October: The X-Men Hockey Team’s Month of Transformation

The month of October was one of redemption for the X-Men hockey club. The squad initially underperformed in both their pre-season and opening regular season games, winning only one contest in each of these 4-game frames. The second half of the month saw the X-Men go on a 3-game tear, putting up two victories over UPEI and one over Dalhousie. They exited the month over .500 with a record of 4-3-1 and have since extended their winning streak to 5 games. The following is a brief retelling of the transformation the team has undergone in the past month.

The X-men capped off their pre-season with a ceremonial puck drop at their game against Saint Mary's on October 1st, honouring this year's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Prior to the contest, Members of StFX's Indigenous Student Society joined team captains Bailey Webster and Andrew Coxhead at centre ice for a moment of remembrance and solidarity. The outcome of the game, however, was strikingly unfavourable for the X-men, as they yielded a 7-1 defeat to the Huskies.

The team went into the regular season with a singular pre-season win under their belt and would only register one more victory in their first four regular-season games, which came in their AUS season-opener against Acadia University (final score 3-2). The turning point for the team came after a burning home-barn defeat against one of their biggest rivals, the UNB Reds. The teams traded goals back and forth across the first 3 periods. StFX goaltender Joseph Raaymakers was pelted with 48 shots across regulation but stood tall with an outstanding .937 save percentage. The X-Men’s Liam Hawel (2023 AUS MVP) scored an overtime-clinching goal with just 30 seconds remaining, though UNB forward Michael Petizian’s dealbreaker ultimately quenched the X-Men’s fire in overtime.

This harrowing loss prompted a full-scale response from X-Men, which arrived in the form of a three-game winning streak. The first stop on their redemption tour saw StFX hosting UPEI, where they decidedly snatched a 6-3 victory over their opponent. Jacob Hudson, the X-Men’s leading scorer, put up his first hat trick this year on the occasion, this being only one chapter of his current goal-per-game tirade. The next game was an even bigger statement by the X-Men, as they bested the Dalhousie Tigers 8-1. Noteworthy in this tilt was the X-Men’s play in the second period, where five different X-Men players each put a tally on the scoreboard. The team rounded out the month with another victory over the UPEI Panthers, where they put their tenacity on display with three back-to-back goals in the third period.

In the middle of their winning streak, the X-Men congratulated the X-Women Rugby team on their AUS banner by welcoming them into the Keating Centre on October 25th. The X-Women had won the AUS championship on the same night the X-Men beat Dalhousie, so both teams gathered on the ice to revel in the win that the X-Women had brought to the entire Xaverian community. Though the merit of the X-Women’s championship should not be underplayed, the celebration was also symbolic of the arch the X-men had experienced in their first 8 regular season games. After struggling to find a spark, the X-Men caught fire and sent the message to the rest of the league that they are legitimate contenders this year. The moment when both teams posed with the AUS banner indirectly represented both the fresh trajectory of the X-Men and what is possible if they stay consistent. With their winning streak now extended to 5 games, the X-Men are only trailing UNB in the standings and are showing no signs of slowing down.