Bantam Warriors look to bounce back

Mid- Isle visits O’Leary for Game 2 of semifinals

The Prince County Warriors will look to bounce back on home ice Friday.

The Warriors will host the Mid- Isle Matrix in Game 2 of the best- of- five P. E. I. Major Bantam AAA Hockey League semifinal series. The opening faceoff at the O’Leary Community Sports Centre is set for 7: 30 p. m.

The Matrix won Tuesday night’s series opener in Cornwall 6- 5 in double overtime, after the Warriors had battled back from a 5- 1 deficit to even the score. “We have full confidence in our group to respond Friday night,” said Warriors coach Cleve McNeill. “We played them hard in Game 1 and didn’t quit. “Coming back to our home rink, with the support of our fans, we look to feed off our comeback in Game 1, and are hungry to even the series up.” The Warriors know the Matrix will be tough. Mid- Isle took the season series 4- 2- 2 ( wonlost- tied), although the Warriors won the last two games.

Regular- season scoring champion Dixon MacLeod, who finished with 47 points – 25 goals and 22 assists – leads the Matrix.

Awards

Before Tuesday’s contest, the league handed out some hardware and three Warriors were recognized.

Connor Keough, who had a league- high 25 goals and tied for third in the scoring race, was named rookie of the year. Chad Arsenault was announced as the league’s top goaltender. He compiled a 2.63 goals- against average while registering three shutouts.

A Hard Hat Award was presented to a member of each team, and the Warriors’ recipient was defenceman Alex Hutchinson. This award goes to individuals who always put forth their best effort at practices and games, and possess a positive attitude, are supportive of teammates and have a never-say-die attitude.