UNB Overwhelms Axemen

(FREDERICTON, NB) What a difference a week makes.

One week after suffering a 3-2 overtime loss in Wolfville, the UNB Varsity Reds overwhelmed the Acadia Axemen 7-2 on home ice.

Freshman forward Kris Bennett(Brampton, ON) scored twice and added three assists to the lead the Varsity Reds. He was named the Subway Player of the Game.

"It obviously feels really good," said Bennett. "We didn't get the result, last time, at Acadia, so we came out pretty strong. It was a good bounce back game and we deserved it."

Stephen Anderson(Morell, PE) had two goals and two assists, and Mark Simpson(Rothesay, NB) scored twice. Olivier LeBlanc(Quebec City, QC) also had a goal for UNB.

"I think maybe, deep down, we wanted it a little more than any other game, but really it was just business as usual," said Anderson, who continues to lead the country in scoring, with nine goals.

Boston Leier(Saskatoon, SK) and Stephen Harper(Burlington, ON) scored for the Axemen.

A scary moment brought the game to a halt after just 1:28.

Acadia's Alex Lepkowski(Buffalo, NY) took UNB's Chris Clapperton hard into the boards.

Clapperton lay motionless on the ice for several minutes before being taken off on a back board.

He was taken by ambulance to Fredericton's Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital, where he was alert and moving.

"It's tough to see something like that, but it's out of our control," said Bennett. "We just had to bounce back and work as hard as we can for him. We were playing for him and hopefully he's doing well."

"You just hate to see that in sports," said Axemen head coach Darren Burns. "We want to compete, but you never want to see a guy get injured."

Lepkowski was given a five minute penalty for boarding and a game misconduct.

Bennett opened the scoring on the ensuing power-play.

Leier tied the score 1-1 early in the second before Bennett and Simpson scored 45 seconds apart as UNB built a 3-1 lead.

A four goal third period was too much for Acadia to overcome.

"We got stronger as the game went on," said Varsity Reds head coach Gardiner MacDougall. "We didn't give up many shots, kept the momentum, and persistence paid off for us. We had a big third period."

Burns feels his team started well, but couldn't recover from UNB's quick strikes midway through the second period.

"Obviously that bang, bang, that opened the flood gates a little bit and we got outside our structure, what we need to be successful, from there," he said.

Alex Dubeau(Mascouche, QC) stopped 13 of 15 shots in the UNB net, while Robert Steeves(St. Joseph-de-Kent, NB) made 36 saves on 43 shots in the Acadia net.

With the win, UNB improves to 6-0-1.

The Varsity Reds host Saint Mary's on Saturday. Game time is 7:00pm.

The Axemen are now 4-2-1 and tied for the third place in the AUS. They visit UPEI on Saturday.

RECAP AND PHOTOS BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics