Maroons, Flyers set opens Saturday
O’Leary prevailed in pair of one-goal victories during regular season
Neil Arsenault, the Cooke brothers and Mike MacIsaac are names that come up often when discussing the West Prince Senior Hockey League’s semifinal series between the Wellington Flyers and the O’Leary Maroons.
The Maroons’ Kory and Kyle Cooke and MacIsaac have consistently put up big numbers throughout the abbreviated regular season.
Down at the other end of the ice, Arsenault is the Flyers’ starting goaltender. “We’ll need him to steal a game or two if we are to win this series,” acknowledged the Flyers’ Nick Arsenault. “He’s the backbone; he really is the leader on our team.”
But Nick Arsenault says he and his teammates will have to find a way to contain the Maroons’ top two scoring lines.
The best-of-five set gets underway in O’Leary Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with Game 2 at the Evangeline Recreation Centre in Abram-Village on Sunday at 7:45 p.m.
Equally complimentary
Maroons coach Kevin Adams is equally complimentary of the product the Flyers put on the ice. “They’re a well-balanced team, and they have good goaltending,” offered Adams. “That could be a threat in the playoffs.”
Adams said his team has two strong scoring lines, and two good checking lines. Despite running away with the regular-season championship – 14 points in eight league games – the Maroons had a tough time against Wellington. O’Leary squeezed out a pair of one-goal victories, including a game-winning goal in the final minute of their most recent encounter.
“We felt like we could’ve won those games with, probably, a bit more luck on our side,” commented Arsenault, who admitted the Flyers are carrying the underdog label into the series.
Discipline will be a key against the team with probably the league’s best power play, he added.
“We have to stay disciplined, try to contain their top line and try to spend as much time as possible in their end and find ways to get to the net,” said Arsenault.
The Maroons are hoping to have Nick Reilly back from the injury list in time for Saturday’s opener.
They will be starting the series without Mike Adams and Justin MacIsaac while the Flyers expect to have a full bench.