Entering his 12th season as head coach, Burns is proud of the accomplishments of his hockey program in the development of minor hockey players throughout the Annapolis Valley and Nova Scotia. It didn't come easy and he credits the work of local minor coaches, his past and present staff and his players.

"We are very excited to be able to continue to build the quality and the different focuses of camps at Acadia. We have worked hard to build uniformity in camps and teaching. There are now camps and opportunities available to children from 4 to 16 years old. It is exciting to be able to have coaches like Nic Greenough from the Valley Wildcats seeing the end result of minor hockey's efforts. He has worked hard to continue to develop these players and it will be an exciting spring with many of his players being drafted in to junior A and major junior A. “We also had two Acadia Minor Hockey teams win provincial championships this winter", points out Burns.

Local player Brandon Whitney, a former participant at the camps and a former Acadia Minor Hockey Association player who enjoyed a Major Junior season with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL, will prepare for the upcoming NHL draft. 

Burns is thrilled about the progress over the years. "I think the most positive change is that Acadia Minor Hockey Association, Acadia hockey and our bantam and midget AAA programs have a high level of communication and cohesion. This is paramount for the development of players. There is no doubt it is a process. We need to make sure kids get an opportunity to participate and have fun learning the game of hockey at all levels. It is also important that we work hard to provide camps where players who want to play at the highest levels, can continue to improve and work hard to achieve those opportunities".

The involvement of the Acadia hockey program in developing skill camps has created an environment where instructors, coaches and players are in contact year round. Acadia's goal is to help kids improve not just as players but as a person.  Burns adds, "I would like to personally thank the Acadia Minor Hockey Association for their support of Acadia Hockey".

Past President of the Acadia Minor Hockey Association, Laurie Dauphanie believes the association has benefited from the close bond between the Acadia Axemen and camps provided by head coach Darren Burns throughout the year and summer months "This year the Acadia Minor Hockey Atom AAA team won a Provincial title. These players have directly benefited from you, the Axemen, and your camps. The skill sets and confidence the Acadia Minor Hockey Association players gained from your camps enabled the coaches to work at another level. Your high standards and intense skill based sessions brought out the very best of these players".

Dauphanie adds, "I have witnessed the skill development and confidence of our players grow directly from the efforts of you (Darren Burns) and the Acadia players. You must be very proud of these accomplishments. It is rare that minor hockey players can say a Varsity Coach knows their names and that their local heroes know their names as well! At the end of the day, hockey is about building confidences, team play, and making lifelong friendships. You and your Axemen have done all of the above for these young athletes!"

Included in the extensive array of camps provided by the Acadia are Spring league teams under the guidance of Acadia Hockey including the Acadia Jr. Axemen, Acadia Wild and the Nova Scotia Raiders.

2011-2012 FEMALE BLG AWARD NOMINEES (Jim Thompson Trophy)

Atlantic University Sport (AUS)

Tyson Beukeboom
St. Francis Xavier University 
Sport: Rugby
Year of eligibility: 3
Academic program: Human Kinetics
Hometown: Uxbridge, Ont.

Tyson Beukeboom could have made it in any sport. Growing up, she excelled at basketball, volleyball, hockey and track and field. In high school, she picked up rugby, cross-country running and mountain biking. In her first season at StFX, in 2009-10, she suited up for the hockey and rugby teams, helping both reach the CIS championship.

It was in her second year in Antigonish, N.S., that Beukeboom chose to dedicate herself full-time to rugby. Something tells us it’s a decision she won’t regret.

Born in Edmonton, she moved to New York before her first birthday, then to Ontario at age 10. Playing rugby for the past seven years, Beukeboom quickly established herself as one of Canada’s top young talent in the sport. A former member of the under-17 and U19 Ontario provincial teams, she competed at the 2009 Nations Cup in England with the U20 Canadian squad. A team MVP in high school, she made a smooth transition to the university game and was voted Atlantic conference MVP and a CIS all-Canadian at the number 8 position each of the past two seasons. In three campaigns at StFX, the 21-year-old has led the X-Women to three AUS banners, a trio of CIS final appearances and a national title in 2010. 
  
“From the first day Tyson walked onto our campus, she has been the complete package,” StFX head coach Mike Cavanagh says about the human kinetics student, who led the AUS with 11 tries in six league games last fall, had three scores in an 82-5 non-conference rout of defending NCAA champion Army, and was named a CIS championship all-star. “Her knowledge and understanding of the game has made her an instant leader and go-to player.”

Who knows where Beukeboom got her athletic skills. It could be from her mother Sherri, a former high-performance track sprinter, or from her father Jeff, a four-time Stanley Cup winner in 14 NHL seasons. Her younger brother Brock, 20, was selected by Tampa Bay in the 2010 NHL Draft, while 14-year-old sibling Reid is a competitive swimmer. Her cousin Brett plays rugby at UVic and is shortlisted for the men’s national team.   

“Sports have really made me who I am. Being an athlete has instilled in me the traits of determination and ambition. My goal is to make the Canadian senior 15 and 7’s teams and I’m prepared to work hard to achieve it,” says Beukeboom, who was invited to the senior national 7’s squad ID camp in 2011.
 
Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)

Ann-Sophie Bettez
McGill University
Sport: Hockey
Year of eligibility: 5
Academic program: Public Relations Diploma
Hometown: Sept-Iles, Que.

When he recruited Ann-Sophie Bettez out of Dawson College back in 2007, McGill head coach Peter Smith knew he was adding a special player to his roster for the next five seasons. But did he really know she was THAT good?

Bettez, a 5-foot-4 forward from Sept-Iles, Que., wrapped up her record-setting university career this winter with the highest individual honour in CIS women’s hockey, the Brodrick Trophy presented to the most outstanding player in the country. It was the latest of countless individual and team awards that the two-time conference MVP and scoring leader has received during her five campaigns with the Martlets, including CIS rookie of the year, five selections as a first-team Quebec all-star, five nods as a CIS all-Canadian (three on the first squad), five RSEQ championships and as many appearances at the CIS tournament, including three national titles, one silver and one bronze.

Prior to her arrival on the Montreal downtown campus, the Martlets had never claimed the CIS banner.

“She is a coach’s dream -- keeps it simple, plays an uncomplicated style of game and brings a great combination of skill and grit. She is the hardest workers on a team full of hard workers and I hold her work ethic up as the standard for the young players on our team to strive for,” says Smith, who served seven years with the national women’s program and was an assistant coach on the squad that won Olympic gold in 2010. “Her growth and development as a player, student and person has been incredible.”

In her fifth and final CIS season, Bettez, who graduated last year with a bachelor of commerce degree and his currently working towards a public relations diploma, finished second in RSEQ scoring with 37 points in 20 league games before adding 13 points in eight playoff contests. She is McGill’s all-time leader in goals (85), assists (87) and points (172) in 91 regular season matches and also owns the team’s overall records in all three categories with 148-175-323 in 196 career games.
   
The 24-year-old has also enjoyed success on the international stage over the years. Back in 2009, she helped the Canadian under-22 squad capture gold at the MLP Nations Cup in Germany and then guided the national senior team to a silver-medal finish at the IIHF world championship in Finland. In 2011, she once again triumphed with the Maple Leaf jersey on her back, this time claiming gold with a group of CIS all-stars at the Winter Universiade in Turkey.

Ontario University Athletics (OUA)

Jacey Murphy
University of Guelph
Sport: Rugby
Year of eligibility: 5
Academic program: Science (Organic Agriculture)
Hometown: Alliston, Ont.

To say that Jacey Murphy and the Guelph Gryphons dominated the 2011 CIS women’s rugby season would be a major understatement.

In her fifth and final university campaign, the 22-year-old number 8 player led the Ontario conference with 12 tries in five league games as the Gryphons outscored their opponents by a mind-boggling 453-8 margin. Guelph resumed its domination in the post-season, defeating six rivals by a combined 261-34 en route to its fourth consecutive OUA championship banner and the second CIS title in program history. The national champs were the highest-scoring and best defensive team in the country during their undefeated journey.

Murphy, a native of Alliston, Ont., saw her exceptional all-around play recognized by CIS coaches, who voted her as the most outstanding player in the country for the second straight year. She also earned all-Canadian status and was named a CIS championship all-star, receiving both honours for the third time. The science student helped the Gryphons reach the CIS podium in each of her five seasons with the team, including four bronze medals and last fall’s Monilex Trophy triumph.

“Jacey is an exceptional athlete. She is nothing less than a specimen of athleticism,” says Guelph head coach Colette McAuley. “She has been an offensive threat ever since she joined the Gryphons in 2007. Now, she is developing her leadership abilities and makes everyone around her better.”

Murphy has always made the most of those abilities. She has competed on the national and international rugby stage since the age of 16, often travelling overseas to play against the junior English and Welsh teams. Her most recent accomplishment is a selection to the national 7’s trial camp in preparation for the 2016 Olympic competition. 

“Athletics have always been a large part of my life and have helped me to become a more well-rounded individual,” says Murphy, a four-time OUA all-star whose father played football with the Gryphons and whose two older sisters suited up for Guelph’s lacrosse team. “Sports have taught me about leadership and how to work as a team. It has helped me become a goal oriented person and to strive to achieve these goals.”

In addition to rugby, the multi-talented Murphy also played basketball, volleyball, hockey and ball hockey all through high school.

Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA)

Robyn Pendleton
University of British Columbia
Sport: Field Hockey
Year of eligibility: 4
Academic program: Kinesiology
Hometown: Victoria, B.C.

Another year, another female BLG Award finalist for the UBC Thunderbirds.

Remarkably, Robyn Pendleton is the fourth T-Bird in as many years to be nominated for the Jim Thompson Trophy, presented to the women’s BLG Award winner. The all-star field hockey player follows in the footsteps of swimmer Annamay Pierse (2009 recipient) and volleyball players Liz Cordonier (2010 recipient) and Shanice Marcelle (2011).

It would have been hard for the Canada West selection committee to ignore Pendleton’s exploits during the last CIS season, when she returned to the UBC lineup after taking a one-year break from the university circuit to represent Canada at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India.

Because of several injuries to teammates, the kinesiology student was called on to play defence, midfield and forward during the regular schedule but still managed to score a team-leading six goals in 12 games - good for second place in the conference scoring race – helping UBC claim its ninth straight Canada West title. The Thunderbirds’ co-captain then netted a team-high four goals in five contests at the CIS championship – including two game-winners - to lead her troops to a record 13th McCrae Cup national title. 

