Axemen continue slide as X-Men take first meeting of the year

WOLFVILLE – The STFX X-Men continued their winning ways as they topped the Acadia Axemen 4-1 on Friday night in Wolfville.

It was the fourth win in a row for the STFX, while Acadia lost their fifth straight.

In the first period, STFX wasted no time in asserting their authority, with Declan Smith (Antigonish, NS) netting a power-play goal at 03:01, assisted by Josh Nelson (Lockport, IL). They extended their lead when Liam Hawel (Arnprior, ON) struck with a shorthanded goal at 11:32, also thanks to Smith's assist.

The second period saw STFX's Hawel notch another power-play goal at 13:33, this time assisted by Matthew Struthers (Milton, ON).

Acadia managed to get on the scoreboard when Brady Burns (Port Williams, NS) found the back of the net at 17:38, with Zack Jones (North Falmouth, MA) providing the assist.

In the third period, the X-Men continued their dominance with Nelson scoring a power-play goal at 12:25, assisted by Logan Chisholm (Antigonish, NS) and Smith. STFX exhibited efficiency on the power play, going 3-for-9, while Acadia struggled to convert on their power plays, going 0-for-8.

Thomas Couture (Levis, QC) made 16 saves in the loss, while Joseph Raaymakers (Chatham, ON) made 32 saves in the victory.

Saturday night Acadia welcomes the Dalhousie Tigers, an important game early in the season in the AUS standings, while STFX is home against the Saint Mary's Huskies – who picked up a 5-0 win over the Dalhousie Tigers on Friday. Puck drop is 7 p.m. for both games.