No. 7 Axemen remain in first place with a win over No. 1 ranked UNB

WOLFVILLE N.S. – After a quick back and forth game of hockey, the Acadia Axemen won their third straight game with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the U SPORTS No. 1 ranked UNB Reds.

Acadia was the first team to strike, taking advantage of a powerplay opportunity. Alexander Lepkowski buried his second of the season after finding a loose rebound from a Johnny Corneil shot and flipping the puck over the downed goalie and into the net.

The goal celebrations were short-lived as the Reds answered right back just under a minute later with a goal of their own. After Alexandre Goulet ripped a shot off the post, Olivier LeBlanc was in the right place to gather the rebound and stuff the puck in the open Acadia goal. Stephen Anderson also assisted. 

The game was tied 1-1 after the first.

It took only 24 seconds into the second period for the Axemen to reinstate their lead. A speedy two-on-one rush was ended by Eric Henderson driving the net hard and having Maurizio Colella's pass bounce off of him and past UNB goalie Rylan Parenteau.

Jack Flaman was next on the scoresheet for the Axemen, scoring 6:27 into the frame. He was sprung on a breakaway following a blocked shot and squeezed a quick wrister through the netminder.

The Reds responded with a goal of their own under a minute later. Matthew Boucher received a perfect backdoor pass from Alexandre Goulet for an easy tap-in to bring UNB within a goal.

The period ended with the Axemen leading 3-2.

Though there were numerous chances at both ends of the rink, neither UNB nor Acadia could muster up a goal in the final frame.

The game concluded with the Axemen on top by a score of 3-2.

Acadia goalie Logan Flodell was solid between the pipes making 40 saves, while UNB netminder Rylan Parenteau made 24 stops.

"We worked all week in practice to stay tight in our zone and letting them pass around. They are a fast team and they usually try to get everyone running. I thought we did a good job staying in the middle," noted by Flodell following the game.

Both teams had three extra-man opportunities, though only the Axemen were able to capitalize with one goal on the powerplay.

Acadia plays host to the Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleus Saturday night in their final regular season game before the Holiday break. The Axemen will be aiming to add a fourth straight win.

The UNB Reds will be paying a visit to the Saint Mary's Huskies in their next game on Saturday night with hopes to close out the 2019 half of the season with 2 points.

Provided by Griffin Herrington, Acadia Athletics Communications