For her efforts, Pendleton was named both CIS player of the year and MVP of the national championship. Those honours added to the impressive awards collection of the Victoria native, who started her university career at UVic in 2006, before transferring to UBC and suiting up for the T-Birds in 2008 and 2009. In four seasons, she has now claimed four CIS medals, including a pair of McCrae Cup titles, two CIS tournament-MVP awards and as many all-Canadian nods.

In addition to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Pendleton has competed for Canada at numerous international events over the years, including the 2005 Junior World Cup in Chile, a Chile-Argentina Tour with the senior national team in 2009, as well as the Senior World Cup qualifying tournament in San Diego in 2010. The 23-year-old is currently playing in her first professional season with Cercle Athlétique de Montrouge, France’s national champions in 2010.

“Robyn is highly determined and self motivated to be the best she can be. That is who she is,” says Hash Kanjee, who recently stepped down from his post as UBC head coach. “As her coach, I could always count on her to do the very best that she could in every game, for herself and for her teammates.”

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Several minutes later, veteran centerman Jonathan Laberge scored his second goal of the post-season to give the Axemen a commanding 3-0 lead at the 9:47 mark of the second period. Laberge received a pass from teammate Spencer Jezegou in tight to the UPEI net after Jezegou broke into the UPEI zone on a mid-ice turn over.
 
Despite the big lead, the Panthers eventually got onto the score board with a goal coming from All-Star forward Matt Carter. Carter picked up a loose puck in front of the Axemen net and shot it past Axeman goalie Evan Mosher to score his first goal of the night and second of the post-season, making the score 3-1. The Axemen, however, responded quickly to the Panthers with a goal coming from AUS top scoring Defenseman Chris Owens. Owens would find the top shelf after receiving a feed from Andrew Clark thirty seconds after the Carter goal, which gave Acadia another three goal lead over UPEI with five minutes remaining in the period. 
 
After finding themselves against another three goal deficit, the Panthers would respond again with another goal coming from Carter near the end of the second frame. After Mosher made several big saves on a barrage of Panther shots, Carter managed to find the back of the net off his own rebound to close the gap to two. The period would soon close out at a score of 4-2 with UPEI taking a twenty-one shots on goal advantage over the Axemen, who only landed ten shots on net in the period.
 
The third period saw UPEI make a big push to tie the game at four. With 29 seconds remaining in the game and the Panther goalie pulled, UPEI's Mike MacIsaac potted his first goal of the post-season to narrow the lead to 4-3. Despite thier efforts, the clock became the Panthers worst enemy as time ran out for their last ditch effort to tie the game at four. Shots on goal for the game tallied at 37-30 in favour of UPEI.
 
With a third a final game in their midst, the Axemen will look to advance to the AUS semi-finals tomorrow night as they visit the Panthers in Charlottetown. If the Axemen or the Panthers were to advance past the quarterfinals, their next opponent has yet to be decided. Currently, Moncton and the StFX are heading to a third and final game of their own, which leaves to speculation who will meet Saint Mary’s or UNB in the semi-finals.

Subway Three Stars:
1. ACA - Evan Mosher
2. UPEI - Matt Carter
3. ACA - Liam Heelis

Submitted by Graeme Heaven
Acadia Sports Information

The Axemen opened the scoring early in the first period with a goal coming from rookie forward Joel Ridgeway. Ridgeway, who was returning to the Axemen lineup after missing 13 games due to injury, scored off of a hard slap shot that beat Tiger goalie Bobby Nadeau low on the glove hand side. Ridgeway would get his second goal of the season and gave Acadia a 1-0 lead.
 
Acadia’s second goal of the night came on a short handed goal early in the second period. Axemen forwards Liam Heelis and Andrew Clark broke out into the Dalhousie zone that saw Clark backhanding in his 15th goal of the season shorthanded. Heading into the final game of the regular season, Clark leads the AUS scoring race with 39 points, including 15 goals and 24 asssists in 27 games. Teammate Chris Owens leads the AUS defensement with 10 goals and 19 assists.
 
Just over two minutes into the final frame, Dalhousie Tiger Francois Gauthier fired a shot top shelf on Axemen goalie Peter DiSalvo, cutting Acadia’s lead in half. Seven minutes later, Tiger Brett Plouffe pushed the puck past DiSalvo to tie the score at two, giving Dalhousie a boost in momentum.
 
Fortunately for Acadia, the Axemen would respond quickly to the Plouffe goal with a goal from second year forward Joe Gaynor. Gaynor scored on a Bobby Nadeau rebound off of a Paul Kurceba shot from the blueline. Gaynor's eighth goal of the season gave Acadia its second lead of the night over the Tigers with a score of 3-2.
 
With under eight minutes remaining in the game, Axemen rookie Alex Beaton shovlled in a lose puck off of an Adam McIllwraith shot on net to give the Axemen a two point lead and the eventual 4-2 win. The game soon closed out with the Axemen taking a 31-24 shot on goal advantage over the Tigers.
 
