Wolfville, NS – The Acadia Axemen snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-0 win over the StFX X-Men on Friday night. Acadia had nearly three times more shots on net than the X-Men.
Axemen goaltender Logan Flodell recorded the shutout on the night, turning aside all 21 shots he faced.
Acadia dominated play early in the first period and they were rewarded for their effort just after the halfway point of the opening frame.
Axemen forward Maurizio Colella, who corralled the puck on a pass from Owen MacDonald, took a step back and fired a slap shot past the X-Men goalie Chase Marchand.
The Axemen doubled up their lead after rookie forward Jordy Stallard - who was named the third star of the night - scored the first goal of his U SPORTS career after being sprung on a breakaway to make it 2-0.
By the end of the first period, the shots were 20-5 for the Axemen.
The Axemen added to their lead in the second, as forward and Subway player of the game Cristiano DiGiacinto added a pair of goals to make it 4-0.
DiGiacinto scored his first of the period by batting a rebound out of the air in front of the X-Men net, while his second was a power-play marker that he redirected under Blade Mann-Dixon's legs out in front. Mann-Dixon replaced Marchand in the X net to start the second period.
By the end of the middle period, the shots were an uneven 41-9 for Acadia.
While the Axemen played a more defensive-oriented third period, they kept the offense 'in gear' with a sleek shorthanded goal from defenceman and second star of the night, Garrett McFadden.
McFadden came in on a partial breakaway and moved to his backhand, sliding the puck between legs of Mann-Dixon, to make it 5-0.
"Everyone has been competing and putting in the work. We have been practicing hard all year. We know what our goal is. We know what we want and we know where we want to be. The room has never been negative. We just keep battling and finally it has paid off," said DiGiacinto after the win.
X-Men goaltender Chase Marchand was tagged with the loss, He stopped 18 of 20 first period shots. Mann-Dixon had 30 saves on 33 shots in 40 minutes of play. Axeman goalie Logan Flodell picked up his fourth win of the season with 21 saves.
The Axemen travel to Dalhousie Saturday night, then take to the ice again at home on Friday, Jan. 25 against Saint Mary's. StFX heads to UPEI on Tuesday, Jan. 22 for a make-up game, before hosting the same Panthers squad on Friday night in Antigonish.
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Courtesy Joshua Foote, Acadia Sports Information