(WOLFVILLE, NS) James Phelan (Laval, QC) scored twice to lead the U SPORTS No. 1 ranked UNB REDS in a 5-1 win at Acadia, on Friday night.
The score didn't reflect a hard-fought game, and Acadia put in a solid effort against the REDS, but the Axemen could not capitalize on their opportunities.
"I thought we played really hard," said Acadia's Peyton Hoyt (Lincoln, NB). "We came out strong. We have been practicing a lot and doing everything right and it was just one of those games where you couldn't catch a bounce, and those games happen sometimes."
Phelan's two-goal effort earned him Subway Player of the Game honours.
Both teams had ample chances in the opening period, but it was only UNB that capitalized on their chances, taking a 2-0 lead.
Phelan opened the scoring, notching a goal off a rebound he picked up from Axemen goalie Logan Flodell's (Regina, SK) left pad. Phelan lifted the puck over the sprawling Flodell for the 1-0 lead.
UNB doubled the lead in the final minutes of the frame, as Samuel Dove-McFalls (Montreal, QC) potted a short-handed goal on a cross-crease rebound in front of the Acadia net.
The closest Acadia came to a goal in the first period came from Nick Deakin-Poot (Georgetown, ON) who got free in front of the net and fired two point-blank shots, both handled by UNB's Rylan Parenteau (Saskatoon, SK).
An energetic second period saw a power-play goal on both sides and a two-goal lead for UNB heading into the final period.
It took only 31 seconds for the REDS to add to their lead in the second, as Nicholas Guay (Chateauguay, QC) scored a power-play marker on a scramble in front of the net.
Likewise, Acadia netted their first of the game on a power-play with a scrambled play in front of the UNB net. Eric Henderson (Kingsville, ON) got a stick on the puck in the crease and closed the UNB lead to 3-1.
Acadia had opportunities in the final frame, including an extended 5-on-3, but they could not solve Parenteau.
UNB added two late goals, including an empty-netter by Phelan and a marker from Jason Willms (Kitchener, ON), with 0.2 seconds left on the clock, to make it 5-1.
Flodell stopped 32 of 37 shots, while Parenteau, the game's third star, turned aside 33 of 34 Axemen shots.
With the win, UNB is now 14-1-0-0. The REDS extend their current winning streak to seven games. In the loss, Acadia falls to 5-11-0-0.
The REDS move on to Saint Mary's for a Saturday evening contest while the Axemen visit Moncton. Both games are scheduled for 7:00pm starts.
RECAP BY: Josh Foote/for Acadia Athletics
PHOTOS BY: Peter Oleskevich/for Acadia Athletics