With a victory in hand and only one more game remaining in the regular season, the playoff picture is beginning to take shape but still unclear on whether Acadia has an opportunity to move from fifth place to fourth in the next 24 hours. Tied at 34 points with UPEI, the Axemen will hope for a Panther loss to St. Thomas and an Acadia win against Saint Mary's in their last regular season game scheduled for 7pm in Halifax against the Huskies.

Game Notes: Ryan Graham will return for his first regular season game of the season after suffering a concussion. Leo Jenner has been given the go-ahead to join the Axemen after an injury to his spleen in November that sidelined the 6' 4" defenseman. Jenner will probably see ice time in the second round of the playoffs if the Axemen make it deep into the post season.

Senior graduating Axemen Adam McIllwraith, Paul Kurceba and Ryan Graham were honoured prior to the opening faceoff. All three will graduate this year with a Bachelor of Business Adminstration degree.

Submitted by Graeme Heaven
Acadia Sports Information Office

The Panthers struck first in the first period off of a face-off in the Axemen end when Chris Daousa took the puck off of a Jared Gomes won face-off and slid the puck past Acadia netminder Evan Mosher.

UPEI opened the second period with a one goal lead and capitalized on a errant pass by the Axemen that created a break-away situation where Mike MacIsaac scored his sixth goal of the season to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.

Just over three minutes later, the Panthers scored their third goal of the night at the midway point of the second frame coming from veteran forward Matt Carter after being set up in the slot by teammate Mike MacIsaac at the side of the net.

With momentum building in their favour, the Panthers pushed for a fourth goal 48 seconds later, as Jared Gomes scored his twentieth of the season off of a Chris Daousa rebound. First year Axemen goalie Evan Mosher was relieved of his duties after the Gomes goal.

The rocks kept tumbling as UPEI’s Carter would score his second goal of the night on the power play near the end of the second frame that saw the Panthers take a commanding 5-0 lead after two periods. The second frame closed out with at 16-5 shots on goal in favour of UPEI.

The third period saw Axemen sophomore Michael Ward score his seventh goal and Acadia's only goal of the game at 6:44 into final frame. Ward made a great second effort after his initial shot was stopped to fire the his own rebound into the top corner, which broke Panther Mavric Parks' shutout. 

Panther Jordan Knox would score the last of six UPEI goals on the powerplay with just under nine minutes remaining in the game. Outshot 35-31, the Axemen were 0-7 on the powerplay, while the Panthers were 2-6 on the man advantage.

With only two more regular season games remaining for Acadia, the Axemen will hope to snap their losing streak next Friday as they host the Dalhousie Tigers at 7:00 pm. With all of the AUS playoff spots spoken for, the post-season picture will look clearer after next weekend’s string of games.

The Axemen clinched their playoff berth last month and are currently sitting in the fifth place in the AUS. Acadia could move upwards, depending on their final two games of the regular season that include a home against Dalhousie and next Saturday's road game in Halifax against the second place Saint Mary's Huskies.

Acadia has been eliminated from the first or second place bye position with tonight's loss.

Submitted by Graeme Heaven
Acadia Sports Information Office

The first period opened in UNB’s favour as the V-Reds took advantage of an early power play opportunity that was twenty seconds into the game. UNB’s power play unit managed to capitalize on the man advantage from a shot coming from veteran Luke Gallant that was tipped in by forward Chris Culligan. UNB would hold onto their 1-0 lead for the majority of the period until second year defenseman Chris Owens scored his tenth goal of the season on the power play late in the first frame. After tying the game at one, the period would soon close out with a total of 10-7 shots on goal in favour of the Axemen.

Early in the second period, Acadia would take their first and only lead of the game when veteran Jonathan Laberge scored his eighth goal of the season, which was assisted by Wolfville’s very own KC Brown. The Ste-Foy, QC native had several other opportunities in the game, recording a team high four shots on net.

With the Axemen holding on to a 2-1 lead, Acadia pushed to extend their lead as they took advantage of a shaken Travis Fullerton. Fullerton was initially pulled after the Laberge goal in favour of UNB backup Daneil LaCosta, but was soon put back in net several minutes after the UNB goalie change up.

UNB picked up the tying goal with just under three minutes remaining in the second period, when V-Red forward Daine Todd slid the puck through Axeman goalie Peter DiSalvo’s pads.

The third period saw UNB’s Nick MacNeil give the V-Red’s their second lead of the night and the eventual game winner three minutes into the final frame. Despite a great effort by the Axemen to tie the game at three - which saw them posting a 9-5 shots on goal advantage - UNB grabbed their third win in a row after their meltdown of losing four of five games in early January.

V-Red veteran Luke Gallant was named the Subway third star of the game, while Axeman rookie goalie Peter DiSalvo was awarded the second star of the game for playing a strong game against UNB, repelling 24 shots. V-Red Chris Culligan was added as the first star of game.

With only four penalties dished out to each team, both UNB and Acadia were one for four on the powerplay. With another win behind them, UNB improves to 17-5-2 - only six points ahead of the second place Saint Mary's Huskies and four points ahead of Acadia in the AUS standing.

Acadia will play again tomorow as they host the UPEI Panthers at 7:00 pm. The Panthers and the Axemen are tied in the standings, yet UPEI leads the regular season series with one win and an overtime win, while the Acadia have only one win against the Panthers. A win will give the Axemen a tie-breaking advantage if Acadia and UPEI remain tied in the standings at season end.

