Tigers comeback to top Axemen in shootout

HALIFAX — The Dalhousie Tigers defeated the Acadia Axemen 3-2 in a shootout Saturday night at the Halifax Forum.

The Axemen dominated possession, firing 69 shots on goal, while the Tigers managed just 16 through regulation. However, Dalhousie mounted a late third-period comeback with two goals to force overtime.

Acadia came out strong, recording 27 first-period shots. The breakthrough came with 11:45 left in the opening frame when Adam MacMaster of Beamsville, Ont., capitalized on a slick pass from Corson Hopwo of Duncan, B.C., to give the Axemen a 1-0 lead. Dalhousie netminder Nicholas Chenard of Tecumseh, Ont., kept his team within reach, making 27 saves in the period.

The Axemen maintained their offensive pressure in the second, outshooting the Tigers 24-3. Peyton Hoyt of Lincoln, N.B., doubled Acadia's lead on the power play at 11:11. Despite Dalhousie taking three penalties in the period, Chenard stood tall, stopping 22 shots to bring his total to 49 saves through two frames.

The Tigers struggled to generate offence but found their rhythm late in the third. With 3:36 remaining, rookie defenceman Zach Welsh of Halifax fired a top-corner shot to cut the Axemen's lead to 2-1. Just over a minute later, Jack Harper of Guelph, Ont., netted the equalizer, sending the game to overtime.

In a back-and-forth extra frame, both teams had chances, but Chenard's heroics in net pushed the game to a shootout. The Tigers sealed the victory by scoring three times in the shootout to Acadia's one.

Chenard was the story of the night, making 67 saves for a remarkable 97.1 save percentage and earning player of the game honours.

The Tigers will aim for back-to-back wins on Wednesday when they visit the St. Francis Xavier X-Men in Antigonish, N.S. The Axemen return to action Friday at 7 p.m. when they hit the road to face the first-place UNB Reds.