Caps drop to fourth in CJHL rankings

SUMMERSIDE – The Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals dropped two spots to No. 4 in this week’s Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) top-20 national rankings released on Monday.

The Capitals, who hold a nine-point lead atop the Maritime Junior Hockey League’s overall standings at 34-6-2 (won-lost-overtime losses), suffered back-to-back losses for the first time last week. The Miramichi Timberwolves (11-26-4) overcame a 3-0 deficit to edge the Caps 4-3 in a shootout in Summerside on Thursday night. The Caps dropped a 3-2 decision on the road against the Campbellton Tigers (20-13-5) the following night.

The Caps, led by Carson MacKinnon’s five points and shutout goaltending from Dominik Tmej, got back on track with a 7-0 whitewashing of the Fredericton Red Wings (24-15-3) on Sunday afternoon. The Caps have only one game scheduled this week and that is in Miramichi on Saturday night.

NEW NO. 1 TEAM

The Sherwood-Park Crusaders are the new No. 1-ranked team in Canada this week.

The Crusaders have a winning percentage of .857, which is best amongst the 131 teams that comprise the CJHL.

The Brooks Bandits (408-1) fell from No. 1 to No. 5 after suffering three straight losses. The Okotoks Oilers (41-6-3), winners of 13 straight games, are ranked second while the Central Canadian Hockey League’s Carleton Place Canadians (41-6-5) are third.

The Crusaders, Bandits and Oilers are all members of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.