Heading into the final week of the regular season, the playoff picture is still not clear with teams jockeying for position.

Game Notes: Still on the injured list is forward Alex Beaton, Graham Bona and Leo Jenner. Nicholas Choinard returned tonight from a concussion suffered in early January. For the first time in a long while, the Axemen had a full bench compliment. Beaton, Bona and Jenner hope to be back for the playoffs.

Submitted by Graeme Heaven
Acadia Sports Information Office

Three of the four goals scored by the Acadia came on the power play, which has proven to be one of the Axemen’s strong points this season as they sit third in the conference in power play goals with 23 in 20 games. The first period saw two of the three Axemen power play goals with the first goal coming in the early minutes of the game.

Veteran forward Jonathan Laberge continued his hot streak by netting the opening goal, his seventh of the season. The X-Men, however, responded at the 7:50 mark to tie the game at one. The StFX goal came from sophomore forward Scott Brannon, who one timed a pass from teammate Jason Bast that saw the puck go through Axeman Goalie Evan Mosher’s pads.

Wolfville native K.C. Brown, who has seen plenty of playing time due to the team's rash of injuries, netted his second goal of season late in the first frame. Teammate Liam Heelis would also score his own goal on the powerplay with just over two minutes remaining in the period to give Acadia a 3-1 lead heading into the intermission. The shots on goal for the period were 17-10 in favour of the Axemen.

StFX rebounded back in the second period with two quick goals in the opening four minutes. X-Man Spencer McAvoy scored on the power play to cut Acadia’s lead to one, while Scott Brannon scored his second goal of the night shortly after the X-Men powerplay to tie the game at three.

After coming back from a two-goal deficit, StFX began to build more momentum as they fought to get their first lead of the night. With strong play from first year goaltender Evan Mosher, Acadia was able to wait out the storm to close out the second frame with the score tied at three. The X-Men were able to grab a 10-8 shots on goal advantage.

Late in the third period, X-Man Bryce Swan was given a 10 minute misconduct for a hit to the head on Acadia's Joe Gaynor by the StFX bench, giving the Axemen power play unit another chance to capitalize on the man advantage. After a loose puck rebounded off of X-Man goalie Joseph Perricone from a shot coming from Laberge, Axeman defenseman Michael Ward banged home the rebound to give the Axemen their second lead of the night. The game would soon close out with a final score of 4-3 Acadia, improving Axeman goalie Evan Mosher's win-loss record to 10-6 while X-Men goalie Perricone struggles with a 4-11 record thus far. The final tally of shots on goal totalled at 37-28 in favour of Acadia.

Head Coach Darren Burns was happy with the win, despite giving up a 3-1 lead after one period. "I thought our guys competed extremely hard it was a great character win. Our blueline played well as expected and we need to now focus on an important Sunday game at X."

StFX and Acadia will return to the ice this Sunday in Antigonish to complete their season series and weekend back to back matchup.

Subway Three Stars of the game:

1. ACA - Andrew Clark
2. StFX - Scott Brannon
3. ACA - Travis Gibbons

Submitted by Graeme Heaven

A scoreless game after one period, Acadia's Jacob Dietrich knocked in the games first goal near the five minute mark. Tigers' David MacDonald score his first of a two goal night at  9:22 in the second on the mad advantage to tie the game at one.

Axeman rookie forward Liam Heelis scored a short handed goal and his sixth goal of the season a minute after MacDonald's goal to give the Axemen a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. MacDonald would tie the game with less than ten minutes remaining on the Tiger powerplay to force the overtime period.

Acadia's top goal score Andrew Clark netted the overtime winner, four minutes into the extra period to give the Axemen an important win heading into the weekend match up of home and home games against the strong StFX X-Men who come off of a 5-4 OT SO win over the CIS #1 ranked UNB Varsity Reds.

The Axemen, who fell short in the shots on goal tally against the Tigers, were outshot 33 to 25. Andrew Clark took the honours as the Subway First Star of the Game, while rookie netminder Evan Mosher repelled 31 shots in the important win over Dalhousie.

The Axemen, who moved up to sixth place in the CIS Top Ten rankings from eighth, will face the X-Men this Friday night at home without seven regulars including Nicolas Choinard, Alex Beaton, Dustin Ekelman, Graham Bona, Leo Jenner, John Girman and Ryan Graham.

"We played hard tonight and I am very proud of what they are doing as a group. We will definitely benefit from this tough period of the season and the team has showed a lot of character over the last few weeks", comment head coach Darren Burns after the win.

Note: The Acadia Students Union White Out Night this Friday at 7pm vs StFX. First 100 students receive a free white Go Acadia Go t-shirt while fans who bring along a white towel or dress white will receive a free game voucher for a game of their choice (excluding playoffs).

Jezegou scored his second and eventual game winner on the Axemen powerplay, giving Acadia a commanding 3-0 lead. In the closing minutes of the second period, Tommie Steve Sanza scored the only goal for St. Thomas.

Outshooting St. Thomas 37-23, Acadia was good on one of seven powerplay opportunities. Jezegou and goaltender Peter DiSalvo were Acadia's first and third Subway Three Stars, while Tommie Justin Collier took the second star honours.

