X-Men comeback falls short in Game 1 of AUS quarterfinals

The X-Men hockey team dug a hole 4 goals deep in the first period and couldn’t recover as the Acadia Axemen won Game 1 of their best 2-of-3 AUS quarterfinal series 5-4 Wednesday night at the StFX Keating Centre.

The Axemen scored 3 goals in the first period of play and added another power play goal at the end of the period to establish an early 4-0 lead in the game. The Acadia offense surprised X netminder Danny Battochio and the X-Men who started the game on a flat note.

Tyler Whitehead opening the scoring 4 minutes and 40 seconds into the game with a goal on an ensuing penalty call. Zack Firlotte and James Kile then followed up with quick goals, all before the 7 minute mark. James Kile scored a power play goal for Acadia, beating Battochio low between the pads. The X-Men were unable to register a shot on net until halfway through the first frame.

The second period started out on a stronger note for the hometown blue and white with the hard work paying off with a Ryan Desrosiers goal five minutes in from a nice passing play by Sean Flinn and Matthew Bragg.

Sam Roberts notched the second X goal at 8:55 in the second period off a shot from the point, beating Acadia goalie Kristofer Westblom high on the glove side. The two teams exchanged scoring chances for the remainder of the period, with the Axemen holding a two-goal lead after 2 periods of play at 4-2.

In the third period, defenseman Jeff Caron closed the gap and pulled the X-Men to within a goal, scoring an even strength marker at the 10:30 mark. The shot came from the point through traffic, beating Westblom who was screened on the play.

Acadia took the wind out of the X-Men sails with a goal of their own just 34 seconds later to rebuild a two-goal lead in the game. Tyler Whitehead notched his second goal of the game as the Axemen peppered Battochio with several shots as the X-Men couldn’t clear the zone.

The X-Men did not give up, however, and Chris Hulit scored for X with just over 5 minutes left in the game. An Acadia tripping penalty gave the X-Men a chance to tie but Westblom held his own facing several shots on the power play.

StFX pulled netminder Danny Battochio but ran out of time in their comeback attempt as the Axemen held on for a 5-4 Game 1 win as the series shifts to Wolfville for an all-important Game 2 on Friday night.

An Acadia win would close out the series, advancing the Axemen to a semi-final date with either UNB or Saint Mary’s. An X-Men win would force Game 3 back at the Keating Centre on Sunday night.