WESTERN CAPITALS 4TH ON NATIONAL RANKINGS; ADD NEW FACE.
Thompson earns first MHL shutout; Summerside adds new player
SUMMERSIDE – The Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals slipped one spot in the latest Canadian Junior Hockey League rankings released late Monday morning.
The Caps are ranked fourth after going 2-1-1 in four games over six days, including three road contests in less than 24 hours over the weekend. Summerside sits atop the MHL’s (Maritime Junior Hockey League) overall standings with a record of 33-6-2 (won-lostovertime losses). That is good for a 15-point lead over the secondplace Campbellton Tigers (24-125) in the Eastlink North Division, and have a four-point cushion over the Eastlink South Divisionleading Yarmouth Mariners (30-84) in the overall standings.
The Mariners jumped two spots from 16th to 14th. The MHL’s Amherst Ramblers (29-11-2) received an honourable mention.
The Caps, who are 7-1-2 in the last 10 games, and Tigers each have nine regular-season games remaining, and Yarmouth has eight on its schedule.
The Brooks Bandits, who set an Alberta Junior Hockey League record with 25 wins in a row on Saturday, remain the top-ranked team in Canada. Brooks is 49-3. The Thunder Bay North Stars (34-3-2) of the Superior International Junior Hockey League stay at No. 2, despite having a 13game winning streak snapped on Saturday.
The Oakville Blades (35-5-5) of the Ontario Junior Hockey League move up from fourth to third. The Portage Terriers (40-9-3) of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League round out the top five.
The Capitals return to action on Friday in Truro, N.S., against the Bearcats (22-15-4). The Caps return to Eastlink Arena to host the Campbellton Tigers (24-125) on Saturday at 7 p.m., and the South Shore Lumberjacks (19-173) visit Summerside on Monday for the annual Islander Day game at 2 p.m.
SIGN PLAYER
The Caps announced the signing of 19-year-old forward Cedric Chenier late Sunday night. Chenier played with the Spokane Chiefs in the 2017-18 Western Hockey League season. The Caps signed Chenier before the Feb. 10 roster deadline. Teams could add players who were not signed with any other team on Jan. 10.
Chenier, listed as five-foot-10 and 190 pounds, had six points, including two goals, in 37 regularseason games with the Chiefs. Prior to joining the Chiefs, he had 65- and 68-point seasons playing midget hockey in his hometown of Winnipeg.
Chenier was expected to arrive in Summerside on Monday.
FIRST SHUTOUT
After losing 3-2 in overtime to the Grand Falls Rapids (11-22-6) on Friday night and 4-3 to the Edmundston Blizzard (21-15-4) on Saturday, the Caps bounced back with a 9-0 whitewashing of the Blizzard on Sunday afternoon before 2,827 fans in Edmundston, N.B.
Rookie goaltender Daniel Thompson of Riverview, N.B., turned aside all 38 shots, including 16 in the first period, directed his way to earn his first shutout as a Capital.
The Caps, who received goals from nine different players, jumped out to a 4-0 lead after one period, and extended that margin to 7-0 at the end of 40 minutes.
Brodie MacArthur led the Caps with one goal and three assists to extend his point streak to 22 games. MacArthur leads the MHL in scoring with 89 points – 35 goals and 54 assists. Sullivan Sparkes (1-2), Dylan Riley (1-1), Zach Thususka, Cameron Roberts, Jacob Hickey, Marc Richard, Ryan MacDonald and Kayden Peck also lit the lamp for the Caps, who have netted a league-high 211 goals in 41 regular-season games.
Conor MacEachern (3), Jesse Annear (2), Noah Massie and Josh MacDonald added assists for the Caps.
The Caps directed 23 shots at the Edmundston goal.
The game’s three stars were:
1. Brodie MacArthur (Capitals),
2. Daniel Thompson (Capitals), 3. Conor MacEachern (Capitals).