The Axemen find themselves as the most penalized team in the AUS hockey conference, yet are also the top team in penalty killing percentage with 0.883.

Second year forward Andrew Clark leads the conference in scoring with 28 points that include 11 goals and 18 assists in 19 games. Defenseman Chris Owens is tied in third with 25 points, but leads AUS defensemen with 9 goals and 16 assists.

The Axemen head to Halifax this Wednesday to take on the Dalhousie Tigers. Missing from the St. Thomas game, due to injuries including Graham Bona, Nicolas Choinard, Dustin Ekelman, Leo  Jenner, Joel Ridgeway, John Girman, Ryan Graham and lost on Friday night against Moncton is Alex Beaton (concussion). No word on who will return for Wednesday's game.

In the last game of the four game regular season series, Moncton was able to tie the series at two with a third period that posted four Aigles Bleus goals including an empty netter in the closing minute of the game.

Tied at two after two periods of play, Moncton grabbed their third lead of the game in the final frame at 4:53 on an Eric Faille goal. Six minutes later, Francis Rochon scored the eventual game winner giving Moncton a 4-2 advantage.

The back breaker came at 13:31 when Alex Quesnel netted Moncton's fifth goal, but the Axemen would not give up as senior centreman Jonathanl Laberge cut the lead to two with just under four minutes remaining in the game. Faille would complete the scoring with the empty net goal at 19:18.

Wolfville's KC Brown scored the second of two Axemen first period goals while teammate Liam Heelis scored the first goal at 15:58 in teh first. Heelis returned after a game suspension imposed after a hit to the head in last week's game against Moncton in Wolfville.Kevin Charland and Christian Gaudet scored both Moncton goals in the first frame.

The Axemen, who are missing key players due to injury including Joel Ridgeway, Nicolas Choinard, Dustin Ekelman, Leo Jenner, and Graham Bona kept the game interesting in the first two periods despite playing a short bench.

The Axemen hope to rebound against the St. Thomas Tommies at the Lady Beaverbrook arena in Fredericton tonight. The Tommies come off of a 7-4 loss to last place Dalhousie at home. The Axemen are tied with Saint Mary's for third place with 23 points - the Huskies have a game in hand, while the Tommies drop to last place with a 3-12-2 record after their loss to Dalhousie. Acadia has a 11-6-1 record.

Fourth year forward Jonathan Laberge scored his third goal of the weekend on a shot from the point that hit twine to give Acadia an early 1-0 lead in game. The goal was Laberge’s 5th of the season, carrying on his hot play from yesterday’s game against Moncton where he netted two goals.

The second period picked up right where the first period ended with both teams playing a close, solid two-way game. The Tommies scored at the midpoint of the period when Tommie forward Yuri Cheremetiev banged home a rebound to get St. Thomas on the board.

Newly minted Axeman forward Chris Moulson, however, slid the puck past St. Thomas’ Charles Lavigne to pot his first goal of the season, giving the Axemen their second lead of the night with a score of 2-1. The second frame ended with an Axemen advantage in shots, tallying a 12-7 shots on goal in their favour.

The third period opened with an early St. Thomas goal when forwards Randy Cameron and Jonathan Bonneau created a play that saw Cameron one time the puck past Axeman goalie Peter DiSalvo. The score would remain tied at two for most of the third period until the Axemen capitalized on another powerplay opportunity with five minutes remaining in the game. Spencer Jezegou took advantage of Lavigne being out of position and would net his sixth goal of the season and the eventual game winner.

With less than five minutes left in the game, St. Thomas made a big push to tie the game at three, creating several good scoring chances late in the game. The Tommies, however, were unable to break past goalie DiSalvo, which ended having Acadia extending thier winning streak to two.

The stars of the game were awarded to Axeman Jonathan Laberge, Tommy goalie Charles Lavigne, and Axeman defenseman Cullen Morin. Laberge got the third star for carrying his hot streak from last nights game, while Morin got the first star for his strong play to keep the Tommies at bay. Tommy goalie Lavigne was given the second star of the game for his strong 40 save performance to keep St. Thomas in the game.

The Axemen, who improve to 11-5-1, will look to extend their winning streak to three next week as they hit the road to play Moncton (11-5-0) on Friday and St. Thomas (3-11-2) on Saturday in New Brunswick. The Acadia Axemen will return home Friday, January 20th to host the StFX X-Men at 7pm.

Submitted by Graeme Heaven

Scoreless in the first period, the Axemen posted a 12 to 7 shots on net advantage over Moncton. The scoring did not open until the second period when rookie forward Alex Beaton took advantage of a loose puck in the blue paint. Beaton would shovel in his seventh goal of the season to give Acaida a 1-0 lead over Moncton.

While being heavily pressured by a hungry Acadia squad, Moncton's goalie Pierre-Alexandre Marion stole several opportunities away from the Axemen during the midpoint of the second period. Acadia eventually drew a penalty shot during a Moncton power play, which saw Axeman sophomore defenseman Michael Ward taking his chances against the confident Marion. Ward, however, was stone-walled by Marion, and the Aigles Blues would later capitalize on the same power play at 7:51 on Mathieu Labrie's first goal of the season.

