Raaymakers guides X-Men on playoff run

Chatham’s Joseph Raaymakers has had a strong year for the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men hockey team.

The X-Men won game one of their quarterfinal playoff series on Wednesday against Acadia 4-3 in triple overtime. Raaymakers made 32 saves in the X-Men net for the victory.

STFX can clinch the playoff series with a win on Saturday night in Wolfville N.S. Game three is scheduled for Monday if needed.

Raaymakers was in net on Feb. 10 as the X-Men shutout the Acadia Axemen 4-0 in AUS action at the Keating Centre in the final game of the AUS season. Raaymakers was honoured pre-game as one of the X-Men’s graduating players.

Raaymakers had 24 saves in the X net and was first star and player of the game.

With the win the X-Men (16-13-1-0) clinched third place in the AUS standings, earning home ice advantage in the first round of the AUS playoffs.

Raaymakers has a 14-12-0 record, .912 save percentage and 2.96 GAA going into the playoffs.