Wolfville, N.S. – It wasn't much of a holiday send-off for the Acadia Axemen (5-11-0) on Friday night, as the UNB Reds (14-1-0) handed them up a lump of coal with a 5-1 loss in their last home game of 2021.
The score didn't reflect a hard-fought game and Acadia put in a solid effort against the U SPORTS No. 1 ranked Reds. The Axemen could not capitalize on their opportunities.
"I thought we played really hard. 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 good bounce and those games happen sometimes," noted Second Star of the Game Peyton Hoyt.
UNB got a pair of goals from Subway First Star of the Game James Phelan to help them on the way to their victory.
Both teams had ample chances in the opening period, but it was only UNB who capitalized on their chances, taking a 2-0 lead.
For their first, James Phelan notched a goal off a rebound he picked up from the Axemen goalie Logan Flodell's left pad. Phelan lifted the puck over the sprawling Flodell for the 1-0 lead.
UNB doubled their lead in the final minutes of the frame, as Samuel Dove-McFalls 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 who got free in front of the net and fired two point-blank shots into UNB's goaltender Rylan Parenteau.
By the end of the first period, UNB held a 16-14 shot advantage.
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 third, as Nicholas Guay 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 got a stick on the puck in the crease, amid an array of bodies, to close the UNB lead to 3-1.
At the end of the second frame, UNB posted a 27-23 lead in shots.
Acadia had opportunities in the final frame, including an extended 5-on-3, but they could not solve Parenteau.
Josh Foote, Acadia Athletics Communications
UNB added two goals late in the game, including an empty-netter from Phelan and a marker from Jason Willms with 0.2 seconds left in the game, to make it 5-1.
Axemen goalie Logan Flodell stopped 30 of 33 shots, while his UNB counterpart and third star of the night Rylan Parenteau turned aside 33 of 34 shots.
The second star of the night honours went to Axemen forward Peyton Hoyt.
Acadia heads to Moncton tomorrow and then concludes the first half of the regular season on Wednesday, Dec. 1 against the Dalhousie Tigers. The Axemen return in 2022 on Friday, Jan. 7 against the Tigers.
UNB faces off against the Saint Mary's Huskies Saturday, Nov. 27. The puck drop for all games is 7 pm.