Tied at one, the Axemen quickly responded with a goal coming from veteran centerman Jonathan Laberge. Laberge potted his third goal of the season coming from a nice pass from teammate Spencer Jezegou. Several minutes later, Acadia's leading goal scorer Andrew Clark scored his 11th goal of the season, extending Acadia’s lead to 3. Moncton, however, would capitalize on another power play chance near the end of the period, cutting the Axemen’s two-goal lead to one on a Simon Lacroix goal.

Near the end of the second period, tempers flared after second year defenseman Cullen Morin took a hard hit against the boards from Moncton's Christopher Guay, creating a heated scrum between the Axemen and the Aigles Bleus. Several game misconducts were handed to both teams and Acadia would come out with a two minute power play, with Moncton’s Guay getting tagged for boarding.

The third period would play out in Acadia’s favour with goals coming once again from Clark and Laberge. Clark scored his second goal of the night at the 13 minute mark after taking advantage of a Moncton blunder that saw him throwing the puck into an empty net. Laberge would score his second of the night on the power play in the closing minutes of the game.

After regulation play, Acadia out-shot the Aigles Bleus 35-21 as Axeman netminder Evan Mosher posted his eighth win of the season and sits in third place in the AUS goaltending ranks with a 2.80 goals against average.

The third star of the game was awarded to newcomer Chris Moulson who offered an assist on each of Laberge's goals. Laberge would take the first star of the game after playing confidently against the CIS #6 ranked Aigles Blues.

Acadia will play their second game of 2012 tomorrow night as they host the 3-10-2 St. Thomas Tommies at 7pm. The struggling Tommies are coming off of a 1-0 loss against Dalhousie, while Moncton heads to Halifax to take on the Dalhousie Tiger.

Game notes: Axemen rookie forward Nicolas Choinard took a hard hit in the Moncton zone, resulting in a concussion and will miss an undetermined amount of games. Chris Moulson posted two assists in his first game with the Axemen after leaving Cornell University last season. Tonights win chalks up the Axemen's record to 10-5-1 while giving them 21 points in the AUS standings. Andrew Clark leads the AUS in scoring with 27 points that include 11 goals and 16 assists.

Submitted by Graeme Heaven

While the shots on net were close to even with a 25-23 Acadia advantage, the story of the game was Axeman Alex Beaton's hat trick that catapulted the Axemen to a convincing 4-0 victory.

All the goals were scored in the second period where 10 penalties were split evenly between the opponents. Spencer Jezegou scored the first of four second period goals and Beaton netted three in a row with his first and second goal only a minute apart beginning at 7:22 of the second frame.

Beaton, a first year forward from Sackville, NS, capped his scoring spree on a powerplay goal with six minutes remaining in second period.

Goaltending duties were split between Acadia's Evan Mosher, who started, and Peter DiSalvo. X-man Morgan Clark stopped 21 shots for StFX.

The Axemen will open the second half of the regular season against the CIS #6 ranked Moncton Aigles Bleus this Friday night at Acadia, while the X-men have a difficult road game against the CIS #1 ranked UNB Varsity Reds on Friday in Fredericton.

Notes: Leo Jenner, who suffered a ruptured spleen in late November hopes to return to the lineup in mid-February or later. Liam Heelis will miss this Friday's game against Moncton due to a game assessed for a blow to the head in Monday's exhibition game.

Outshooting the Tommies 35-24, the Axemen scored first in the opening period on a powerplay goal scored by defenseman Chris Owens on a wrist shot from the high slot.

Paul Kurceba and Greg Bona added goals at the mid and late second period to give the Axemen a commanding 3-0 win over the 3-9-2 regular season record Tommies.

St. Thomas finally answered the door bell early in the third period on a mishandled puck by netminder Peter DiSalvo who entered the game at the halfway point of the second period. Starter Evan Mosher made 9 stops in his 30 minutes of play prior to DiSalvo. The Tommie goal by Jordan Scott was an unassisted goal.

Acadia rookie Liam Heelis netted the Axemen's final goal at 10:57 of the third period. Tommie Chris Morehouser added the last goal of the night with just under six minutes remaining in the game to cut the Axemen lead into half at 4-2.

Defensemen Chris Owens and Michael Ward were named the first and third game stars respectively while St. Thomas' Jordan Scott who landed 4 of the team's 24 shots on net and scored their first goal was honoured as the second star.

The Axemen will suit up again this coming Monday night as they host the StFX X-Men in exhibition play at the Kings Mutual Centre in Berwick starting at 4pm. Acadia resumes regular season play on Friday, Jan. 6th as they host the CIS #6 ranked Moncton Aigles Bleus.

Game Notes: Jonathan Laberge left in the first period with an unknown injury and did not return to the game. Leo Jenner is still recovering from spleen surgery in early December. Newcomer Chris Moulson was ineligible to play tonight but will suit up for the Axemen against StFX this coming Monday in Berwick. Joel Ridgeway is recovering from a concussion in late November.

Ryan Graham of the varsity hockey team is one such scholar who was captivated by the postcard appeal of Wolfville  -- a town that could easily double as an Ivy League location.

The Mount Pearl, Newfoundland native had strong ties to Saint Mary’s University when he was choosing schools four years ago but was swayed by the beauty of the Annapolis Valley.

