Special night
Two Western Capitals, head coach reflect on experiences at Credit Union Place
A special night at Credit Union Place will carry extra significance for two players and a coach with the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals on Saturday.
The Caps will host the Yarmouth Mariners, and the MHL (Maritime Junior Hockey League) game will be played before a full house at Eastlink Arena. As part of Credit Union Place’s 10th anniversary celebrations, the game is free and all tickets have been claimed. “When you are going to put 3,500, 3,600 fans in Credit Union Place for a game, you not only want to show how well you can play, you also want to showcase the Maritime Hockey League and the talent of the league,” said Caps head coach Billy McGuigan, who coached the Charlottetown Abbies against the Capitals in the first-ever game at Credit Union Place.
Attended first game
Capitals’ rookie forward Brodie MacArthur, who, along with teammate Austin Taylor, grew up playing minor hockey at Credit Union Place, remembers attending the facility’s first-ever game as a seven-year-old and watching his younger brother Colby play an intermission game as a skills player.
“It’s been a big part of my life for sure,” said MacArthur. “It means a lot to have that great of a place just two minutes down the road. “A lot of people have to travel a long distance to play in this nice of a rink.”
Taylor began playing skills at Cahill Stadium before Credit Union Place opened.
“There is definitely a great atmosphere,” said Taylor. “You have that hometown feeling.” When asked if there is one particular memory that stands out at Credit Union Place over the years, MacArthur referred to his second year of peewee AAA hockey, when his Summerside team advanced to the final of the Atlantic championship before losing the final to a strong team from Bedford, N.S. Taylor also has many fond memories of playing minor hockey at Credit Union Place.
“I’ve met a lot of my friends through hockey, and it’s had a big impact on my life,” said Taylor. “That’s where it all starts, at the rink.”
Personal impact
McGuigan lists winning the 2013 Kent Cup and advancing to the final game of that year’s RBC Cup national championship in Summerside as two highlights behind the Caps’ bench at Credit Union Place. However, McGuigan also talked about the personal impact the facility has on him and his family.
“All my kids have learned to skate at Credit Union Place,” said the Summerside resident. “It’s a place in the community I go every day, and I see lots of familiar faces.
“My biggest memory over the last 10 years is just the people I have met there.”