Home-field advantage
Mudmen host bitter rivals from Halifax in Charlottetown today
It may be the most important rugby game here in more than 50 years as the Halifax Tars, the four-time defending Nova Scotia Senior Men’s Rugby League Division 1 champions, meet the Hunter’s Ale House Mudmen today at noon at Co-op Field.
The past four years, the Mudmen were sidelined by the powerful Tars in a suddendeath playoff game in Halifax, but this time around the Mudmen have home-field advantage in the semifinal.
The only team to win a Maritime senior rugby crown was the Charlottetown Abbies Nomads back in the early 1950s – that’s how long it’s been for a rugby championship in a sport that is growing in popularity, especially in the Maritimes.
The Tars have been getting outstanding production from the likes of Mike Hamson and ex-Mudmen star Geoff Kowalski, but the Mudmen have talent themselves in the Fitzpatrick twins Aaron and Adam. The scrum will be powered by Phil Lanthier, Alex Forrest and Liam Carter, but they’ll have to be at their best if they hope to finally beat the Tars in a playoff game.
This is without question the highest quality rugby playoff game ever played here and I expect a big crowd.
The Mudmen Division 2 club thumped Windsor 62-7 to advance to the semifinal Sunday at 1 p.m. in New Glasgow, N.S.
Hockey
The Charlottetown Islanders entertain the Halifax Mooseheads today at 3 p.m. at the Eastlink Centre in Game 2 of their opening weekend of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season.
The Islanders took a serious run at the Quebec championship last season with a powerhouse team led by the likes of Danny Sprong and Filip Chlapik, but they’re both gone and the Islanders are in the midst of a rebuild.
It’s a very young club and they’ll have their hands full trying to make the playoffs in a league where 16 of 18 qualify for the post-season.
In the six-team Maritimes Division, Halifax and Moncton finished fourth and sixth last season but this year, they’ll be in the top three. The Acadie-Bathurst Titan have many of their core players back and that includes outstanding defenceman and Summerside native Noah Dobson, who is a blue-chip NHL prospect. He’ll be worth the price of admission. Cape Breton and Saint John round out the Maritime loop.
In other hockey news, Gerard Gallant’s Vegas Golden Knights scored nine goals in their exhibition win over Vancouver with a cast of young players that put a big smile on Gallant’s face.
Nobody around here (except for Summerside’s C.J. Gallant and Shannon Ellis) heard of Tyler Wong but the diminutive right-winger had a hat trick in the win.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and snipers like Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault, obtained from Florida, indicates Vegas will surprise, will not be last in the Pacific Division and prove that young players and veterans will shine under Gallant’s guidance.
The UPEI Panthers men’s hockey team is on the road this weekend against Acadia and Saint Mary’s in exhibition play and the following weekend head to New England for games at Northeastern and Boston University.
Basketball
The Newfoundland entry in the National Basketball League of Canada will be the opponent for the Island Storm’s home debut at Eastlink Centre on Nov. 18 not Moncton as reported last week according to the revised schedule.
Harness racing
Live harness racing continues tonight at 6 p.m. at the city track and it’s a dandy card.
The $2,400 feature has Johnny Conroy winner Adkins Hanover, Mick Dundee, D Gs Camme plus four others. The $2,250 open mares has Pretty-n-dangerous, Ramblinglily, Shadows Mystery plus four others.
A great card at Mohawk tonight as the $500,000 Shes A Great Lady Stake sees Dr. Ian Moore’s Percy Blue Chip as the favourite.
Pedro Hanover looms the best in the $816,000 Milton Stakes. Filibuster Hanover upset Fear The Dragon in the little Brown Jug from Ohio Thursday afternoon.
Fred MacDonald’s column appears every Saturday in The Guardian. He can be reached at fiddlersfacts@hotmail.com.