“I fell in love with the town,” says the hard-nosed winger, currently sidelined with a concussion.

“Coming from Newfoundland I like the small-town feel of it.  But (the decision) was particularly hard because I had an offer from Saint Mary’s and my sister and my now brother-in-law both were both at Saint Mary’s at the time. So (Saint Mary’s) was definitely the front runners. But I went down to visit Acadia and I loved the town and that was it…my decision was made for me actually.”

Graham is part of a long-standing tradition of Newfoundland-born players at Acadia and like many of his compatriots Graham displays a strong work ethic and an aggressive style. His robust nature often leads to violent collisions and makes him a prime candidate to be concussed, a state in which he currently finds himself.

The 24-year-old was originally concussed in an early January, 2011 game against Dalhousie University on a hit he deemed as “clean".

“I was looking behind me for a pass and the defenceman stepped up and he just creamed me.” recalls the five-foot-11, 210-pounder. “I felt something (strange) but I played the next night and then I got diagnosed after that.”

After a month in sick bay, Graham returned for the second round of the Atlantic Universities Hockey Conference (AUHC) playoffs against the University of New Brunswick. Graham scored in his first game back but suffered a second concussion in the following game and hasn’t suited up since.

“It was a two-fister to the chin,” says Graham, of the shot that caused his second concussion last season. “I didn’t think it was clean…but whatever.”

It’s been a long road to recovery but Graham feels he’s come a long way since last spring.

“I had a bad sensitivity to light at first,” he recalls. “I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t do anything really.”

As for hockey, Graham lost some of his trademark fearlessness.

“I’d go into the corners and I’d come up short", he recalls.“I’d tell myself I’m going to get that puck but I just wouldn’t go. Something inside of you just knows there’s something wrong. I had a real foggy feeling. It was a bad place really.”

In the past couple of months Graham has experienced improvements with his condition.

“I’m doing pretty good. I still have good days and bad days though,” he says. “Now on certain days I find if I don’t get enough water in me I get intense pressure on the back of my eyeballs.  It’s hard to explain. I often have people ask me about it…you just don’t feel like yourself. It’s hard to sit down and read. I’ll get a headache and stuff.”

Graham only resumed training in early fall and just recently began practicing with the Axemen. He practiced one week with contact but didn’t feel comfortable and says he won’t resume playing until he feels at ease receiving body contact.

Graham was an accomplished scrapper in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and figures he suffered several undiagnosed concussions that he “just didn’t even bother with.” And while the public, and most importantly the hockey world, is more educated about concussions now Graham admits the pull to return to the line-up is a strong one.

“On this team especially there’s a pride factor…you don’t want to miss time (due to injury),” he says. “Especially in our league where there’s only 28 games.”

A return to the line-up is even more enticing since Acadia appears to have as good a chance as any team to claim an AUHC crown.

“It’s a weird league this year,” says Graham. “Anyone can beat anyone. Teams are more evenly matched than I can remember in my four years, for sure. We have a very close-knit team this year and even though we had a lot of injuries in the first half, we were still successful. All the pieces are in place for this year and if not, next year for sure.”

Graham attended two rookie camps with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild as a 19 and 20-year-old but admits a career in pro hockey is now unlikely.

However, he would like to stay involved with the game in a coaching capacity when his days at Acadia are over. In the meantime, he is enjoying life in Wolfville.

“I’ve met some of my closest friends here,” he says. “People in the community are just great people. I love it here. It’s become a second home for me.  It will be hard to leave that’s for sure.”

Submitted by Dave Salter
Freelance Writer

Boone is one of 22 team members who survived the four day, 43 player selection camp. A native of Dorchester, ON, Boone is a right winger with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL. The 18 year old, 6'1" 205 lbs. forward was selected 37th overall in the 2nd round by the Columbia Blue Jackets.

Congratulations to the Jenner family from the Acadia Axemen and Acadia Athletics.

Moulson spent two seasons with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the BCHL, racking up 33 points per season during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 campaigns, before following older brother Matt's hockey flight path to Cornell University. Chris participated in only five games in 2009-10 and one game last season due to injury while at Cornell and hopes to continue his education at Acadia.

The 5'11", 195 lbs. forward is a much needed addition to the Acadia roster following a first semester where the Axemen suffered a wide variety of injuries. Viewed as a forward with a good touch around the net, Moulson sees the ice well and is considered a very good passer by head coach Darren Burns.

Burns is hopeful that the addition of Moulson will set up the Axemen for a strong second half of the season. "We are very happy that Chris will now be ready to play in the second half. He has been with us all season and he is a high character kid who is a very intelligent hockey player. It is perfect timing for our hockey club since encountering so many injuries during the first half of the season.

Moulson has been on campus since August and Burns is cognizant of the fact that not being parachuted in will benefit Chris' play and adjustment to an academic and athletic schedule. "With Chris being here since August, he has  already built strong relationships and knows our systems. All of this should help him with the transition of playing on a regular basis. He has not played a game in a year so it will take time but we feel his intelligence will aid him greatly in adjusting to such a high quality league."

The Axemen open up the second half of the regular season on Friday, January 6th as they host the Moncton Aigles Bleus.