Caps open playoffs Saturday against St. Stephen Aces
SUMMERSIDE – The Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals will open the 2019 Canadian Tire Cup playoffs in the MHL (Maritime Junior Hockey League) on Saturday.
The Caps will host the St. Stephen Aces in Game 1 of the bestof-seven Eastlink North Division semifinal series at Eastlink Arena in Summerside. The opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Caps finished the 201819 regular season first overall in the 12-team league at 40-8-2 (won-lost-overtime losses) in the 50-game schedule. The Aces, who clinched the playoff berth on the final day of the regular season when the Miramichi Timberwolves (19-28-3) lost 5-1 to the Edmundston Blizzard, were 2027-3.
The series will follow a homeand-home format, with Game 2 in St. Stephen, N.B., on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The teams return to Summerside for Game 3 on Thursday, March 21, also at 7 p.m.
This year will mark the firstever playoff series between the Capitals and Aces.
The other North Division semifinal will feature the secondplace Campbellton Tigers (3113-6) meeting Edmundston (26-17-7).
In the Eastlink South Division, the first-place Yarmouth Mariners (36-9-5) will face the fourth-place Truro Bearcats (24-21-5) while the second-place Amherst Ramblers (26-11-3) will be opposed by the South Shore Lumberjacks (27-20-3).