Hockey X-Men shutout CIS No. 2 Axemen

Wolfville, NS - StFX goalkeeper Drew Owsley (Lethbridge, AB) made 34 saves for the shutout as the StFX X-Men skated to a 2-0 win over the CIS #2 ranked Acadia Axemen Saturday night in AUS hockey action.

It was the third consecutive win for the X-Men who even their season record at 5-5. The Axemen now stand at 7-3 after dropping consecutive games.

Blake Gal (Lethbridge, AB) opened the scoring for the X-Men at 1:53 of the first period. The goal came on a quick break out, catching Acadia on the change. The ensuing 2-on-1 break saw X-Men forward Jarrad Struthers (Glace Bay, NS) pass it across to linemate Gal who made no mistake putting it in the top corner. Michael Kirkpatrick (North Sydney, NS) also assisted on the play.

With multiple opportunities from both teams during the opening period, the score remained 1-0 in the X-Men's favour after 20 minutes. The Axemen held a 10-9 edge in shots on goal.

In a scoreless second period, Acadia collected 13 shots while StFX mustered five.

The X-Men started the third period on the man advantage. After Glover made two big saves, the puck found its way to the point, leaving Jagger Dirk (Penticton, BC) with nearly the entire net to shoot at, as Glover was out of position and well outside the crease.

Dirk wristed a shot past the Axemen netminder to record his first AUS goal with the X-Men. The powerplay goal was scored 41 seconds into the third period as Kirkpatrick and X-Men captain Rob Slaney (Conception Bay, NL) had the assists.

For the game, the Axemen outshot the X-Men 34-22.

StFX goaltender Drew Owsley received the game's first star honours for his 34 save performance in the shutout victory.

The X-Men will be back on the ice Friday, Nov. 14, when they host the UPEI Panthers. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at the Keating Centre.