Shea, Caseley win MHL awards
Top performers in September
Two players from Prince County have been named recipients of MHL (Maritime Junior Hockey League) awards for September.
Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals forward and captain TJ Shea of Anglo Tignish has been selected as the first star of the month, and Yarmouth Mariners goaltender Tyler Caseley of Kensington has picked up second-star honours. The Edmundston Blizzard’s Gabriel Vanier was the third star.
Caseley was also announced as the league’s rookie of the month.
The 20-year-old Shea, who was last season’s MHL most valuable player, averaged 3.4 points per game through the season’s first month. His seven goals and 17 points in five games have him positioned atop the league scoring race.
Shea has 10 assists and is just one behind linemate Brodie MacArthur for the league lead in that department.
Shea enjoyed two five-point games in September, and he has yet to record any penalty minutes.
The 18-year-old Caseley allowed just seven goals in posting a sparkling 1.39 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage in five games.
Caseley’s play has been a big part of the Mariners jumping out on top of the overall league standings at 6-0-0-1 (won-lostovertime losses-shootout losses), and a fourth-place ranking in this week’s Canadian Junior Hockey League rankings.
Going into Friday’s game in Truro, N.S., Caseley faced an average of 26 shots per contest while not allowing more than two goals in a single game.
Vanier, who has 11 points in six games, has netted three gamewinning goals for the Blizzard.