frame. While Acadia certainly had a number of scoring opportunities, Alberta dominated play for the majority of the game.
Eric Florchuk, Daneel Lategan, Gary Haden, Grayson Pawlechuk, Nolan Volcan, and Josh Patterson also scored for Alberta, while netminder Taz Burman recorded his fourth shutout of the season for the Golden Bears.
Despite coming away with the conclusive win, the Golden Bears were outshot by the Axemen for most of the night. However, Alberta overtook Acadia in shots in the third and finished with a 34-29 lead.
Axemen goalie Max Paddock turned aside 24 of the 31 shots he faced before being pulled for Conor McCollum late in the third period.
With the win, Alberta advances to play the StFX X-Men in the semifinals, while Acadia is eliminated from the University Cup. With their UCup run finished, the Acadia Axemen end their season with an overall record of 7-16-1 in the regular season, conference playoff and U SPORTS championship action.
Nike Top Performers
Alberta Golden Bears: Clayton Kirichenko
Acadia Axemen: Luke Zazula