Strong 3rd period lifts Axemen past Tigers

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – The Acadia Axemen (6-5), improved to 5-1 at home, as they handed the Dalhousie Tigers (4-4-3), on a rare Tuesday night game, a 4-1 loss. The Axemen also leapfrogged the Tigers in the AUS standings, for the time being, to move into fourth place behind the UPEI Panthers.

Although the first period saw no goals from either side, there were numerous bone crushing hits from both teams. Dalhousie was unable to capitalize on a string of Axemen penalties in the middle of the first, which saw Acadia forward, Remy Giftopoulos (Ancaster, Ont.), block a cross ice shot that would have surely gone in past the sprawling Axemen goaltender Devin Williams (Detroit, Michigan). At the end of the period, Acadia led in shots, 11-8.

Bad blood continued between the two teams into the second, with both sides pleading their case to the referees' multiple times during a period that saw questionable hits from both sides.

Early in the second, the Tigers had a goal immediately called back, due to a hand pass.

Acadia scored early in the second, when fourth-year forward, Brandon Childerley (Stratford, Ont.), picked up the puck off the boards from a point shot by rookie defenseman Marc McNalty (Medicine Hat, Alta.) and fired the puck low glove side on Dalhousie goaltender Joe Gladnick (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).

The Tigers ended the period on a four-minute power play, but were once again unable to find the back of the net against the best penalty killing team in the conference.

By periods end, the Axemen were still ahead in shots, 22-18 and holding a 1-0 lead going into the third period.

Acadia added to their lead early in the third, when Remy Giftopoulos scored on a beautiful no-look pass from Michael Clarke (Halifax, N.S.). Giftopoulos deked out Gladnick, who was holding tight to the right post, and fired the puck into the wide open net, which ignited the home crowd.

Giftopoulos scored his second of the night, only two-minutes later on a tight wrap around that momentarily fooled both the crowd and the Tigers goalie.  

Dalhousie responded with five minutes left to play in the third, when fifth-year forward, Andrew Wigginton (Sackville, N.S.), was left unmanned in the high slot and was able to fire a wrist shot high glove side on Williams.

Despite pulling their goalie and taking a timeout in the last three minutes of the game, the Tigers were unable to mount a comeback, as Acadia forward Kyle Farrell (Howie Center, N.S.), iced the game for Acadia with an empty net goal to end the game, 4-1.

Giftopoulos received the Subway First Star of the Night, while Tigers defenseman, Myles McGurty (Hoboken, New Jersey) and Axemen forward, Michael Clarke, took home second and third star, respectively.

Axemen goaltender, Devin Williams was strong in nets, stopping 22 of 23 shots, while his Dalhousie counterpart, Joe Gladnick, played a great game as well, stopping 33 of 36 shots 

The Axemen will next hit the ice on Saturday, Nov. 12 in Moncton, against the Aigles-Bleus, in the first of three away games, before returning home to Wolfville on Friday, Nov. 25 against UNB. Meanwhile the Tigers will next play on Friday, Nov. 11, at home, against the UPEI Panthers. Puck drops at 7:00pm for all games.